Let me first start with the fun stuff: a disclaimer that these views are my OWN, they are geared toward a typically developing child, and I do not claim liability. I am not a doctor, so please discuss personal concerns and situations with your child’s pediatrician when it comes to feeding.
OK! Now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a mom to 3- ages 4 and under, and I am also a licensed occupational therapist working in a pediatric special needs school setting. While my focus of treatment is not solely in the area of feeding (you can find OTs who specialize in this area!), I have attended workshops, conferences, and received training in this area while in school- and also have experience working with children in the area of feeding at work over the past 9+ years. THAT being said, my perspective on this model of introducing table foods to your babe is a hybrid of personal experience with my own kids, as well as professional. Take what you will from it, as there are differing opinions on introducing both purees and table foods at the same time, but this is my preference when working with my OWN children on feeding skills at home. For the sake of not confusing the terms, I will be referring to solid foods as table food and purees as, well, purees haha. I’ll try to keep it basic and answer the questions I receive most often over on my IG account (you can find me @withlovekellie), so let’s call this a beginner’s guide :) Are you ready? Here we go!
What age should I start introducing table foods or purees to my child?
Generally speaking, a baby is able to instinctively chew between 8-11 months. Food readiness skills typically start anywhere between 5-7 months- so starting around this time is ideal (again, every baby is a little different!). Two important milestones to check for is that 1) they can sit up independently and 2) are showing an interest in food. I choose to introduce table foods and purees simultaneously, as I believe it is important for the child to learn to manage both textures and types of food. Keep in mind that until 12 months of age, the primary source of nutrition is still breastmilk/formula, so these feeding experiences are solely for that- experience. Your child is learning MANY skills when introducing feeding- fine motor, sensory, oral motor, social-emotional- not necessarily just for nutritional value (although this is of course important as they near age one).
Should I be worried about them choking with table foods? Is gagging normal?
A gag reflex in babies is actually a GOOD thing. This is their protective instinct to prevent choking. It starts further up in the mouth when they are younger, and as they get closer to one year of age and are learning how to successfully manage their food, it moves further back into their mouth. Choking of course is always a real concern and you should ALWAYS watch your baby closely when giving them table foods. However, there IS a difference between choking and gagging, and it is important to take note of that. Choking means that something has already entered their throat and they cannot get it out. Gagging means they are working to prevent that from happening, and like I mentioned, is a GOOD thing. I understand that this can be tough for parents to get past when introducing table foods, for FEAR of choking, but if you are watching closely and giving your child foods that are either: soft, dissolvable, or small enough- then there should generally be no cause for concern. Remember, they are learning a new skill, so practice is important!
What foods should I start with?
Since we just touched on the types of foods in the question above, let’s talk more about them. When I am introducing foods to my children, I generally focus on four different types: large + soft, crunchy + dissolvable, small/cut pieces, or purees. These will expose them to a variety of textures and skills (the same ones I mentioned in the first question above). It is important to keep in mind that you do not want to mix purees with any of the solid food options, especially at first, as this can be difficult for your child to manage and be able to differentiate the textures in their mouth. Some definitions and examples of what foods I start with by type are:
Large + soft: these are foods that the child can hold on their own and can practice picking up, grasping, and bringing to their mouth. They can “bite” off pieces and will learn how to self-select how much food they can manage at a time. Examples include: banana, avocado, cooked sweet potato, steamed broccoli. Some tips to help them grasp these types of food without them slipping out of their hand are to leave part of the peel on or roll the food item in baby cereal to give it a bit of a grippy texture.
Crunchy + dissolvable: these are foods that are processed (yes, processed haha) but that the baby can hear and feel, have a crunchy texture, but are also dissolvable. Babies actually learn to chew much more quickly when foods like this are introduced, because of the previously stated reasons. They also help to encourage fine motor skills- especially that pincer grasp with the pointer finger and thumb! Examples include: gerber puffs, yogurt melts, or teething crackers/biscuits.
Small/cut pieces: these are foods that you want to expose your baby to, but that if given in a whole piece, would be too difficult for them to manage or pose a choking risk. These are typically most pre-cooked or pre-made meals that you would eat with your family. Examples include: pasta, sandwiches, casseroles, tough meats, or certain fruits/vegetables (such as blueberries or green beans).
Purees: these can be pre-packaged or homemade (personal preference!). As mentioned earlier, I believe it is important for a baby to learn to manage this type of texture, not only in their mouth, but in “play” form on their tray as well. Messy = sensory = learning new skills! You can feed these to your baby yourself, but I would keep in mind that you do not want to rely on this, and eventually move to teaching your child to “help” with scooping and bringing the utensil to their mouth. Introducing fruit or vegetable pouches is also a great way to work on those oral motor skills.
Best highchair, utensils, bowls/plates, and other accessories?
There really is no right or wrong “brand” persay when it comes to this- and expensive does not necessarily equal better. We use this IKEA highchair, and I personally don’t even really use bowls or plates or utensils until after the 12 month mark when I start to introduce them. In my opinion, simple is best, and we want them to practice those fine motor skills with their hands early on! I just toss most foods right onto their tray. Plus, bowls and plates tend to go flying and I’m not about that mess if I don’t have to be, haha. If you really want to use something, however, the silicone ez-pz mats or suction bowls/plates like these are great. We also like the cutie-tensil from Ryan+Rose for early exposure to utensil use. After that, we move right along to normal adult silverware and plates/bowls (although depending on the meal, we do use plastic divided ones like these still).
Recipe and food ideas?
I shared several ideas based on food type up above, and other than that, we keep things simple here, too! We just give babe whatever we are eating for our meal. The only exceptions are if it is extremely high in salt/sugar content or if we think it might be too spicy for their little digestive system. Other than that, everyone in our family eats the same meal.
How do I get extended family members on board with giving my baby table foods?
This is tough, and in my opinion, personal to each family. My biggest advice is to communicate and educate, but to also respect the “fear” they may have with this type of approach. I know that my mother in law and mom are wary to give certain types of foods in the beginning for fear of something happening on their watch, and I TOTALLY understand and respect that. So, when they are caring for my child who is learning to eat, I just direct them to give them what they’re comfortable with (usually purees and small/cut pieces). Then I am just sure to focus on the other types of foods during dinners or meals when I am home and present.
When to cut food vs when to give it whole?
Refer to “what foods should I start with” up above :)
Recommended “order” of introducing foods?
Using the guideline of “what foods should I start with” up above, when I am first introducing foods, I stick to one “type” at a time- meaning during a given meal. I do not mix textures for the first month or two, and once I know they are able to manage the different types separately, I will give them several options on their tray at once for them to make the choice of what to eat, when, and how much.
When to switch from small amounts of food to giving full meals?
As I’ve mentioned a few times, a baby’s primary form of nutrition comes from breastmilk/formula until around 12-15 months of age. Personally, I start with just exposure and small amounts of table food or purees at the 5-6 month mark and then gradually increase based on the cues from my child- if they act like they want more food, I let them have it! Usually around the 10-11 month mark they are more likely to start eating more “meal”-sized amounts, and around 12 months of age I am giving them around the same amount of food as what my toddlers eat. They may not always eat all of it, but the offer is there- and that is generally the same time period that I am weaning them off the bottle, so typically the transition to eating more is pretty smooth, because they’re hungry!
I really hope that you found this helpful- this is a question that I get ALL the time, and I really wanted a place to refer you all to. I also have a stories highlight on my instagram called “baby eats” where you can see some of our feeding journey with my youngest! As always, if you have additional questions please feel free to comment down below or to connect with me via email or one of my social media channels. I am always happy to help! Thanks for being here :)
with love,
kellie ♥
