As an occupational therapist that specializes in feeding, I often get asked how to transition a baby or toddler from baby food to table foods. These questions usually come from parents who are struggling through the process with a baby (under 12 months old) or from parents that now have toddlers who won’t eat table foods or solids.
This post will be your complete guide to transitioning to solids and table foods, no matter which situation you find yourself in.
Lastly, to be clear, when I say “table food” I mean any food that is not a food specifically pureed for babies. Baby led weaning (BLW) often skips the step of baby food so this guide is for parents that have followed the traditional route of giving baby food first.
Of course, if your child is struggling with BLW these strategies can still be helpful!
In this post you’ll learn:
Why Eating Table Foods is Challenging
When Do Babies Start Eating Table Food?
Step #1: Making Sure Baby is Ready for Table Foods
Step #3: Introducing Table Foods to Your Baby
Step #4: Transitioning Baby to Table Foods
Step #5: Getting Your Baby or Toddler to Only Eat Table Food
Why Transitioning from Baby Food to Table Food Can Be Challenging for Parents and Baby…
As a mom, each time I had to transition my boys onto table foods, I was frustrated and overwhelmed even though I’m a feeding therapist that had helped many families through it before. It’s different when you’re the mom living it day in and day out.
Experiencing that as a mom showed me how challenging it can be. The little baby food routine you had starts to shift, as they are also beginning to wean from breast or bottle and learn to drink from some type of cup (ideally a straw cup).
As parents, we worry, “Are they eating enough?”
With jarred food, you can know exactly how much they’ve eaten, but it gets a little blurry when half of the diced up food you give them is on the floor.
It’s tempting to stop serving table foods and to focus on baby food because you know how much they’re eating – but there’s a problem with that as you’ll learn shortly.
This process does require some patience because your baby is learning a new skill, something I had to remind myself of quite often.
My best advice as a mom and OT is to take heart and know it’s all part of the process. Remember that until 1 year of age, their milk source (breast milk or formula) is their main source of nutrition.
This is why people say, “food before one is just for fun.”
We want to teach our babies how to eat table and finger foods so they have the skill, but not get stuck on how much they are actually eating.
Keep in mind that some babies and toddlers won’t eat finger or table foods for various underlying causes such as:
- sensory processing
- oral motor delays
- some underlying medical diagnosis like reflux, food allergies, etc.
To explore the signs of these underlying causes head to Why Won’t My Baby Eat?
This is an exciting time, and it’s absolutely adorable when your chubby little baby is gnawing on a breadstick or getting puffs stuck on their face!
Now that you’re in the right frame of mind, let’s dive into the details of when and how to introduce table foods to your baby!
When Do Babies Start Eating Table Food?
Generally speaking, a good time to start introducing table foods for most babies is around 8-9 months. However, it may be later for your child, especially if they were a preemie. You will know they aren’t quite ready if they refuse, gag, or cough a lot when you try.
That’s okay, don’t be discouraged, this just means you will need to take it slower and consistently offer safe foods they won’t choke on.
If you’re nervous about how to handle gagging or your baby is gagging a lot on foods, check out Everything You Need to Know About Baby Gagging.
For other babies, they may start eating table foods even earlier, sometimes at 7 months. As a feeding therapist, I can’t recommend starting table foods for baby too much earlier, but of course, it is your choice if you feel they are ready. It is likely that they will be mostly swallowing (not chewing) most of the food though.
One critical word of caution is to NOT wait too long to start transitioning to table foods. Babies will instinctively chew from 7-8 months to around 11 months old, which means the transition will come easier.
Waiting past 10 months, unless your child has developmental delays, a diagnosis, swallowing difficulties, or was born prematurely, can make transitioning to table foods even harder when they’re a toddler. See the chart above as a quick reference.
Step #1: Make Sure Baby is Ready for Table Foods
Some signs your baby is ready for this transition are:
- Looking at or grabbing your food
- Making a chewing motion with their mouth when they watch you eat
- Picking up small objects
- Are 8-9 months old. See 9 Month Old Baby Food + Table Food Ideas.
- Brings hands to mouth
- Can sit safely with or without support
Remember, you want to start this by 10 months even if you aren’t seeing some of these signs, as long as they don’t have any of the reasons listed in the previous section to delay the start of table foods.
A week or two before you begin to introduce solids, start to thicken their baby food. Thicker foods require more movement of the tongue and muscles in the mouth, which helps lay a good foundation for moving a solid piece of food around in their mouth.
If you’re making your own baby food (get the DIY here), then add less water or liquid when pureeing. Use stage 2 baby food if you’re buying premade baby food.
Beware that some stage 3 type foods are great because they are thicker, but many of the jarred varieties have whole pieces of food mixed in with the puree, don’t go there – yet. That is putting the cart before the horse.
For now, it’s crucial to stick with smooth purees, gradually increasing their thickness, as your baby tolerates it. NO CHUNKS.
The mixed in chunks can cause gagging and a negative experience. It’s actually harder for babies to eat than table foods. Babies that eat chunks in their baby food well are just swallowing it all without chewing.
I’d also recommend increasing the thickness of store bought baby food by adding cereal (this is one of my favorites) or freshly pureed foods into jarred baby foods.
Step #2: Demonstrating
Once you start thickening their baby food, it would also be great to start eating at the same time you feed your baby, if you aren’t already. Your baby will watch what you do and learn a lot from it.
When you see that you have their attention, begin to dramatically chew for them, even with your mouth open. Show them how you put a small piece of food into your mouth using your hand.
It may take finding the right moment to get their attention, but this will help pique their interest in table foods, as well as teach them what they should do when you hold that piece of food up to them for the first time.
The Best First Table Food for Babies
Before we move on, you need to know what table food to offer your baby. A great place to start, and the best choice for a lot of babies’ first table food is a meltable puff.
I’ve used Gerber puffs many times, but there are so many brands, just test whatever type of puff you buy by letting it sit in your mouth and seeing how quickly it dissolves.
The dissolving factor is important because if your baby doesn’t chew the puff, it will dissolve in their saliva.
Puffs are perfect because they are hard and crunchy initially, which helps babies realize there is something in their mouth. That crunchy texture also helps them find it and maneuver it around in their mouth.
It may seem to make sense to start with a soft table food like eggs or banana. Not bad logic, but because those foods are so soft, babies have a hard time feeling exactly where it is in their mouth.
For some babies, this means they will refuse table foods and for others, it means they aren’t chewing and just swallowing.
The wonderful thing about puffs is that they dissolve in saliva in just a few seconds. So, if your baby doesn’t chew while they are learning to eat and they swallow, they aren’t going to choke on it. That is peace of mind.
Puffs are also great because they can be broken into really small pieces for those first attempts, if needed. And, babies can pick them up easily! Read more in when can babies eat cheerios and puffs? (Cheerios are much later, they don’t dissolve)
Step #3: Introducing Table Foods to Your Baby
The very first time you give your baby an actual table food, you’ll want to try and pick a time with little distractions so that you can give them your full attention.
Make sure they are seated in their high chair because this keeps them in a safe position and will help prevent choking. Read about how to make sure your baby is seated safely for eating.
Place the table food on their tray and allow them to touch and explore it for a few minutes. Some babies will pick it up and put it right into their mouth, depending on their age. While that is certainly ideal, your baby may need some more help.
If they aren’t putting the table food into their mouth, demonstrate picking it up and putting it into your mouth. Then, pick up a piece and put it into their mouth, right where their molars will be. Or, if they’re holding the food, gently guide their hand towards their mouth for them as you smile reassuringly.
If they munch up and down and swallow, you can offer more bites.
However, on the first attempt, some babies cough or gag. Other babies will spit it out. Be encouraging, peaceful (they will sense your stress, fake it if you have to), and know when to call it quits. Often, it may take a few meals over a few days before babies get the hang of it.
If your baby turns their head or pushes your arm away when you try to put the food in their mouth, then respect that and don’t force it. They may need some more exploration with the food first.
Step #4: Transitioning Baby to Table Foods
Continue to offer puffs for a few days to a week at every meal alongside their pureed food, until you can see them munching up and down with their jaw most of the time.
Ideally, they should be feeding themselves the puffs, too, but don’t let that be a deal breaker on moving forward. You can help them put the puffs in their mouth as long as they’re willingly opening their mouth.
Puffs have next to no calories. They are great to use when they are just starting on table foods, but as you pull away from baby food they don’t offer enough to fill their little bellies.
Find baby feeding schedules for 8, 9, and 10 month olds here and 11-14 months here.
Once your baby is enjoying puffs, you’ll want to try small pieces of other foods that dissolve really quickly. Some examples are: Town House Crackers (not Ritz, this texture actually requires more chewing), Graham Crackers, Teething Wafers, Baby Cheese Puffs, rice husks, and other stage 1 table foods you find in the baby aisle at the grocery store.
Trader Joe’s Social crackers are another option if you live by one.
Encourage your baby to feed themselves these finger foods, but certainly give help as needed. If they are eating these types of food well, it is time to move onto some softer foods that require a little more chewing, which we will address here in a minute.
If you aren’t sure if finger food is safe, do a taste test yourself. How quickly does it dissolve compared to a puff? How much do you need to chew it?
How do you know your child is eating foods well and ready to move on? When they are chewing it with little to no coughing, choking, or gagging, and swallowing easily (not hard gulps), consistently, for a week or two.
At this point you can also try pairing crackers and other crunchy foods with spreads like jelly, hummus, and cream cheese to maximize exposure to table foods and different textures.
Spread right on the cracker or show them how to dip it into a glob on their tray. Then, start giving them these foods first, before the baby food, at a meal and allow them to eat as much as they want or will.
Step #5: Getting Your Baby or Toddler to Only Eat Table Food
As your child eats a variety of crunchy but melt-able foods well, then you can start with soft foods like bananas, avocado, noodles, scrambled eggs, boiled potatoes, muffins, deli meat, cheese, breads, and overly cooked veggies in a cube shape.
You can also try these cubed “jellies” or little frittatas, that are perfect for this stage too. It may take a few days or weeks before you’re ready to move onto these soft foods.
I have been mostly focusing on actual cubed food that babies can easily feed themselves, but as they eat those softer foods and the spreads well, you can start to slowly experiment with mixed textures like soups and casseroles.
Again, you will want to keep this slow, maybe starting off with macaroni and cheese, and then moving to spaghetti and meatballs and then chicken noodle soup. The latter has a lot more changes in consistency in one bite of food.
You can give baby a couple of pieces on the tray of these types of food, but will probably be mostly feeding by spoon.
When your baby is eating several cracker like foods and several soft foods, you can pull back from giving as much baby food and perhaps skip the baby food at some meals.
As they eat more and more of the table foods, you’ll serve less and less baby food, skipping it more and more until you no longer need it.
If you feel they haven’t eaten enough of the actual table food then give them some of the baby food. Keep in mind that babies need to eat actually very little and a tablespoon or two of finger foods may be plenty for them.
If you’re nervous about how much your baby should be eating, check out toddler portion sizes, the info is great for babies too!
And if it feels like you’re lacking inspiration for what to serve, see my Mega List of Table Foods.
Important Tips for Transitioning Baby to Table Foods Easily
- Once you begin introducing table foods, offer one table food at each meal. Then, slowly increase the variety of foods they are eating as they are managing more foods.
- Continue to steadily increase the thickness of baby foods as you progress with table foods. If you aren’t making your own baby foods, try pureeing what you are eating for dinner or mix this into the jarred baby food. This will help get your child used to more textures and tastes. I love using a magic bullet for this!
- Carefully monitor all new foods. Some coughing and an occasional gag is normal. If you are seeing this frequently, the texture you are giving them may be too difficult for them. Wait a week or so before introducing it again and then proceed slowly. Discuss persistent gagging and choking with your doctor.
The Big Picture: Introducing Table Foods to Baby Cheat Sheet
Let’s sum up everything we’ve talked about in transitioning your baby from purees to finger foods and solid foods with a list that you can use as a quick guide.
- Give baby puffs as their very first table food.
- Give other food that have a crunch but melt easily, like cheese curls and graham crackers.
- Give crunchy/meltable foods layered with another texture like spread, dip, etc.
- Give soft foods that you’ve cut into a small cube.
- Give soft foods with irregular shapes like scrambled eggs, noodles, and ground meat crumbles.
- Give crunchy foods that don’t melt as quickly like cheerios, toast (add toppings like hummus, avocado, etc.)
- Give mixed foods like casseroles and soups (start off with foods that don’t have a lot of chunks in theme and monitor closely)
Important Tips for Transitioning Baby to Table Foods Easily
- Once you begin introducing table foods, offer one table food at each meal. Then, slowly increase the variety of foods they are eating as they are managing more foods.
- Continue to steadily increase the thickness of baby foods as you progress with table foods. If you aren’t making your own baby foods, try pureeing what you are eating for dinner or mix this into the jarred baby food. This will help get your child used to more textures and tastes. I love using a magic bullet for this!
- Hot dogs, grapes, marshmallows, large dollops of nut-butters, nuts, lettuce, popcorn, hard candy are all potential choking hazards. Hot dogs, grapes, and marshmallows can be cut into small pieces. Spread nut-butters thinly on foods. Food larger than a pea could get lodged in the airway.
- Carefully monitor all new foods. Some coughing and an occasional gag is normal. If you are seeing this frequently, the texture you are giving them may be too difficult for them. Wait a week or so before introducing it again and then proceed slowly. Discuss persistent gagging and choking with your doctor.
- Remember to ONLY move onto the next step once your baby is safely and consistently eating the previous step for a few days to a week or so, depending on your comfort level and the time it takes your baby to learn, which varies widely.
Help, My Baby or Toddler Won’t Eat Table Food!
Some children have a hard time moving onto table foods. Often these babies were pros at baby food, but turn their noses up and refuse many or all table foods.
It’s not uncommon for parents to even experience situations where their 10, 11-month, and even 1-year-olds and toddlers won’t eat solids.
As we discussed in the first section of this article, in this case, it’s critical to consider that there’s an underlying difficulty affecting your child’s ability and willingness to eat.
To figure out what you can do to start helping your baby, I highly recommend our free table food workshop. You’ll learn how to make some powerful but easy changes to what and how you feed them.
If you continue to struggle with moving forward with this process, consider feeding therapy. If you are in the states you may qualify for free help from Early Intervention.
Free Printable: Learn How to Eat Table Foods Cheat Sheet!!
Want to have all these steps in your hands so you can reference them in a heartbeat? We’ve got you covered you’ll find all the steps for transitioning your baby or toddler to table foods in this handy free printable:
Click here to get the free Learn How to Eat Table Foods Cheat Sheet
More on Transitioning Baby to Table Foods from Your Kid’s Table
The Ultimate List of Baby/Toddler Meal Ideas
The Best High Calorie Foods for Babies
Getting Picky Eaters to Eat New Foods
A Weekly Meal Plan of Table Foods For Your Baby or Toddler: So You Can Save Your Sanity
Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
Hi, I want to thank you for this great website, I am so happy I found it! My baby is turning 1 next week, he is eating solids pretty good, everything I give him he accepts without any problem, the thing is he doesn’t want to feed himself, he will pick the food and just play with it, but he will not put it in his mouth, he is just waiting for me to give him the food with his spoon. Do I need to be concerned about that? He also doesn’t want to hold his bottle or sippy cup. I am not sure if he is just lazy or something is not right. I am that kind of mom that freaks out easily for everything and I am doing my best to do not show him that, try to be calm, but it makes me so nervous when I give him food and he is doing any weird movement with his tongue, I immediately react like he is shocking and get so nervous… Oh goodness I wish I wouldn’t do this…
It looks like that link didn’t show up, here it is:
Hi Adry, you’re so sweet! It is totally normal to be nervous feeding your child and even more common with first borns, but you’re here researching, which is wonderful! I actually have a post that is going to help you so much, check out: how to help my child feed themself. That will give you lots of tips. Once you take a look at that, let me know if you have more questions or run into any issues! As for the gagging/chocking, also normal if he’s doing it sometimes. Its okay to freak out about it — on the inside — don’t let him know! I know that’s hard, but you can do it. If he sees you freaking you out he may start to get nervous about eating- I’ve actually seen this before, many times actually.
Let me know how it goes!
I’m caring for my 11 month old niece. Her parents send her with the pouches of puréed foods for 6+ months. My youngest are 9 but I don’t remember them being on purées for this long. Can you suggest a way to ask the parents if they have introduced any soft finger foods? I don’t want to be an overbearing aunt but I think they’re feeding her the same food out of convenience rather than her development. They haven’t mentioned any medical reason why she shouldn’t be eating more than purées at this point. Thank you!
Hi Ann, not sure if your still watching your neice, but yes you are right, table foods are totally appropriate at this age and many kids are no longer on baby food. BUT, if she’s never had any she may have some difficulty. I would just ask them, “Is it okay to give *Suzie* some of the table foods we are eating, or did you just want us to feed her the baby food?” If they say they don’t mind, follow the suggestions in this post! What a proactive aunt you are, I love it!
Good evening, My baby is turning 1 next week i used enfamil for the formula. im planning to do the transition of whole milk and toddler formula, since i used enfamil till he is turning 1.my question is do i need to used the enfagrow transition stage 2 or the enfagrow stage 3? thank you very much.
Most of the time that isn’t needed, but definitely a question for you doctor. IN my experience, no, but again, double check 🙂
Thanks for the great post. My question is a funny one. My daughter eats puffs etc.easily as well as soft fruits(strawberries). I’ve been progressing to table food and she was even eating bits of chicken and diced veggies. Recently, though I find she chews a bit them spits it back out, even foods she are no problem before. Any ideas?
Hi, my baby is 12 months. He eats dry foods like a champ ( puffs, cheerios, toast, Rice cakes etc) and he eats his homemade baby purées quite well for the most part. However when I give him pieces of soft foods like fruits and veggies he won’t even touch them and if I put them in his mouth he will spit them right out. Any advice you can offer?
This is going to sound strange, but try brushing his teeth, but do so with a firm pressure all over his tongue. Do this a couple of times a day- it will help desenstize him to different textures, even before meals. I’d also encourage messy play, even play with those foods outside of a meal. See my post on sensory bins by using the search bar, too. Be consistent, keep offering, and give it some time. Lastly, if you don’t see progress in the next month I’d look into early intervention, just to have someone take a look and make sure you don’t need more advanced strategies (I have a post on that too)! Let me know if you need more help.
Thank You so Much! I will definately give that a try. Very glad I found your blog.
Hi!
I have some mom ptsd from a choking incident my baby had a few months ago. She is now 8 months. She used to love feeding herself and we have been giving her mostly purees since then.
My question in regards to thi lending the purees is- how do we put them drink water? My girl loves to drink using the munckin “no spill” cups. But she often coughs and spits it out ( which is fine just always triggers my major fear response) AND I think she thinks it is a toy. Or a fun thing to do. So any advise on how to offer water with thicker purees?
Hi Dee, is she using a straw? Some coughing is normal but frequent coughing should be avoided. Its hard to say without observing her, but she may benefit from using a sippy cup with a strong valve in it, this will allow her more control of the liquid before she swallows which should decrease the coughing. I will also say that spitting out water and hardly drinking at this age is very normal:)
Hi Alisha,
I just found your website and at last, some relief as now I have some direction to go in. Our 11 month old baby has been struggling to eat solids since we started them. We’re currently unable to move past Stage 2 foods, and he gags/vomits violently if we try to give him anything chunkier. I’ve been so stressed and saddened that I’ve put him through the torture of food, which is something I’ve been anticipating seeing him enjoy. I’ve reached out to our State to get help at your direction from the comments above and I finally feel a sense of “maybe there is an end in sight.” I’ll continue to read your blogs and your website in the future, as you’ve been THE ONLY ONE to actually offer solutions. I cannot thank you enough.
My son is almost 13 months old and still on stage 1 baby food as well as the bottle. We have tried stage 2 foods and he will gag sometimes so bad that he throws up. Today I tried a mashed sweet potato and he choked, and threw it up. The potato was mashed very well and I gave him half a spoonful from his baby spoon. He will not put any food in his mouth on his own. He will however feed us. He seems to gag and throw up anything we try except stage 1 foods and his Rice cereal. He also had no interest in a sippy cup. We have tried several cups and no interest. Thank you!
Hi Tonya, are you in the states? I’d highly recommend getting an early intervention eval- that might sound scary but it is really easy and fast. Someone will look right at him and give you really specific strategies. You can find more here: yourkidstable.com/2013/09/help-for-infants-and-toddlers-early.html
This may sound strange, but are you able to brush his teeth? Can you do that a couple of times a day, focusing on brushing the sides and top of his tongue quickly. Also, any teethers that are stick shaped that you can him to chew on would be really good. It sounds like he has a really sensitive reflex and this will help.
Thank you so much for your advice! I will definitely try the teethers. As far as brushing his teeth, he throws a horrible fit everytime I try. So for the time being I just take a wet washcloth and rub his gums and teeth. We tried stage 3 baby food again yesterday and he threw up again. We’re just really concerned as to why he can’t or why he won’t eat on his own. Thanks again!
Do not try stage 3 at all if it has chunks in it- that is so far advanced from where he is. I hate that it is marketed that way because many aren’t used to it. If anything I would try slightly thickening the food a little at a time. Then, I would try to place bites on his teeth, small ones, of the baby food. This will help him start to control before he swallows- it could not help- depending on why he’s having a problem, but I wanted to mention it!
My son is 13 months old and is still on pureed food. He will eat the Gerber puffs and the baby cheese puffs and does chew those well. We have attempted mashed potatoes, green beans, peaches, apples, bread/crackers, etc and he will mostly gag after the first attempt at a bite and then just refuse to eat it after that. Sometimes he can gag enough to make himself throw up. We have been trying all kinds of food for months now with the only success being 2 green beans that he just randomly picked up and ate by himself on 1 occasion. We have followed the steps in your posts but haven’t really gotten any farther and I was just curious as to whether we just needed to give it more time or try something else. Thanks!
Hi Adalene, are you able to get him to each more crunchy foods? Can you expand on those? If he is able I’d move to cubed foods next. Cooked diced apple, diced zucchini/banana/pumpkin bread, pancakes, etc. Have you tried foods like those? Also, are you in the states? I’d call your state’s early intervention program (see the article index for a detailed article on finding your states info or google it : yourkidstable.com/articles). That is free and immensely helpful, I will still help you here, but starting there would be great too.
My one year old daughter loves anything crunchy, crackers, chips, and wagon wheels. She picks up food to feed herself, takes bites, and chews food. She had eight teeth (4 top, 4 bottom) she will feed herself applesauce from the squeeze packets and is starting to figure out straws. However, she refuse to eat regula table food. She has mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, pasta, ground beef, shredded chicken, cheese, and berries. I’m not sure how to get her to eat real table food and not just crunchy items.
Hi Sarah, how old is she? Don’t worry about the teeth, surprisingly they have nothing to with it at this age, they can chew great with their gums.
my son colton eats puffs and the baby Cheetos and chips and even my taco bell food however when I try to get him to eat like spaghetti o’s he spits them out, when I try banana chunks he spits them out when I try carrots he spits them out. he loves his fruit end veggies in baby food and will eat the majority of what I eat but he wont eat them as a meal.
and its getting to the point where he wont even eat my food. I don’t know what to do.
I’m only 18 and my son is a year old. I just don’t know what to do.
he also wont drink from a sippy cup or even anything besides his formula. im just completely lost and feel like im failing as a mother and failing my son.
Oh Meghan, you are doing great because you are researching and trying to find answers!!! This stuff can be really hard and nobody tells you what to do. Seriously the best thing I can recommend is heading to the start here button in the menu bar and clicking through to eating basics. Start following these steps and give it a week or two. I can almost guarantee you will see a turn around. Now, toddlers can be very difficult to feed, so keep that in mind! Also, I’d highly recommend signing up for the newsletter, so you can keep getting help. I give tips there and have a new post coming about toddler feeding! You can find the sign up at the end of the post or in the side bar.
Hi,please could you advise me, I have a 1 year old little girl who is sick quite often. She took herself of purity and cereals a couple of months ago and was eating solids nicely. Al of a sudden she has decided she only wants her bottle. She will take food and hold it but not at it. I have tried al stuff she used to love and nothing. Any ideas.
My guess is that she has developed a certain sensitivity or defense against foods as a results from her frequent illnesses. This can get pretty tricky to break down. I’d first start with not pressuring her but setting up a routine. If you click on articles in the menu bar and click through to “best picky eating strategy” I think that would be a great start. I’d also consider getting a feeding eval if that is an option.
Hi Alisha,
My daughter is 9 months old and has been eating homemade purees since 6 months. Last week she slowly started eating less and less food, and by the end of the week she would not open her mouth for the spoon and she even pushes our hands away. I read that this could mean she wants to eat on her own. So now we have to jump right in to finger foods. She’s willing to try to eat sliced bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes, and other soft foods, but only if she does it herself. She tries to grab the food with her whole hand and put it in her mouth, but she’s unsuccessful 95% of the time. (She knows how to chew). And she won’t let me put the pieces in her mouth. Then we both get frustrated and have to quit. Is it normal for babies to get sick of puree? Do you have any advice for jumping right into finger foods? I know this post is about transitioning, but it seems we’ve missed that. Thank you.
Hi Kayla, it is normal actually. I’m going to send you over to How to transition you child to table foods, another post I wrote. I’m actually updating the end of this post with that link. I also would recommend giving her typical purees like applesauce and yogurt. Let her dip her fingers in and give her a spoon, keep offering her bites too. Let her get as messy as she wants. Take a look at the other post and let me know if you have any questions!
Hi I am trying to get my 11 month old to transfer over to table food and she only has 2 teeth but her docotor says she can have bananas but she doesn’t know how to chew how do i teach her that…. and can she have the puffs that u were talking about in ur post…….
and also Icant seem to find a sippy cup that she will accept i don’t know what to do I need suggestions
Thanks Hannah W
Hi Hannah,
I’m glad you’re being proactive, at 11 months the window to instinctive chewing begins to close. Obviously, kids can learn after this, but it is more challenging. I would follow the steps in this post and yes use the puffs first. Make sure you read part 2 as well. Try these steps a couple of times and then let me know if you have any other questions. As for the teeth, that doesn’t matter at all. Teeth have nothing to do with a baby eating/chewing. So don’t worry about that. I would start using a straw, see the article index in the menu bar and you will find how to drink from a straw under developmental milestones. Please let me know if I can be of assistance in any way.
Hi Alisha,
My baby just turned 9 months yesterday and refuses to eat the Gerber puffs or any solid table food. She does very well with the pureed food, even the thicker ones (although she gags on the pureed food with chunks in it). When I offer her the puffs she shakes her head no and if I am able to sneak one in her mouth she spits it out or may gag on it, occasionally throwing up a tiny bit. She will pick up the puffs, play with them and throw them, but will never put them in her mouth. She is still happily eating her pureed food and breastfeeding and her weight is perfect, so nothing to worry about there. My doctor is worried that she is not taking to table food yet and wants me to schedule an appointment with an OT. Is there anything else I can do or try? Also, she is not a baby who puts everything in her mouth. She will put toys in her mouth sometimes and she’s not teething yet. I appreciate any advise you may have for me!
Hi Audrey, I’m impressed that your doctor is encouraging an eval, I would do that. It sounds like she isn’t learning to chew, probably because she isn’t practicing on her toys – encourage that from her too. You can dip her toys into her purees. I would start to put some bites of the puree on the sides of her mouth so she has to retrieve it with her tongue the way she does with food. You can also crush puffs into a powder and place on her molar area from a spoon so that she can begin to get the idea. Stay away from all lumps. Also begin to use a toothbrush two times a day if you haven’t already, this will help her start to learn how to move her tongue around. Lastly, if you get a small piece into her mouth make sure it is off to the side. Oh, one other thing give her large uncooked carrots and celery to mouth on at meals, this will decrease the gag reflex. Teeth have nothing to do with chewing for babies so no worries there. Let me know if you need more help!