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 Alisha,
Boy, I wish I had found your site when we were having trouble with the bottle! My 9.5 month old did great starting purees and baby oatmeal around 5 months. Now she loves puffs and mum-mums but won’t eat soft food and has even started refusing purees. This has been going on for several weeks. She has an upper lip tie and was tongue tied at birth but we got that fixed. She is breastfed, but in the 6th percentile for weight and the dr wants her to start gaining better. Any ideas? Momma is stressed!
I’d definitely think about getting a feeding eval for her and following the steps in this post. It sounds like she needs helps learning how to eat and accept different textures. A lactation consultant also may be helpful to make sure she’s getting enough. Until about 11-12 months old, babies don’t rely on their food for calories, it should come from their milk supply, anything they get on top of the milk is extra- if that makes sense. Hope that helps!
Hi Alisha,
My daughter just turned one a week ago. She had been eating solids since she was 6 months and she was a great eater! She would eat anything I gave her. At around 8 months I started introducing dehydrated prunes and Puffs and she would eat them with no problem, and lately I started with some pieces of cheese and fruits but mainly as snacks, because I continue to give her pureed foods as her main courses. A week ago she started shaking her arms and not letting me feed her and then she would spit the food after having only three spoons of it. I tried offering her whole veggies but she doesn’t want them and just throws them to the floor. The only thing I can feed her are pureed fruit and yoghurt, but I am afraid she is not eating any veggies now. Is this just a stage? Also, what should I do when she throws the food on the floor, should I give it back to her constantly? I am very worried also that by not eating correctly she will start waking up at night for a night feeding… Usually after dinner, at 6:30-7:00 she goes to bed at 8 until 6:30 the following day. I appreciate your comments and thanks very much!
Have you seen my post on How to Get Your Baby to Stop Throwing Food? The tips in there are a good place to start. Transitioning to table foods can take some time, just follow the tips from this post and be consistent.
My daughter is 11 months and she eats solid food but I will have to feed her. We are struggling with self-feeding. She will eat few puffs or blueberries by herself but will give up, get distracted, or start playing with it. I typically feed her rice, chunks of avocados, pancakes, etc. and she can easily chew on these although she doesn’t have any teeth. I am not sure how to get her to eat on her own.
That’s somewhat normal at this age, although frustrating. Have you seen the post on self feeding, it has a lot of tips, and I think it is exactly what you’re looking for!
Hi Alisha,
I’m trying to transition my ten month old son into table food but when I put something in his hand he squeezes it in his fingers. Do you have any suggestions on what I could do so that he doesn’t squeeze his food?
It sounds like he’s exploring. When kids are doing this, I try to guide their hands to their mouth so they can see that they’re supposed to eat it.
Hello. My son just turned 12 months and will not chew or eat anything solid – no puffs, melts, or steamed foods. He puts them in his mouth but then spits it out and gags if he tries to swallow. He will only eat purees. I tried making the purees thicker, but if they are at all chunky, he will not eat them. I am concerned. What do I do?
It’s definitely really overwhelming when babies are learning how to eat table foods! I’d also check out the post on When Babies Don’t Eat Solids. There are also some more tips there. I really like the idea of using a toothbrush, I know it sounds strange, but you’ll read why it’s so beneficial in that post. Also, did you sign up for the free printable? I’m creating a class and free workshop right now for parents that need more help with this.
Hello, I introduced traders Joe’s social crackers to my 9 month old and she did great with them. Loves them! However, I’m not crazy about there ingredients (i.e. enriched flour). Do you know of any whole wheat crackers and bread (for toast) that would be the best for her to tolerate? Thanks!
I hear you! I’m not sure of any off hand, unfortunately the processed flour is easier to chew and melts. BUT, if she did great with those you could possibly experiment with some others, test them yourself first!
Hi Alisha,
I am so glad I found this site. I have a 9 month old, born at 32 weeks. She has a great pincer grip, feeds herself with a spoon and picks up any table food with excitement, puts it straight in her mouth and chews away, but it just doesn’t seem to go down and eventually it will end up all around the floor or she will sometimes gag and choke (but mainly it just falls out of her mouth). I started on mashed veg and have tried her on bread and toast and all have the same issue, so I’ve recently switched to purees and she loves them but I’m concerned there’s an issue I’m missing. I’ve just read your advice about the puffs, so I will try to get some today. I’m in the UK so not sure we have the same brands and the ones I’ve just googled say “may contain milk” so I need to be careful with her cpma, but wondered whether there’s anything else you’d recommend too? For background we have always had feeding difficulties, starting with breastfeeding issues that ultimately led to me pumping her milk until 7.5 months. She was always very fussy on the bottle and also had green, explosive poo, but doctors were unconcerned as she was growing well and 100% happy between feeds and I was just glad to see her fed after all the breastfeeding struggles, however when I started to transition to formula in December she had terrible diarrhoea after changing just one milk feed per day. Unfortunately this was around the time I’d started introducing solids, so we had to put that on hold whilst we found the right formula and discovered she had cpma. Now she feeds much better but has been struggling with silent reflux and bad gas. Reflux meds are helping significantly, but I wonder whether reflux is affecting her swallowing? I’ve also started to suspect an upper lip tie, i had my own cut at 13 years old because it caused dental issues, and I only noticed the other day her frenulum seems to attach almost on her palate as opposed to higher up her gums. She also makes a funny noise during milk feeds, something between a gasp and a gulp, so is clearly taking in air (I’ve tried every bottle under the sun over the months). I have an appointment to have it checked next week. She was checked for tongue tie countless times when we were trying to establish breastfeeding but i don’t think they routinely check for lip tie here. Could this be causing her to have difficulty with solids as well and is there anything else it could be?
I’m so glad you’re having an eval, it does sound like something is going on with her oral motor skills. And, yes a tongue or lip tie can definitely have an impact! Also, reflux can affect swallowing a little, again this sounds more like an issue with how she’s moving the food around in her mouth. They should definitely give you more details in the eval! Good luck!
Thanks Alisha, doc doesn’t think she has a lip tie, but he does think she has a somewhat “sloppy jaw” which he believes is affecting things. She constantly sticks her tongue out, but does have her mouth closed to sleep. She had a bad reaction to the puffs I tried, so I’ve been trying very small pieces of fruit. She does swallow some but it’s a very slow process and I have to put them far in her mouth otherwise they just fall out again, and she is often just holding them in her mouth. He says because she is only 7 months corrected it’s too early to be overly concerned but he’s going to assess her progress in a few weeks and if we’ve not progressed she will be referred to a speech and language therapist. Wish us luck x
Oh that sounds great! All of what you described really sounds like oral motor, BUT your dr is right, with her adjusted age being only 7 months you have time.
You know another tool I love to use are those little mesh feeders, I wonder if she would practice chewing on some fruit in one of those?!
Hi Alisha, thanks for this post… It’s really helpful! Like many others, my daughter (10 mo) decided she didn’t want any purees. So we started the transition to table foods. So far, so good.
The only question I would like to ask is the following : after dinner, we normally offer her a bowl of cereal (6 mo ceral) which she devours. In wondering if a) are we doing right?, and b) is she then not eating enough table food?
The cereal has little texture so I guess she just swallows it. From a quantity of table food, guess 1/4 of what she used to have with purees is about right. Actually, maybe less!
When we try to give her cereal with more texture, she complaints and stops eating…
Thanks for any advice!
It sounds like you guys are doing great. Try increasing the texture even slower, extremely small amounts. If she refuses just thin it down a little!
Hi Alisha,
I need your advice please. Can you help?
My daughter is almost 14 months and almost 10kg. She was 2.6kg at birth.
We are also struggling with her screaming when she sees food, or sees us preparing food. A bib, a plate even can trigger her cries. she gets so distresses she gets red in the face and becomes breathless I fear she’s choking. After eating she always demands for more. She has her own eating schedule and we don’t eat with her but in front of her every time i would say. We can’t eat in peace. I’m afraid she has developed unhealthy eating habits and I’m guilty of that. Am i restricting her meals? Should I give as much as she wants/cries for?
Note we just started weaning her off the bottle into a straw cup/bottle and switching to cow milk. But prior to that she was already a crier when it comes to food.
Current meal plan is:
8am: Half bowl cereal with 100ml cow milk and another 100ml cow milk in straw cup
9-10am: 1 slice of toasted bread with 1 portion of cheese + 150ml of pear juice (home made pear puree mixed with water) as she’s constipated right now
Then she will nap for 2-3 hours
1-2pm: 180ml rice porridge with meat/vegetables + water
3-4pm: cubes fruits, rice crackers or sometimes fruit yoghurt + 100-150ml diluted prune juice (just introduced) otherwise just plain water
6pm: dinner is usually tomato based pasta with protein/carbs or porridge again
8pm: 200ml of formula/now mixing with cow milk
Based on the above is she not getting enough food? I don’t know if i’m under feeding her. Maybe she just likes to eat and i need to offer more? I’m really sure. So confused ans feels helpless!
Also 2 more concerns:
When eating porridge if I put porridge on the spoon she will pick up the spoon and eat it really well. But if there’s no porridge on the spoon, she will never pick up the spoon. Why is that and what can I do?
When we put food like cubed omelette on her tray, she eats using her whole hand as opposed to her fingers. I rarely see her use thumb and index fingers.. Should I be concerned. Are the cubes too big or too small?
Can you help please?
Many thanks!!!
I totally understand how overwhelming this all can be! I’d check out some of my feeding schedules and try to start moving towards those so that her meals are spaced about 2.5-3 hours. This will allow her to get really hungry. I like to keep kids at the table for no more than 30 minutes. And, if it were me I’d give her as much food as she wanted to eat in that time. But, I’d definitely talk to your pediatrican about this.
I’d demonstrate a pincer grasp and do some other games away from the table to work on this (look for ideas on pinterest) and if possible, where you’re living, it wouldn’t hurt to get a feeding eval. Having a professional take a look will help ease your concerns! Wishing you the best!
Hi., My son is 19 months now. he does not like to take any solid foods. Interested in bottle (cow’s) milk. He is too fussy always when offered food. Sometimes he likes to have only chips. Am really worried on the food habits of my child. Kindly suggest how to withdraw the bottle and put him on solids.
Hi Majari, I’d start with the steps in the post, as I described the puffs. I know its really overwhelming, but I’d start with small steps. Also, see the link in the post about feeding therapy. If you’re in the states it’s free and can be invaluable!
My daughter refuses to eat purees and only sometime will eat a pouch. She gags and throws up on any actual table food as well. So literally the only thing she eats is puffs. Please help!
Hi Alisha – thanks for the article. My son just turned 1 year old is not picky at all and will eat anything – IF it is pureed. He is much more finicky about what he eats when it is finger food. I have tried to give him carrots, peas, etc and he just spits them out and cries. He doesn’t seem to have an issue with chewing as I can give him whole cherries, orange slices, bananas (anything sweet) and he will pick them up and put them in his mouth, no problem. He was diagnosed low muscle tone and had reflux as a baby….can these play into his issues with finger food? I have him on a strict diet so I don’t want to give him anything processed. thanks in advance, I’m so frustrated.
I feel bad, my little one is 14 months and still not eating table food, perhaps I have not experimented enough. I started puffs and he is ok with them, and I give him a whole kiwi cut in small chunks alone or in his yoghurt, I’ve tried strawberries and small bits of banana too which he eats. I started giving him small pasta in his veg and meat puree as well as rice in his fruit puree. We have tried tiny pieces of bread and mashed potato too, but I am so afraid when he gags and I think that my selfishness could be slowing his development 🙁
Hi Michelle, it sounds like he’d benefit from crunchier foods first as I described in the post, also see the link for getting more help, it may give you the peace of mind you need!
I loved your ideas. However, I would avoid graham crackers for babies <1 year as they have honey.
Check with your doctor, but most doc’s are fine with honey that is baked:) Also there are varieties available without honey.
Hi Alisha. Thank you so much for this site and for all of your resources. It has been so helpful to me as a first time mom! I’m making a referral tomorrow to our local CDSA to have a screening done with my 11 month old. He has been gagging on foods since 6 months when we began purees. He’ll eat only about a teaspoon of food occasionally, but it’s not consistent. About a month ago, I stopped trying purees and tried table foods instead. Still no luck. My question is, should I continue giving him table foods even though he hasn’t “mastered” eating purees? Or should I go back to purees? My pediatrician hasn’t been helpful and wants to wait it out, but that doesn’t sit right with me.
I’d offer a combination of both! You could do yogurt, applesauce, etc. And, I’d use the table foods I recommend in this post, so glad you got your appointment set up! That’s great!