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.
I’m really glad I found this article. I started feeding my daughter the puffs a while ago… maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago. I’ve done toast but I haven’t tried anything else because I thought that meant she was ready for other foods too. Well, I’ve tried super soft carrots, zucchini, green beans, strawberries and blueberries and she will only touch it- maybe pick it up but as soon as she feels it she drops it. Is this a sign of a sensory issue? I’m not sure… sometimes if I put the softer foods to her mouth she might bite it, sometimes she won’t. Most of the time she will spit it out with rare occasion of swallowing. She appears to chew her puffs and toast, so I feel like she should be ready. Im just confused because she eats EVERY single jar food I’ve given her, so she is by no means a picky eater! Haha! Do you think she has sensory issues? Should I take her to the early learning coalition to be evaluated? She was also born 2 months early (33 weeks). Thank you!
Hey Stacy,
Sounds like you are doing a great job to figure it all out. It may be a sensory difficulty, I’d be working on playing with food and touching different foods during the play with no pressure to eat. We do have a free workshop that will help you can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
I am trying to Move my daughter onto table foods. She is 9.5 months. She is eating some soft solids – grated cheese avo and is a pro at the puffs and baby num num crackers.
But nothing further. I am worried she will be fussy. Do I keep offering her finger foods and purée or should I only offer finger foods and then if she doesn’t eat she will just have bottle?
Thank you!!
Hey Stephanie,
So glad you reached out! We do recommend continuing with providing some purees (so that she can keep that consistency, even with yogurt, etc). And then providing some of the foods you are such as the meltable puffs and other foods she’s eating. We have a free workshop that will help walk you through introducing some other foods that may be helpful for you! You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
So thankful to have found this article. I’ve been beyond stressed out with transitioning my 11 month old son to eat finger foods. He had a hard enough time eating baby food solids. He had a sensitive gag reflex so he was always gagging and throwing up. He eventually got the hang of it but now finger foods is just worse. He can pick up pieces and feed himself. He’ll chew them but I have to be careful that he doesn’t put too many pieces in his mouth before he’s done chewing the previous piece. Just when I think he’s doing fine, he’ll start gagging horribly and there’s been times he seems to be choking. The pieces are very small so I don’t understand why. My anxiety has been at 100 because I’m scared of him choking so seeing him react that way is stressful. I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong and I have no one to really show me. People criticize me that I started him off too late but because of his sensitive gag reflex I couldn’t start him sooner. I’m having a really hard time and any help and advice is welcomed
Hey Tracy,
We get it, and know how hard the sensitive gag reflex can be. You are doing great and working hard to help your child learn to eat! I’d follow the steps with regard to food choices in the article to work your way up to harder foods. This Article will help you understand your child sensitive gag reflex and how to work with them to decrease it!
Best,
Desiree
Hi, my daughter is 13 months old and has no teeth. She regularly eats grains and dairy products. She loves anything with pasta (Mac and cheese, spaghetti, pasta salads, etc.) She eats oatmeal, Cheerios, baked goods (like croissants, muffins, donuts, etc.), Pancakes, eggs, PB &J sandwiches, rice, pieces of pizza, cheese, yogurt, and pancakes. I can’t get her to eat ANY vegetables, fruits or meat. She never has, she refused all of the baby jar food and went straight to table foods. She doesn’t get anything harder, like apple slices or celery sticks because she doesn’t have any teeth, but I think she would eat those things better because she has a texture aversion to the purees or something. Is it safe to give her apple slices without teeth? How can I get her to eat meat and veggies?
Hey Sara,
Thanks for reaching out! I think that part 2 of this article is helpful for you as it does talk about safely introducing of foods. Generally kids do not need teeth to chew foods, as they utilize their gums to bite and are very strong! I would make sure that you are modeling of biting chewing and try some food play with the foods she has not had yet to get her used to them!
Best,
Desiree
I’m happy to find out your website and find it interesting. I hope can find solution for my questions. My daughter is 22 months old. She dont self feed, not chewing the food properly, never sit at one place at meal time, not interested in food. I’m really frustrated now. Please help me where to start. I know i need lot of patience now as because she is old now to start but how can I do it now. I’m really confused to understand her. Her weight also low.
Thanks
Hi Archana,
So glad you are finding some good information on our site!! We understand how frustrating this can be! Since she is not interested in food, I’d start with some food play to see if you can increase interest. I’d recommend you to watch our free workshop to gain some tips on where to start and work through these difficulties. You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
My baby is 15 months old.she is eating only homemade pureed food.even if i give her mashed food she jus keeps spitting out..dis goes on for an hour..nothin is workin on her..i m very worried.
Hi Richa,
That sounds really frustrating! Sometimes the lumps and bumps in mashed food can make it difficult for some toddlers. Dissolvable solids (like baby puffs and graham crackers) can be a great step. They can be a little less overwhelming when just learning to chew. You might check out our Teaching Toddlers to Chew post for some more ideas!
Best,
Andrea
Hi there. My daughter is 8 months old and I feel like she is behind. I see other babies doing BLW and she can’t tolerate it. We have been moving to thicker purées and tried some puffs. At what point should I trial fork mashed foods?
Hey Jessica,
Every baby is different!! At 8 months you are doing great!! It’s okay that she can’t tolerate that, as there are other ways. I’d keep offering the puffs and other meltable foods as these are the easiest to manage and help to transition to other table foods. We do have a free workshop that will help with which foods to offer next/when. You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
I can’t seem to find part 2 of this post. Can you please share a link? Thank you!
Thats not a problem! Here is the link to Part Two. I hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
Hello ,
My daughter is 13 months old .And she is not eating anythign other than baby food .She eats gerber puffs .She wants to eat some food but she gags and throw up after 2 or 3 bites and skip that meal .Is there any tips on improving her food habit . I do offer our food to her at every meal .Really worried .
Regards,
tina
Hey Tina,
So glad you reached out to us!! I can relate on how hard it is when your child is growing and having difficulties with eating foods!! It is really great that she is eating puffs as these are one of the first foods to use to transition from pureed foods! Trying to do some food play with foods outside of mealtimes to get her used to interacting and touching can be a great start! Sounds like you would also benefit from our free workshop that helps you set up meals and what foods to use next you can save your seat here.
Best,
Desiree
Hi, My daughter is 1 year old and eats only one type of gerber puffs and nothing else. She used to eat pureed food, mashed food, even table food but she was forced to finish her portions and force fed and distract fed till she stopped trusting us and doesnot open her mouth to try anything. How do I help her to eat table foods and gain her trust? She is surviving on just the puffs and pumped milk. I am not sure how long i can continue pumping as well.
Hi Chandrika,
I totally get it, when we just want our kids to eat, we will try anything! So glad that you reached out! We do have a free workshop on transitioning to table foods, that I think will provide you with some suggestions on how to set up mealtimes to help ease the pressure and have a more positive attitude towards meals with your daughter you can save your seat here. Also, I’d try to do some food play with your daughter outside of mealtimes so that she will start to engage with the food and touch the food, as this is the first stage in actually eating!! Hope this helps, Keep us posted!
Desiree
Hi! I have a one year old. He is not a picky eater he just eats very small amounts. He started to refuse spoon feeding and he wants to eat everything by himself. The problem is he eats less than 100gr of food per meal and when I was spoon feeding him it was 200gr. He is very skinny weighting 8,5kg and 80cm tall. He is now eating less than when he was 9 or 10 months old. In one day he eats 500gr of solid food + 300ml of formula Is that normal?Please help me
I totally get it! It is hard to feel like your child is eating enough when you are not feeding them, but it sounds like he is becoming more independent in his feeding skills which is great!! Kids do go through phases of eating more/less based on their development. Here is a post that I think may be a good resource for you!!
https://yourkidstable.com/toddlerpreschooler-portion-sizes/
Thanks, very helpful
My son did that too; our pediatrician recommended supplement each meal with some pediasure, it worked great and he eventually started to eat more food on his own
Hey Ju,
Yes, sometimes when there is a weight issue it is recommended by pediatrician to add in Pediasure to assist with weight. Some families just need to be careful that the child does not become dependent on just drinking their calories, because they find it easier than eating!! I am so happy that this was able to work for you and that your child began eating then on their own 🙂
Best,
Desiree
Hi,
Atlast I found ur site where I’m able to correlate my situation.One of my twin(my boy) 3 yrs doesn’t eat proper meal on table ..
He is used to smashed rice /porridge .he eats at times noodles a little, oats biscuits or some snacks depending on his mood but not our daily meal.
He when we feed his daily food like smashed rice he does all sorts of tantrums such that by the time we finish feeding him my BP mite ve been 300/190 🙂
I cannot categorize him that he doesn’t eat hard foods at all… bcoz he eats biscuits and little noodles or some crackers and also some dosa (Indian food)
When we make him sit In high chair and serve he plays with it ,throws food ..
But his twin(girl) atleasr eats when we sit next to her and spoon feed.
Plz suggest
Hey Varsha,
We can totally understand where you are coming from and know how hard it is! I’d first try to work on letting him try to play/touch some different textures of food, you can do this outside of mealtimes. This can help with them accepting the food later on and makes them more comfortable. We do also recommend removing all pressure from mealtimes as well. We have a free workshop that walks you through how to remove pressure as well as other strategies to work on eating with your child and it a perfect fit for what you are describing him doing! You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
I have a one year old and we’re struggling with table foods. She’ll eat purees off a spoon and she’ll eat puffs, but will spit out the mush instead of swallowing. She’ll put toast and a few other solids in her mouth, but won’t swallow, she spits everything out or gags. She was a preemie and born super small so I’m not surprised she’s struggling with the transition. We’re working with Early Intervention, but they are focusing on her motor skill delays and there is only so much time in each session so we don’t usually get to talk about feeding. I got her a baby toothbrush in hopes that brushing her teeth would help with the eating struggles, but she refuses to let me put it in her mouth. She clamps her mouth shut and jerks her head back and forth. When I give it to her for, hoping she’ll chew on it herself, she just drops it on the floor. Letting me put table food in the back of her mouth is also out of the question. Any suggestions for getting her to let me brush her teeth???
We understand this can definitely be a tricky time during this transition. You are doing a great job with getting early intervention started!! I would reach out to one of your therapists about getting some feeding therapy as well. They may be able to add a service to address this specifically. I’d check out this article below as it may have some helpful tips for you! One of them may be trying a vibrating toothbrush, some kids love this right away, while others may take awhile to warm up!
https://yourkidstable.com/sensory-processing-and-picky-eating/
I have a 10 mo old who is not progressing onto table food ‘well’. HE handles puffs and other crunchy foods well, but shows little interest in soft foods. BArely picks other foods off his tray and gags at least once a feeding if I give him something other than purées, thickened or not, and puffs. I don’t want him to start to associate food with gagging but also don’t want him to get stuck or develop texture aversions. Where is the line for evaluation and what can I do in the meantime??
Thanks for reaching out. I understand that this transition can be very hard and does take some time. I am SO glad that you are working with the proper textures and working your way up, starting with the meltables (puffs and crunchy foods) and then attempting the softer textures, this is GREAT!
I would try to do some play with those soft textures outside of mealtimes to see if he is okay with touching them and playing with them (this is the first step before eating them). Also, it may take a few tries before he is able to be able to actually eat these softer foods 🙂
As far as getting an evaluation, I would suggest always use your judgement or talk with your pediatrician. It never hurts to get an evaluation even just for suggestions. If you are in the US, you may find this article helpful on Early Intervention, yourkidstable.com/help-for-infants-and-toddlers-early/
Keep us posted and let us know if you have any other questions!
Hi!
I stumbled upon your post while researching toddler eating habits. My daughter isn’t 18 months old and eats a combination of table foods as well as baby food pouches because I don’t feel like she gets enough fruits and veggies otherwise. How can I help her to try different things when she refuses them? She enjoys crunchy snacks, French toast, anything potato related, frozen veggies, yogurt, and banana most of all. Any suggestions are appreciated. I’d love to get her to eat some type of protein but she refuses them all.
I totally understand where you are coming from, it is hard when you want to have your child eat a healthy diet and they are not cooperating!! I would try to have your child play with non preferred foods, so that she can get used to looking at them, touching them and accepting the feel of them, as this is one of the first things that they will need to do before they will eat those foods. I do have a free workshop, 3 Keys to Finally Turn Your Picky Eater Around, that I think you will find helpful on your journey!
Here is the link to get a seat yourkidstable.com/free
Hi! My almost 11 month old son is stuck at the eating soft foods. He will eat crackers and bananas..pancakes, toast.. waffles etc can but if you try to expand to like watermelon or blueberries he isn’t able to swallow them.how can i help expand his diet?
Keep expanding on foods your son already likes, add pureed fruit to the batters of pancakes and waffles. Also try adding a thin spread on top of those like cream cheese, jelly, crushed avocado, etc.
Hello! My almost 8 month old has been doing pretty well with the transition to table foods. She’s doing puffs, mum mums, and the Gerber little Crunchies. This week we also started some pieces of soft fruit and she seems to be enjoying it. I haven’t noticed much gagging but she does take a while to chew all of the food sometimes. Our main issue is that now she starts crying/whining when I give her purees. I usually start with the puree then give her the solids. But she just cries almost the whole time while eating purees, even though she keeps opening her mouth when I offer her the spoon. Other times she’ll push the spoon away and then I don’t force it. She usually stops crying when I give her the table solids. I have started thickening the purees but not by much; they’re maybe about the consistency of pudding. The only sensory response I notice is her arms are a bit “flaily” when she’s eating the purees. I even let her play with the puree on the tray and she has no problems touching it. Her seating position is as good as I can get it with the high chair in my budget. I’m a fellow OT (in hand therapy) but I took the SOS feeding course and I’m stumped! Any suggestions or ideas about what’s going on?
Well, she might be getting sick of purees, this happens in general and particularly for some kids that love table foods. I’d focus on that cube shape and use a Nuk brush to help her with the oral motor aspect!
My son is going to be 11 months on the 26th (it’s the 19th) I feel like I am failing as a parent because he is still on jarred baby food and formula. I try to give him other things and he spits it out and Spits it out. I’ve tried puffs. And he act a like he is choking I’ve tried real bananas just no luck
I totally understand Shelby. Have you tried the steps in the both of these posts yet?
What did you end up doing? I’m having the same problem with my 12 month old. It’s horrible
Hey Verna,
We do have a free workshop that walks you through transitioning from table foods and setting up positive mealtimes. You can save your seat here: yourkidstable.com/tablefood-workshop
Best,
Desiree
Hi Alisha, first off, love your page. Thank you for all the tips and guidance. I have a 7 months old that I am struggling to introduce solid to. I want to do the BLW as I have read the benefit. I am just concern as we are an Asian household and my mother is at home most of the time. We traditionally do puree and porridge. I have try giving him bananas and avocado so far and he seem interested to grab and squeeze and sometime interested to put it in his mouth, then gag. Sometimes he get a big piece and then I had to dig it out since he would throw up. I am just afraid I’d miss the window to train him for table food. Is it confusing to do both? I am just hoping he will eat anything. I’d print your list of table for to give so I will start there. Thank you again for all your tips.
No, not confusing at all! In fact, that’s what I recommend. You have a lot of time right now, but I love how proactive you’re being. The printable will be really helpful and we also have a free workshop this week that I think will help too: yourkidstable.com/tablefood-workshop
Hi! I have a toddler who can eat any food/texture of food before he turned 1. He had new seizures and after being confined to the hospital, he cannot eat anything but blender-ed food. anything with chunks goes right out of his mouth, worst, he would gag and throw up.
I will be taking him to a therapist to get this addressed as he is also a special case. I cannot even sit him down to eat. He still cannot communicate.
I’m so glad you’re getting some help Mai, it’s just what you need for a special case like this.