Introduction
As a parent, you constantly wonder about the normal progression of food textures. How do you know if your baby is ready to transition from puree to small pieces? What should you do if your baby gags or refuses to eat a new texture?
Breast milk or infant formula meets the nutritional needs of most babies until they are 4 to 6 months old. After that, babies generally have greater nutritional needs, which must be met with foods of varying shapes and textures. Here, then, is the answer to all your questions about the ideal food texture.
Spot the clues
Every baby is unique and develops at a different pace. Our challenge as parents is to adapt to their rhythm. The best way to accurately assess whether your baby is ready to eat new foods or textures is to observe them closely!
Most of the time, this coincides with the point at which breast milk or formula is no longer enough to satisfy the baby. This is often the case if the baby has been asking to nurse more frequently for more than 5 days and still seems hungry even if they empty both breasts 8 to 10 times in 24 hours or even if they drink more than 40 oz per day from a bottle.
Generally, a baby who is physically ready to eat solid foods, in addition to feedings, will give us some telltale signs. We can safely start when the baby is able to sit upright unaided, lean forward, hold their head up and control it, shows interest in food, and is able to pick it up, bring it to their mouth, and turn their head away or shake "no" when they are full. They are also able to push away objects they no longer want, which demonstrates their ability to reject a spoon to signal they are full.
Pureed or in pieces
Eating requires the development of several motor skills. If your baby is just 6 months old or a little younger, their overall skills may not be sufficiently developed to allow them to eat finger foods. To begin introducing complementary foods between 4 and 6 months, it is advisable to serve your baby purees. A gradual progression of textures can be made, starting with a smooth puree, then a thicker or coarser one, and finally a lumpy one.
It's worth noting that the motor development of hand skills generally follows the maturity of the mouth's chewing system. This means that a child unable to bring food to their mouth will not be able to chew pieces properly. To give a concrete example, a child who cannot grasp a raspberry will not be able to chew it well using their lateral jaws.
General rule
If a baby can grasp food in their hands, they can eat it. The ideal food texture follows the linear development of hand-eye coordination and the maturation of the mouth's chewing system.
Soft, hard, and in pieces
The development of chewing skills generally follows a fairly orderly and parallel progression. When a baby begins to chew between 6 and 8 months, a vertical, up-and-down movement of the mouth can be observed, with very limited use of the lateral jaws. The tongue will also crush the food against the palate, but is not yet able to move laterally to reach the inside of the cheeks.
That's why, at this stage of development, we'll favor soft foods, which are very easy to mash, even if the baby doesn't yet have teeth. Whether it's well-cooked vegetables or ripe fruit, we offer the baby foods that are large enough, since at this age, it's still impossible for them to dislodge small pieces stuck in their cheeks.
Babies who are starting to eat solid foods have incredibly strong gums! They'll also find it quite easy to gnaw through certain solid foods with their gums. Expect some mess! Baby will spit out the food, take it back in, suck on it, partially break it down, soften it, chew it again, and so on until they're full (or tired of eating it).
Good to know
It is important to use the corrected age of premature infants to determine approximately when solid foods can be introduced. Furthermore, if a baby appears to have or is experiencing a known developmental delay, it is important to complete a more thorough evaluation to provide the child with the best possible options.
Textures and baby-led weaning (BLW)
The size of the food
Again, the size of food offered varies depending on the baby's age, stage of chewing development, and grasping ability. It's important to observe your child and listen to their cues to adapt their diet to their motor development. As a guide, you can identify food sizes based on a baby's grasping ability in the following table. However, always remember that regardless of age, the size of food should always be adapted to your baby's grasping skills, as these reflect their chewing abilities.
| Age | Gripping ability | Food size |
|
Around the age of 6 or 7 months |
Two-handed grip Grip with the fist Grip with the thumb and palm |
Food in the shape of sticks, strips or kibble that protrudes from the baby's closed fist |
|
Around the age of 7 or 8 months |
Grip with a few fingers |
Food the size of a golf ball |
|
Around the age of 9 to 12 months |
Gripping with the thumb and forefinger (the pincer grip) |
Food the size of a die and the appropriate pre-filled spoon can be included. |
Baby-friendly utensils
Eating with a spoon requires good hand-eye coordination. For little hands, this takes a lot of practice and training! Babies have to learn how to put food on the spoon, bring it to their mouth, and eat without spilling it all over their tray and bib. It can therefore be helpful to let toddlers practice with pureed food and a spoon that's the right size for them when they seem ready. Children love to imitate adults!
The harder textures
Around 8 months of age, babies develop the ability to move their tongues around their mouths. They will then be able to dislodge small pieces of food that have become lodged in their cheeks. It is at this same time that we notice the baby is able to use their gums on the sides and chew harder foods like meat. This is therefore a good time to introduce slightly harder textures and smaller pieces. We carefully observe how the baby reacts when presented with a new shape or texture. Depending on their reaction, it may be better to introduce it at a later time, when their abilities are more developed.
Baby refuses to eat it
Sometimes, a baby may refuse to eat pieces of food. That's normal! They may not be ready or they may be afraid of something new. In any case, you should never force them to eat.
To help your baby get used to textures and pieces, you can let them bring the food to their mouth themselves. This is a way for them to become familiar with it. You can also make things easier by offering them foods they already know well, which they often eat in puréed form. This way, they'll have a visual, taste, and smell reference point when they eat them in pieces. Don't forget to create a calm and relaxed atmosphere at mealtimes. Babies can be easily distracted and much more interested in what's going on around them than in their piece of broccoli!
The gag reflex
Rest assured! The gag reflex is a perfectly normal biological mechanism that naturally protects our little ones from choking. It occurs when food travels too far down the baby's mouth or throat. This doesn't automatically mean that the baby doesn't like the food being offered or that the texture isn't suitable for their age. Remember, babies are still learning to eat!
However, persistent signs of refusal, gagging, or vomiting—whether triggered by touch, sight, or ingestion of food—should not be ignored. It's important to speak to your doctor promptly, who can direct you to appropriate resources. The earlier this problem is addressed in your baby's life, the better and faster it will be resolved.
Good to know
If our child still refuses to eat pieces of food around the age of 18 months, it is best to consult a doctor to assess the presence of hypersensitivity in the oral sphere.
The risks of suffocation
Some foods have a shape or texture that remains risky until the age of 4. These are foods that are hard, small, round, smooth, and sticky. They can get stuck in a baby's throat and block their airway.
Thus, official guidelines recommend that before the age of 2, bones should be removed from meat and fish bones, fresh grapes should be quartered, the core, seeds and pits should be removed from fruits, and raw, hard vegetables or fruits such as carrots, turnips and apples should be grated.
Until the age of 4, avoid peanuts and whole nuts, seeds, hard candies, cough drops, popcorn, chewing gum, whole fresh grapes, raisins, sausage slices, raw carrots and celery, food skewered on a toothpick or skewer, and ice cubes, among other things.
Words from Annie Ferland, nutritionist & doctor of pharmacy
Research collaboration & writing by Mara Hannan-Desjardins, nutritionist
