Are you finding the different stages of baby feeding confusing? It can be an exciting time and a wonderful milestone when bub reaches this stage, but you may be left scratching your head with a few questions. Is this puree the right consistency? What do I introduce next? How do I know if my baby is ready for the next stage?
You’re definitely not alone with this one!
If you’ve started your baby on silky purees and are wondering what’s next, you’re in the right place! This blog will break down the different phases of texture building into easy, bite sized chunks (pun intended), that you can take away with you as your baby progresses into the wonderful world of solids.
No matter what stage your baby is at, the most important thing to remember is to be guided by your baby. Let them take the reins on this one and continue to feed them responsively, based on their progress and development stage. This will make mealtimes that little bit easier with hopefully less fear of choking each time they try a new texture.
Why is introducing different textures beneficial?
Before we dive into the juicy bits, let’s explore why introducing new textures is so important for your baby.
Nobody wants their baby to be a fussy eater, right? Well, did you know that exposing your baby to different textures earlier in their solids journey can actually help with this? Yep, research is showing that earlier exposure to different textures can lead to a greater acceptance of different foods and less feeding issues as they develop.
Not only that, but exploring new food textures is a great way for babies to develop and practise new skills. Purees are a great foundation for babies to learn and practise swallowing, but once you start adding new textures, babies begin to up their game a little. Different textures will help your baby learn how to move food around in their mouth and chew- even without teeth! During this stage you’ll find out just how mighty their gums can be!
As your baby progresses towards different textures and shapes of food, these skills of chewing and swallowing will help strengthen their jaw and promote speech development. Sounds like a win-win to us!
Where to start → Phase 1: Smooth Purees
Every baby is different so it’s best to start solids when they are showing signs of being ready, rather than at a particular age. Some of the milestones to look out for that show bub is ready to try solids include:
- If your baby can sit upright when supported
- Good control of their head and neck
- Reaching out for food when you are eating
- Opening their mouth when you offer them food or a spoon
You may notice these signs when bub is around 4-6 months old.
If you choose to start with purees, the first phase begins with smooth blended purees, free of any lumps. The best way to achieve this texture is by blending foods in a blender or food processor, and adding liquid until you achieve a smooth texture. Using only single ingredient purees is also important in the early stages as it helps to identify any reactions or allergies.
What foods should my baby eat at this stage?
The following foods can easily be blended or prepared into a smooth puree, perfect for your baby in the first stage of starting solids:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Meats
- Grains
- Yoghurt
It’s a great idea to include a range of these foods in your baby’s everyday diet to introduce a variety of new flavours and nutrients.
Nourishing Bubs takes all the hard work out of preparing and storing your baby’s first foods. Our range of fruit, vegetable and meat purees are conveniently packed into single serve cubes, ready to be defrosted and enjoyed. With our extensive range, Nourishing Bubs makes it so much easier to include a variety of different flavours and nutrients into your baby’s diet. If you want to save yourself extra time in the kitchen, you can view and shop the range here: https://www.nourishingbubs.com/collections/all
How do I know when to move on to the next stage?
You’ll know that your baby is able to progress to the next phase and try new textures when they are confident taking puree from the spoon, and swallowing. You should be able to see bub using their lips, tongue and cheeks to get food to the back of their mouth and swallow.
This could take only a few days, or it could take a few weeks or months- let bub guide you either way.
Whilst it’s best to try and not stay at each stage for too long, only progress to new textures when it is comfortable for both you and your baby.
What’s next? → Phase 2: Mashed/Lumpy Foods
You may find your baby ready to take on new textures at any point between 6-9 months. But once again, this is just a guide and your baby’s progress is the best signal to go off.
Jumping to the next stage of feeding is an exciting milestone, but it comes with one overwhelming experience- gagging! A baby gagging is enough to send any new parent into panic mode, so we can understand how introducing new textures can be a little scary!
The good thing to know is that it is totally normal for your baby to gag when introduced to new textures. As you continue to expose them to lumpier textures, your baby will continue to develop new skills to make mealtimes a breeze.
The first step you may want to take with introducing lumpier textures is making chunkier purees. You can do this by adding less liquid, blending for less time, or adding different ingredient purees together.
Some other great foods to try at this stage include:
- Ingredient combinations such as mashed vegetables with lentils
- Porridge, or Weetbix soaked in milk
- Scrambled eggs
- Mashed potato/sweet potato
- Mashed avocado
It’s a great idea to continue serving smooth purees during this stage, until your baby is confident with the mashed foods or lumpier textures.
During this stage, you should notice bub using their gums more to practise chewing, and adjusting to new textures.
Phase 3: Soft Finger Foods
As a general guide you can start offering your baby soft finger foods at any point from 6 months, and ideally by 8-9 months. The signs to look out for to know that your baby is developmentally ready for finger foods include:
- Being able to grasp items on their own
- Bringing their hands to their mouth
- Making chewing motions even when eating purees
What finger foods can I give my baby?
There’s no doubt offering finger foods to your baby for the first time can be a little daunting! Thankfully the human body is designed to protect itself from choking with different reflexes.
As ironic as it sounds, the larger the piece of food, the less likely it is to be a choking risk. Foods that can be a choking risk tend to be round, small, firm and slippery. To avoid this, you want to make sure the finger foods you offer your baby are large enough for them to pick up and carry to the mouth, and soft enough for you to squish between your fingers.
Some helpful examples of these include:
- Roasted vegetables like carrot, zucchini and sweet potato (cut into spears, not round discs)
- Avocado strips (you may want to coat these in some sesame seeds or breadcrumbs for easier grip and more texture- once sesame and wheat have been ruled out as allergens)
- Banana segments
- Pancakes
Starting finger foods can be an exciting (and messy) time for both you and bub! You may find that your baby will want to explore and play with these new foods more than they will want to eat them. That’s totally normal and a new way for them to explore new textures. If you are worried that your baby is not eating enough, continue to feed them purees alongside the new finger foods.
How do I know when to move on to the next stage?
Once your baby is showing signs that they are comfortable grasping finger foods, bringing them to their mouth, chewing and swallowing, you can begin to introduce new textures and different shaped food.
Phase 4: Texture Finger Food/Different Shaped Food
The fourth and final phase of solid foods may be the most fun- and possibly the messiest! You and bub get to experiment with different textures, shapes and flavours, all while your baby continues to learn and develop new skills. During this stage, your baby will also begin to practise their pincer grip (i.e between their index finger and thumb), improving their ability to pick up smaller objects.
To get bub exploring new textures and shapes, try adding in some of the following foods into their everyday diet:
- Meatballs
- Toast
- Rice/pasta
- Omelette
- Strips of softly cooked meat
- Fritters
- Slices of fruit
Just like in phase 3, your baby may actually find it more interesting to play with these foods at first, rather than eat them. Let them have fun and get messy as they explore this new world of textures.
To make sure they’re getting enough food in, serve these new foods with foods your baby is already comfortable with until they get used to these new textures.
As we wrap up this texture building guide for your baby’s solids journey, be reassured that each spoonful helps lay the foundation of healthy eating habits. As your baby continues to explore all that their mouth can do, new textures and shapes can influence their food preferences as they continue to grow.
The journey of starting solids and progressing through the different phases isn’t just about food; it also allows for a shared bonding experience between you and bub. Being guided by your baby’s cues, both you and bub will explore new foods and skills as you continue to nourish their growing body. So enjoy the messiness and celebrate all the little triumphs along the way!
Nourishing Bubs are here to help you along the way too! From our single serve puree packs, to our range of finger foods, you’ll be glad to save yourself some extra time in the kitchen, knowing that Nourishing Bubs has you sorted for convenience and nutrients every step of the way! Whether you’re after some silky smooth purees, or some soft finger foods, check out how Nourishing Bubs can make your bub’s solids journey that little bit easier here: https://www.nourishingbubs.com/collections/all