CHOOSING THE RIGHT TEXTURE

Babies’ first introduction to solids will be baby cereal and smooth pureed foods. The consistency will be thin and runny at first. Foods can be blended thicker as the baby learns to use her lips to empty the spoon

With time, the baby can move on to more textured foods – mashed or mashed up with a fork. Try to keep the texture uniform, no big pieces. You can add a little bit of liquid to improve the consistency.

Examples of what to add to improve consistency:

Once the toddler is better at eating table foods, you can add foods with mixed textures, such as broth with small pieces of meat and vegetables (minestrone soup, soups with rice or pasta bits), or creamy foods with pieces (cookie dough ice cream, yogurt with fruit pieces).

To eat these, the child has to be able to use the tongue, cheeks and lips to separate the pieces out and be able to swallow them separately without choking. Some children may not like this until about age 4.

Some commercial baby foods for ages 8+ months have too much variation in texture. If the baby gags or spits up, this is actually a preventive measure that keeps him from choking! You can blend these foods in the food processor if the need arises.

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