Introducing solids in one of the most exciting milestones for parents AND baby. But sometimes it doesn't go as smoothly as parents had envisioned. Whether baby gags or pushes food out with their tongue, or refuses food all together, it can leave us wondering what to do next.
Regardless of whether you're team traditional feeding or team baby-led weaning, feeding specialists recommend letting baby lead. What this looks like for purees:
Caregiver pre-loading a spoon and passing it to baby or placing it on the tray
Offering purees directly on the tray for hand-feeding (messy is developmentally appropriate)
Offering a spoon and waiting for baby to lean in to accept
Offering hard, stick-shaped foods dipped in purees
The Role of Purees
Not only are puree foods a part of the average adult diet, they also serve an important role in feeding development and acquisition of oral motor skills. Benefits of self-feeding purees include:
Mastering hand-to-mouth coordination
Exploring foods and utensils
Engaging and activating the upper lip to close around the spoon
Moving the gag reflex back in the mouth while learning spoon placement
Having an increased sensory experience by touching the food
Other do's and don'ts of spoon feeding.
Do:
Offer flat bowled spoons, textured spoons, and spoons that fit into little hands
Emphasize exploration and skill-building
Don't:
Directly spoon feed
Hold a spoon to baby's lips waiting for them to open
Sneak a bite in or scrape food off on the roof of their mouth
Emphasize solids as being a significant source of nutrition before 12 months
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