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The switch to semi-solid baby food
At what age is my child ready for the pieces?
At 8 months, your child can switch from a completely smooth diet to a semi-solid food. Start by giving him a ripe banana mashed with a fork, potatoes mixed with a little milk and passed through a potato masher. From 1 year old, he can eat real small pieces : fish crumbs, small apple cubes, slices of ham. But be careful, always under close surveillance in order to be able to intervene in the event of a wrong turn.
Why is my child refusing the pieces?
First hypothesis: he is still missing a few teeth. Sometimes the canines and the first premolars do not appear until the second birthday. A small delay which is nothing to worry about, but which is enough to explain the reluctance even if other children do not show any discomfort and chew their food very effectively with their only jaw.
Second hypothesis: his swallowing reflex is not quite developed. The maturity of swallowing appears very variable between 8 months and 2 years, or even 2 and a half years for some children. Hence also a very understandable difficulty in swallowing pieces, however small they may be.
Third hypothesis: He does not like the mixture of genres. So sometimes the problem is not with the pieces themselves, but with the fact that they are mixed with a smooth texture. We don’t really know why but a lot of little ones hate it. He’s not psychologically ready. He stubbornly refuses the pieces and only accepts a bottle as an evening meal? So what ? He is surely too absorbed in learning to walk or discovering his nursery, for example, to agree to take this new course on top of that. Give it time, there is no real rush.
Four tips to avoid blocking
1. Separate the smooth from the pieces. Does he always pout in front of the shepherd’s pie and the yoghurts with pieces of fruit? Continue to spoon their milk and mash and present the meat, fish or fruit separately. And if that’s not enough, use a plate with compartments to separate the food between them.
2. Let your child eat with their fingers. To help him discover this new consistency, allow him the first few times to grab the small pieces with his hand before putting them in his mouth.
3. Stick to one change at a time. Avoid introducing two new things during the same meal, instead combine a dish he loves (mashed carrots) with a dish he discovers (salmon crumbs).
4. Repeat in a few days. No need to insist and make this temporary blockage a source of tension at each meal. In a while, during a meal where he will not be grumpy or tired, try again with a food that he particularly likes the taste of.