For up to 12 months, your baby will get most of his nutrients from breast milk or formula. Think of solids as "extra" nutrition and an opportunity for your little one to learn. Trying foods with different textures is an important step in your baby’s development. It helps babies learn how to handle foods in their mouth while practicing the oral motor skills necessary for spoon feeding. Babies who stay on pureed foods too long may be less willing to eat textured foods. So it's important to vary both tastes and textures when serving foods. Your baby will start on pureed food. Next, progress to lumpy pureed, then mashed or minced food as baby gets older. Even with few teeth, babies can chew and swallow lumpy, mashed or small pieces of food.
Here is a guideline to help you determine what texture to try with your baby.
Your baby's development
Texture of food
Sits with support
pureed, mashed foods
semi-solid foods
Sits on own
soft mashed foods without lumps
Crawls
ground or soft mashed foods with tiny soft noticeable lumps
foods with soft texture
crunchy foods that dissolve (such as baby biscuits or crackers)
Walks with assistance
coarsely chopped foods, including foods with noticeable pieces
