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The Transition from Baby Foods to Family Foods
Feeding a baby is quite straight forward until six to eight months of age. Then the time comes to leave pureed foods behind and gradually move to family foods, or table foods.
It is important to begin the transition at this age, because accepting and welcoming the challenge of learning to eat is a critical learning point in a baby's life. If you introduce thicker, lumpier foods too late, you might have difficulty in getting them to accept these foods after age one.
This gradual process does not happen over night. Start by slowly introducing more textured foods into your baby's diet, while gradually giving up on the pureed baby foods.
Include your baby at the dinner table when the family is eating and offer him small bits of what you are eating, whether it be a sprig of cooked broccoli, a meatball, a noodle, or pieces of pizza crust.
Remember, learning to eat takes time. Babies need to learn to gum the food and to control swallowing. There will be times when the food goes down the wrong way and promptly comes right back up again. This is quite normal and part of the learning process. Be patient, and this transition will be fun and beneficial to your baby!
Written by: MommaSmurf, Shannon with the help of a nutritionist
Read more about Parenting:
Foods Worth Trying with Toddlers,
Introducing Baby Foods
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