The transition to regular food is not natural for every child. The kid gets used to eating mashed soups and mashed potatoes from jars and, as a result, refuses to chew even small pieces of food. To teach a baby to eat adult food, a number of factors must be taken into account.
Physiological problems
Each child may have their own terms of transition to adult food, however, by the age of 1, 5-2 years, the baby should already chew and swallow normal food normally. If this does not happen, despite all possible efforts on the part of the parents, it is worth talking to the doctor and find out if the crumbs have any physiological problems.
Failure to chew solid food after 2 years will negatively affect the health of your teeth and digestive tract. At this age, this problem is already a reason for alarm and referring to a doctor.
If it is difficult for a child to chew, he constantly spits out food or even gets sick when hard pieces get into his mouth, problems can be of a different nature. Sometimes a short sublingual frenulum may be the cause. This pathology is often encountered and is easily corrected by surgery. In addition, the child may have increased intracranial pressure and, as a result, an increased gag reflex. Of course, this disease requires special treatment.
Act gradually
You can start teaching your baby to eat solid food when his first teeth grow. Give your child something that he can nibble or just hold in his mouth (drying, peeled apple slices, bacon). Watch the baby: as soon as he begins to make characteristic chewing movements with his front teeth, you can proceed to the main stage of the transition to adult food. If before that you fed your child with store-bought purees and cereals, or grinded all the food to a homogeneous pasty state in a blender, start cooking differently. Try to grind or twist food instead of using a blender. This is especially true for meat, fish, cottage cheese, instant cookies, yolks. At first, the pieces should be very small and easy to swallow, but at the same time the baby will feel them with his tongue. If gagging occurs, go back to the previous meal, and after a week offer the new option again.
Put a highchair at the common table and give the baby food that you eat yourself (depending on age). For the company, the child will quickly begin to get used to your food.
Give your child freedom
If your little one has no health problems and is struggling to switch to solid foods, give him more freedom. Sit him in a highchair, spread the floor around with an easy-to-clean material. Place a plate of food in front of your baby and give him a spoon. Do not worry that the child will choke or swallow whole pieces without chewing them. He must eat under your supervision. All individual pieces of food should be sufficiently boiled and small (potatoes, small pasta, minced meat) so that it is impossible to seriously choke on them. Try to cut the ingredients in an unusual way to keep your little one interested in catching them. The baby should feel his independence and the ability to eat, like an adult. It is even better if a baby of the same age will eat nearby: the effect of competition will only benefit.
