A guide to Food Texture

Your child needs a variety of food textures and practices before they can eat family food. Including a variety of food textures when introducing solids is important as it helps them learn how to chew, aids speech development and encourages your child to accept different textures. 

Delaying texture progression can cause fussy eating habits that may continue throughout life. 

12 months onwards

By the time your baby is 12 months old, they should be eating the same foods that the rest of the family is eating. These may contain more than one consistency. You might still need to chop some foods into smaller pieces and cook vegetables until they’re soft. Remember, small hard foods such as whole nuts, raw carrot or apple pieces should not be given to children under three.

Examples of family foods include:

• Casserole (meat and sauce)
• Roast meat and vegetables
• Pasta or stir fry
• Dry cereal with milk
• Vegetable or noodle soup
• Fruit yoghurt
• Cooked vegetables or salad
• Sandwiches

If your child is having difficulty progressing through textures, talk to your child health nurse or GP. You may be referred to a dietitian or speech/language specialist for further help.

Children are adventurous eaters so let them time to explore and develop at their own pace. Enjoy watching them quickly learn to manage food of different textures. Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t take much to begin with, they just need lots of practice!

 

References:

1. National Health and Medical Research Council. (2013). Eat for Health – Infant Feeding Guidelines Information for Health Workers. Available from: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/infant-feeding-guidelines-information-health-workers