1. (NU) - Taking the step up from
baby food to table food requires
a key skill: chewing. Chewing is
a learned skill, and parents can
help their babies make the transi-
tion by offering a mix of appro-
priately textured foods.
Before introducing textured
foods, review a baby’s readiness.
Signs that a baby is ready to begin
eating soft foods include crawling
with his or her stomach off the
floor, pulling up to a standing po-
sition, starting to mash food with
the jaws and attempting to feed
him or herself (not necessarily suc-
cessfully, but making the effort).
Learning to chew takes prac-
tice. It’s not a skill babies develop
instantly or even over a limited
period of time, such as one month.
Studies show that even when ba-
bies reach 3 years of age, they are
still mastering chewing skills.
Baby foods that combine different
textures allow babies who are at
the crawling or standing stage to
simply explore those textures in
their mouths without having to
navigate separate foods. For older
babies, small, soft food pieces can
help promote side-to-side tongue
movement and jaw mashing
movement as preparation for
chewing. Children who eat foods
with chunky textures before the
10-month mark have an easier time
transitioning to table food.
Textured foods such as those in
Gerber’s Lil’Bits recipe collection
are specifically designed with soft
bits of food sized for babies’
mouths and a gradual progression
in texture to help them further de-
velop their chewing skills. Gerber
experts analyzed more than 20
hours of video footage of babies
chewing and mashing food, and
tested approximately 30,000
spoonfuls of food to develop opti-
mally sized food pieces that pro-
mote chewing ability.
We hold ourselves to high
standards and bring deep passion
to making baby food,” a compa-
ny statement notes. “We only
work with farmers who comply
with our strict quality standards,
use cooking practices that help en-
sure our products are safe and de-
velopmentally appropriate, and
test our products with babies from
our panel of 2,000 Tiny Taste
Testers. We do all of this to help
ensure that our baby food is as de-
licious as it is nutritious.”
The Gerber Lil’ Bits collec-
tion includes 11 fruit and veg-
etable options and six dinner op-
tions, resulting from more than
80 taste tests to ensure baby ap-
proval. Recipes include Chick-
en Itty-Bitty Noodle, Garden
Vegetable & Beef, and Autumn
Vegetable & Turkey.
For more information, and
to share photos of your baby’s
first chewing efforts, please visit
www.gerber.com/learntochew.
Is Your Baby Ready
for Chewing?
PARENTING
NewsUSA
NewsUSA