Tastes and Textures

At a glance

Learn about the importance of introducing different tastes and textures to your child to support healthy development. Children can start to eat solid food at around 6 months.

Why introduce different tastes and textures

Giving your child foods with a variety of different tastes and textures can help them:

• Learn to accept and like a variety of foods.
• Develop fine motor skills, like pinching and picking food up with their fingers.
• Develop chewing skills.

Food textures

You can let your child try a variety of textures to learn how food feels in their mouth and hands. These textures include:

• Smooth (strained or pureed).
• Mashed or lumpy.
• Finely chopped or ground.

At around 6 months old, it's easier for your child to eat mashed, pureed, or strained foods that are very smooth in texture. It can take time for your child to adjust to new food textures. Your child might cough, gag, or spit up.

You can introduce thicker and more lumpy foods as your child's ability to eat develops. Your child can begin to eat finely chopped or ground foods as they get older and are ready.

Encourage your child to pinch or pick up food with their fingers. It helps them learn how food feels and develop their fine motor skills.

Learn more

Learn more about how to introduce and prepare solid foods for infants and young children and prevent choking. You can also watch these videos from 1000 Days.

Where this page came from

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