Real Meals with Sophia
Your baby is holding their head up independently and sitting up upright with some support, propping up on their elbows while lying on their tummy, no longer sticking out their tongue when something is put in their mouth, and is at least 4 months old. It’s time. It’s time to start introducing real meals. Real Meals with Sophia follows the milestones of our very own Feeding Therapist, OT, and Lactation Counselor, Bianca Lane’s daughter, Sophia as she travels down the road of real meals.
When starting the real meal process, it is important to remember a few things:
- All babies develop at different rates
- The decision to introduce foods should be a mutual one between caregivers and your pediatrician
- Concerns regarding your child’s development should be brought to the attention of your pediatrician
- Goal of initial food introduction is for exploration, not calorie intake
- Pace should be determined by child and not forced
- Common cues to watch for before presenting spoon: open eyes, leaning forward, opening mouth, reach for food
- Keep flavors simple
- Don’t presume your child has a specific taste preference, offer a wide variety of tastes
- Frequent reintroduction’s of flavors are important to establish variety in repertoire
Hard Mechanical Foods: Around 15-18 Months
- Harder textured exterior that needs more grinding/rotary chewing or foods that scatter in the mouth and requires additional breakdown
- Foods such as cheerios, saltines, meats, raw fruits and veggies
- This texture is more difficult to manage and requires more complex oral motor skills
- Watch how Sophia’s jaw moves side to side in these videos showing her rotary chew pattern. In both videos you can see the food move side to side in her outh as here tongue lateralizes to bring it to each set of molars to chew thoroughly
This series will follow Sophia’s journey of Real Meals from introduction to adventurous eater; giving tips, tricks and ideas to get your little one on the right path. To continue driving down Sophia’s Real Meal Milestone’s with us, check back on our Facebook monthly for updates!
Click below for other chapters!
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 12
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 11
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 10
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 9
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 8
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 7
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 6
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 5
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 4
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 3
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 2
Real Meals with Sophia: Chapter 1
