Starting Solids: What to Do When Baby isn't Chewing Food

Caroline Weeks, PA-C, RDN

This blog was written in paid partnership with Dr. Brown's

If you've read my previous blog "Transitioning Baby to Solid Foods," you'll know that each baby's timeline for meeting gross motor milestones is unique and dependent upon many factors, including their medical history. It is important to remember not to compare one sibling's progress against another and to separate what behaviors are normal versus when you might need to seek expert medical care.

As a refresher, before your baby is considered safe to begin solid foods, it is important that they master a series of key motor skills. These include sitting upright, maintaining good head and neck support, demonstrating interest in foods and the ability to reach across midline to grasp items in their palms. This usually begins around the 6-month mark, or six months corrected if your baby was born before their due date.

Swallowing food is a process we all tend to take for granted and not think much about. However, the true anatomy and physiology of swallowing is extremely complex and is broken down into many phases based on where the food is placed in our mouths. The amount of coordination and respiratory strength it takes your baby to swallow is significant, and if an infant is having difficulties with this from birth you might notice issues with their latch to breast or ability to take a bottle, their pace of feeding, gasping during a feeding session or overall poor growth. While babies are born with the instinctual ability to swallow and don't necessarily need to be taught this, some infants need more support directed by their medical provider and pediatric speech language pathologist.

Chewing, unlike swallowing however, is a reflex that does need to be reinforced and practiced with babies. Each meal poses an opportunity to practice this and ideally, families start working on this early to avoid feeding difficulties down the road. Think about your next meal and all the processes your body needs to perform to chew your food. Your jaw, extremely strong, and teeth, unbelievably sharp, are both necessary to chew or "masticate" a crunchy appetizer on the dinner plate. Then there is your tongue – one of the strongest muscles in the body! This moves from side to side helping to sweep the food backward and down the throat.

Tongue lateralization, or the reflex of moving tongue from side to side, is a skill babies can work on from the beginning. At 6 months of age, babies have a tongue thrust reflex, a vital safety mechanism that prevents choking which begins to disappear around 9 months of age. Babies are born with an instinctive bite reflex and don't require teeth to make their mark (think of a breastfeeding session gone wrong, or when baby likes to gnaw on adult fingers). A perfect time to practice chewing is around 6-8 months.

Setting Baby Up for Success with Chewing

If a baby is to master the art of chewing, they must be served foods that set them up for success. Purees in nature are smooth and don't require chewing at all, but rather require the use of a sucking reflex. If we only serve baby pureed food for months on end, not only will their orofacial muscles not grow as strong and developed, but they won't learn the pattern of vertical jaw movement needed to tackle a big ribeye one day! I find that in practice the babies who are never offered a variety of textures while learning to eat solid foods are the ones most likely to pocket food or have difficulties with chewing later. Keep in mind that the rotary chew, or circular chewing motion, is not fully mastered by a child until closer to 2 years of age, so this is a long process. As parents, it is essential to set our own expectations for progress appropriately.

1. Offer stick or strip shaped foods about 2-3 inches in length that baby can practice gumming. Remember, your baby does not need teeth to eat solids! These foods include celery or carrot sticks or jicama. Other foods that allow baby to practice holding, gnawing and moving their tongue from side to side include a mango pit, chicken leg or spare rib, or a small hunk of day-old bread. Note these foods are not necessarily eaten for nutrition but are considered a tool. Always supervise at mealtimes to ensure a small round piece is not broken off posing a choking risk.
2. Oral feeding tools: A long, plastic "chewing tool" that can be placed on baby's back gums can help reinforce the pattern of vertical chewing and can feel good on the gums as baby starts teething. The Dr. Brown's Peapod Teether + Training Toothbrush is a great option.
3. Verbal cues: Parent involvement at mealtimes is essential at all stages, however in the beginning, baby can respond well to positive reinforcement. A parent assisting with proper placement of the above-mentioned foods in addition to their own modeling of the chewing pattern can be helpful.

When to Seek Help

If you are concerned your baby has a maladaptive feeding pattern, raise your concerns at your baby’s next well-child visit. To diagnose issues, a trained professional needs to observe your baby feeding over time and interventions generally span months as patterns often take time to re-learn. If your baby is continually pocketing food, not showing progress after consistently implementing the above tips, or losing weight, these might be indications they need extra feeding support.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or health concern. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.