Introducing texture to your weaning baby – plus the best baby cutlery
When your baby reaches stage two of their weaning journey, they can start to enjoy not just the wonderful flavours of all those new foods but their textures too.
By Sally J. Hall
Messy eaters
You will already have noticed that your bay does not just like to taste their food – they like to feel it, too! Grabbing at the spoon, putting their fist in the bowl and feeling their food is as much a part of a baby’s weaning journey as the taste itself is. And that makes it messy – but that’s fine, it’s all part of your baby’s growth and development.
The first thing to do is to learn to embrace and encourage the mess – not be wiping every scrap as it’s spilled. Babies use their hands a lot in the early months to make sense of their world and it’s the very act of being able to bring their hand to their mouth that helps them begin to eat adult-style foods.
Bring your baby to the dinner table
Having meals all together can help your baby understand what food is and how it can be great to share. It will also help them to explore new tastes and textures, as they can ask for something from your plate and perhaps learn a new flavour.
Stage Two weaning
If you have been following a purée diet during stage one of weaning, you can now start to introduce small lumps into the smooth texture. This helps your baby transition from eating smoothly blended food right through to eating like the rest of the family. Your progress should look something like this:
- thin, blended purées with the texture of yoghurt
- thicker purée with less fluid in it
- mashed, rather than blended, food that has a little texture in it
- allowing your food to have small lumps in it or adding things like couscous or tiny pasta shapes.
Baby finger foods
At the same time, don’t forget you can offer your baby some pieces of soft, cooked and cooled food that’s just the right size for them to grasp in their fist. This can also help you keep them happy while you are making some food.
Why should babies have lumps in their food?
Transitioning from smooth to textured food is not just about learning to eat like an adult – it can also help in other ways, too. It helps the mouth and lips develop, which is important for speech and it encourages them to be able to bring food into the mouth and to swallow it. It also allows your baby to try out all sorts of sensations, which helps avoid your little one becoming a picky eater. Make sure you always supervise your baby when they are eating.
Now that your baby is getting better at eating all those different flavours, it can be time to start to introduce them to feeding themselves. At first, they won’t be able to do that very well, of course, but they love to hold their own spoon and get it into the bowl. We have some suggestions for the best baby-sized cutlery out there.
Best baby cutlery to help your little one feed themselves.
£17.95
These neat little utensils have chunky handles that are easy for your baby to grasp. They also have angled ends to help with the hand-to-mouth transition. There’s a little fork and spoon and even a handy little serrated knife that teaches cutting skills. Made from stainless steel, they can be put in the dishwasher and they come in several nice colours.
Munchkin toddler & baby spoons
£3.18
Simple soft plastic spoons and forks at an affordable price are a great asset to your weaning kitchen. This set of three of each helps self-feeding with their rounded handles and curved ends. They are BPA-free plastic and just the right size for tiny mouths.
£3.4
These are beautifully coloured little knives, forks and spoons created for babies to be able to hold the easily. They are made from safe materials and are biodegradable, so they won’t leave plastic waste in landfill for decades to come. They are dishwasher friendly and easy to store.
£9.95
Babies drop things a lot, so these little utensils come with a strap to attach to a Bibado bib. Your little one can drop it, pick it up – and drop it all over again! The handles have a grippy texture, so they are easier to use, even when covered with mush. The fork is designed to pick food up and the spoon has a deep bowl, making it easy to scoop up the food.
PandaEar silicone weaning spoons and forks
£7.95
Made from silicone, these are softer for your baby’s delicate gums than metal and they are made with baby-safe materials that are BPA, BPS, PVC and phthalate free. They have a handy choke barrier, which means that the spoon can only go a little way into your baby’s moth. The handles are large and easy to grip and they help develop motor skills.
BEABA ergonomic first cutlery set
£15
These cute little utensils have rounded ends and ergonomic handles, making them easy for your baby to grasp and use. They also sit on a plate without slipping off an come in various colours.
£12.99
Feeding your baby on the go means you can get pout more, so pack these in your changing bag. The case keeps then clean until it’s time to feed and then carries them home again to be washed. The handles are easy to grip and they have been designed with help from a baby feeding specialist. They’re unbreakable and dishwasher and microwave safe.