Is Your Baby Ready for Table Foods? Here's How to Tell.

As your baby grows she will start to give many cues letting you know when she’s ready for new experiences, including eating table foods. Sometimes you have to watch closely to see when your baby might be ready to try something new. Here are some of the signs to watch for when your baby is about 9-11 months of age (or later if she was premature or is developmentally delayed):

• Is she moving food from side to side in her mouth?
• Is she using her jaw and tongue to mash food?
• Is she starting to curve her lips around the rim of a cup?
• Is she moving her jaw diagonally (instead of straight up and down) to chew her food as she moves the food from one side of her mouth to the other?
• Can she sit alone easily?
• Can she move objects from her hand to her mouth?
• Can she use her thumb and index (pointer) finger to pick up small objects?
• Can she feed herself finger foods?
• Is she interested in playing with a spoon at mealtime?
• Does she reach for or point to food, or get excited when she sees food?
• Does she slow down eating and push food away when she's full?

If your baby is showing some of these cues, she may be ready to start trying table foods! Here are some of the things your baby may now be ready to do:

• Start eating ground up or finely chopped foods and small pieces of soft food.
• Start trying to use a spoon (but will probably still prefer to feed herself with her hands).
• Begin drinking from a regular cup without spilling as much. Though she will still make a mess sometimes.

If your baby is a little older, he may be ready to add on new skills! Watch your baby for these cues between 10 and 12 months of age (or later if your baby was premature or is developmentally delayed):

• Does he feed himself easily with his fingers?
• Does he pick up a spoon and put it in his own mouth?
• Does he dip his spoon in food?
• Does he seem to want to spoon-feed himself?
• Can he hold a cup with two hands?
• Can he drink from a straw?
• Can he move objects easily from hand to hand or from hand to mouth?
• Does he tell you he wants certain foods with sounds or words?
• Does he shake his head to let you know he's done eating?

If your baby shows some of these cues, he may be ready to take the next steps in eating. Here are some of the skills your baby may now be ready to do:

• Start feeding himself with a spoon. He'll probably need help!
• Bite and chew through foods with textures he hasn't tried before.

Starting to feed your baby table foods is exciting, but it's important to choose the right foods and prepare them properly. This will help protect your baby from choking and also ensure his tummy can digest the foods he eats to keep him happy and healthy. If you'd like help choosing the right foods for your baby as he grows, click the "Return to Lesson" button and visit some of the other links before continuing.