If the child cannot swallow. How to teach a child to chew solid food: video and general recommendations. What happens if your child is not given solid food?

The transition of a baby from breast milk or formula to “adult” food is a gradual and natural process.

The baby can quickly get used to new dishes and diet. However, it also happens that the child refuses to chew or spits out solid food, or even swallows it in pieces. Where do the problems lie? How to cope with difficulties?

It's time to chew: what is predetermined by nature?

The baby's first chewing movements appear at about 4-5 months of life. At the same time, the gag reflex begins to move from the middle of the tongue to its posterior third - the pushing movement of the tongue gradually disappears.

By the age of 7-8 months, the child is usually ready to be introduced to pieces of solid food.

From 7 to 12 months of life, biting and chewing skills are strengthened, and lateral movements of the tongue develop, moving food to the teeth.

Important!

Do not treat the recommended timing without alternative. Much depends on the degree of maturity and readiness to learn a new skill: whether the baby is full-term or premature, whether the child is healthy or sick, whether teeth have appeared or not yet, and the type of feeding.

However, by the age of one year, the baby should be able to chew with its jaws, even if these movements are a little awkward.

How to teach a child to eat independently: and

Why does a child not want to chew or refuse solid food?

There are many reasons: starting from diseases and ending with the laziness of the baby.

Undeveloped eating skills

Not so long ago, even before the appearance of the first milk teeth, the child received a bagel or cracker from his mother, gradually learning to “chew” unfamiliar solid food with his gums.

Unfortunately, the baby often begins to get acquainted with new products when he already has his first teeth. It seems that chewing is easier with such helpers. But that's not true. The child uses his teeth to bite, but his gums interfere with chewing.

More information about complementary feeding and pre-complementary feeding:

Health problems

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, pancreatitis), sore throat or pharyngitis, stomatitis and others.

Violation of the tone of the masticatory muscles

The tongue turns food awkwardly, and the muscles do not close the jaw well. Often the problem occurs after birth injuries.

Early cessation of breastfeeding

In order to “get” food from the mother’s breast, the baby needs to make an effort - this trains the chewing muscles. Whereas with a bottle it is quite difficult to tone these muscles.

Improper feeding

When a baby eats pureed and/or crushed foods for a long time, he begins to be lazy and does not make any effort to chew.

With a sharp transition from homogeneous purees to pieces of food, the baby may become nervous and fiercely resist innovations. From his point of view, there is no “normal” food. Streams of tears naturally flow and lips clench tightly.

However, all these difficulties can be overcome. The main thing is to take your time and be patient.

Everything must be on time: Mom, teach me to chew, I want to eat!

There is no special technique, because everything should go as usual and gradually.

When to start training?

Approximately at the age of 4-6 months of life - with the appearance of chewing movements and even before the eruption of the first teeth. How not to miss the moment? Invite your baby to drink some water from a spoon. When its contents begin to enter the oral cavity, the child is ready to learn the skill of chewing.

If the baby continues to eat formula, breast milk or pureed food, the chewing reflex gradually goes away.

Are you against introducing your baby to bagels or livers at the age of 7-8 months? Then it is better to wait until most of the teeth appear and teach chewing with them.

Take your time

Start with small portions. If the child stubbornly refuses the new consistency of complementary foods, do not insist. Try again after a while.

Solid food or special exercise equipment

While the baby is small, you can use a rubber teether. From about 6-8 months, begin to gradually introduce your baby to solid foods.

Your baby's curiosity is your assistant

When a child tries to lick or “bite off” a piece of apple/cookie with his gums, do not crush these foods. Try to offer him solid food more often - let him exercise and learn to chew. Be sure to make sure that the baby does not bite off large pieces, otherwise he may choke or choke.

Use nibbler- a container with a screw-on rim. The device is a container in the form of a mesh or silicone nozzle with holes. Place pieces of age-appropriate foods inside the container, and then give them to the child’s hands so that he can knead the contents with his gums and at the same time receive nutrition. Do not worry. This method is absolutely safe.

Be consistent and persistent

A blender/grater/meat grinder are convenient helpers for chopping food, but over time you need to accustom the baby to solid food. It is important that the transition be gradual, and that the child does not notice a sharp change in the consistency of his usual dishes. Otherwise, he may become capricious or refuse to eat altogether.

Reduce the degree of grinding over and over again: first prepare a homogeneous puree, then with small pieces included, then thick food containing solid fragments of food.

Ready canned food

When purchasing, pay attention to the labeling. On the 8- to 10-month nutrition label, look for a statement that the puree contains “chewable pieces.”

Don't distract

Do not turn on cartoons or TV while feeding. If the baby focuses on the process of absorbing food, then he will better coordinate the actions of his hands, tongue and lips.

When time is lost: Mom, I don’t want to chew!

By about two years of age, a child’s eating behavior is formed, so it is difficult to teach him to chew or force him to try an unusual dish.

However, the situation is by no means hopeless, and some of our tips will help you.

Don't keep your baby hungry

The rule doesn’t work well: it’s okay, if you get hungry, you’ll eat. On the contrary, the baby may become nervous, and all your efforts will go down the drain. In addition, the child often develops a negative attitude towards any innovation in nutrition.

If you start teaching your baby to chew, but he does not eat enough during feeding, supplement him with pureed foods.

Don't feel sorry for your child

Children aged 1.5-2 years are skilled manipulators. Quite quickly they realize that they can whine and get familiar foods that don’t require chewing.

Do not hurry

Gradually move from purees to thicker foods containing pieces of food.

Get family support

Everyone must be unanimous and consistent. If you teach your baby to chew, you don’t need, for example, a grandmother or aunt, loving and pitying, to feed the baby pureed food.

Take your child as your assistant

First, grind the products together in a blender, then using a meat grinder or grater. A little later, invite the baby to crush the food on his plate with a fork. After all, he is already “big”! Usually, over time, the baby begins to get tired of wiping/squeezing, so he gradually begins to chew.

Practice chewing movements

Children like to imitate. Start chewing some tasty treat with pleasure, your baby will probably want to try it too. Of course, you will give it to him, but at the same time show him how to do it correctly.

Of course, the products must be of high quality - for example, marshmallows or chewing marmalade.

Show off your acting skills

Try to “lose” or “break” a blender, mixer, strainer, grater. Say that if necessary (when it appears in the store) buy everything new. Try not to keep your promise.

Turn learning into a fun game

From slices of your favorite crumbs on a plate, you can lay out a “rainbow” or “build” a house, “draw” animals.

Add crushed pieces of soft berries and fruits to porridge or puree. Gradually increase the size of the pieces over time.

Expand your diet

Offer a new dish in a non-grated or crushed form. Sometimes, due to natural curiosity, children begin to chew unfamiliar foods.

Invite guests or eat out occasionally

The principle is simple: there is no way to chop food, eat what everyone eats, there is only such food.

Visit a speech therapist

The doctor will help improve the tone and function of the masticatory muscles: he will conduct a speech therapy massage and show how to perform speech gymnastics.

Of course, these tips don't always work for all children. This is understandable, because every baby is individual. Use your imagination and add a little creativity: think of new ideas and come up with interesting games.

resident doctor of the children's department

learn to chew and that's it. what to do. or she will continue to keep everything petty for the rest of her life. Give some food and show it. Very often mothers ask me the following question: “the child does not eat solid food, does not know how to chew, or is choking.” The problem is VERY common and, by the way, it appeared only recently, when the timing of introducing complementary foods was revised. Previously, the child received the first drying BEFORE the appearance of the FIRST teeth, and learned to chew with his gums. Now at 6 -6.5 months, most children have 2-4 front teeth, which are simply impossible to chew, but, importantly, they interfere with chewing with their gums. If you are against letting your child chew on a bagel or pieces of fruit (apple, pear) from 6-7 months, then there is only one way out - wait for a full set of molars to appear, and teach him to chew with them. From about one year of age, the child can gradually begin to eat solid food and chew small pieces. So how can you teach a one-and-a-half-year-old or even worse, a 2-year-old baby to chew? The methods are quite simple, but require unanimity in execution, endurance and a little acting ability from parents and other relatives. But the point is simple: put the child in conditions where he simply cannot avoid chewing. Put yourself in the child’s shoes, why chew if you whine, and they will always give you something that you don’t need to chew. The first thing is to practice chewing skills and the movements themselves. Here you will need marshmallows or chewing marmalade. At 1-2 years old, a child is already a decent thinker, so when he sees it in your mouth, he will probably ask for it too. And you: “I’ll give it to you, but you have to chew it, like this”... Naturally, the product must be of high quality. The second is to “break” or lose the wiper (mixer, blender, strainer or masher), show the child the result and sincerely grieve with him, forgetting to promise if necessary (“when they appear in the store”) to buy another one. A promise to try not to keep. You can offer the child, “since he is already big,” to chop his own food on his plate, using a fork, for example. It turns out to be a kind of competition between two laziness: “too lazy to chew” and “too lazy to crush.” As a rule, sooner or later the last one wins. Third, stop cooking pureed dishes whenever possible. If he refuses to eat something else, don’t feed him. Just leave snacks in accessible places. Do not be afraid that the lack of regular three-course and multi-course meals will ruin your child’s stomach. Decisive measures will help teach you to chew quite quickly, but “cutting off the tail in parts” will do the opposite. Therefore, the result depends solely on your perseverance and inflexibility. And it’s quite possible to last a year or two on such a diet without any damage to your health, it’s been tested! Fourth, very often children begin to chew a new, previously unfamiliar dish. Think about how you can expand your diet. Naturally, the new product should be offered ONLY in a non-pureed or crushed form. Fifth, go out into public more often. Eating outside the home, as a rule, does not imply special preparation of food according to the whims of the child. Snacking on the go in the park, picnics in nature, going to affordable catering establishments (like McDonald's), especially when surrounded by other children, usually have a positive effect. Only the principle should be the same: eat what you have, there is no other food here. And, in my opinion, the most important rule - with all this - is no talking, conversations, worries, nightly thoughts and complaints to others about the child’s non-chewing. Let him think that everything is OK with him. 1-2 years is a very dangerous age in terms of the beginning of manipulation of parental feelings. It's not a good idea if your baby uses his chewing/non-chewing to blackmail you.

Many young parents don’t even think that there may be a problem teaching their child to chew. We are so accustomed to the fact that the chewing reflex is inherent in nature that we don’t even think about it. However, doctors and speech therapists claim that there are a considerable number of children who are not able to chew food even after reaching 3-4 years of age!

Sometimes you have to observe such a picture. A young mother brings her beloved child aged 2-4 years to kindergarten, and provides him with numerous jars filled with grated puree. But the child simply cannot eat normally, like other peers.

From this article you will learn:

To understand the seriousness of the problem, we suggest you familiarize yourself with what awaits your baby if you don’t teach him to chew solid food as soon as he starts teething.

Weakening of teeth. They can wobble and even fall out much earlier than expected.
Gastric juice and enzymes are not produced, since the food is not saturated with saliva. It is chewing movements that promote the production of saliva.
The muscles of the tongue do not develop, which leads to problems with diction.

Interestingly, some doctors indirectly contribute to the development of this problem by convincing young mothers to continue breastfeeding for as long as possible. Accordingly, the child eats only breast milk and purees for too long, which is harmful not only for normal development, but also for his teeth and tongue muscles.

Experts say that a baby aged 7-12 months should already have sufficiently developed chewing skills, and at 3-4 months the gag reflex moves from the middle of the tongue to the back of it - just like in adults.

Therefore, you should not delay, and it is at this time that you need to teach your baby to chew. Remember that if a precious moment is missed, it will be much more difficult to teach your child to chew later.

First of all, specialists (speech pathologists-defectologists) advise having the child checked by a neurologist to exclude the possibility of pathology. If neurological problems are excluded, then you can contact specialists to solve this problem. They use several methods that are useful for young parents themselves to work with their baby at home.

Basic methods:

Getting the child used to having solid food in his mouth. Some kids are really very afraid to feel hard pieces in their mouths, instinctively fearing to choke or suffocate. If your baby is afraid, you can simply wrap a piece of solid food in gauze and let your baby chew it. Even if one small part falls off, it will not penetrate the child’s esophagus and will not scare him. And while chewing the contents of the gauze, the child will gradually get used to having a hard object in his mouth. You can wrap small slices of bread, apples, pears, and vegetables. By the way, many manufacturers greatly simplify the work of parents and offer to purchase special nipples, which are a mesh connected to a ring. The rings remain outside and look like the end of a nipple, and the mesh itself with food will be in the baby’s mouth.
Overcoming the gag reflex. The gag reflex can occur in the very early stages of a child’s learning to chew. It is relatively easy to overcome, but you will have to pay attention to this process. It is advisable to massage the tongue with a special brush or through a napkin. You can play with your child - have him put the napkin in his mouth, hide it behind his cheek, then try to push it out with his tongue.
Articulation gymnastics. This not only helps develop diction, but also strengthens the muscles of the oral cavity. The baby begins to feel the muscles of the oral cavity better and will no longer be afraid of food with a hard consistency in the mouth.
Provide your baby with a smooth transition to solid foods. If your baby eats puree, then gradually add very small pieces to it. Even if the baby swallows them along with the mush, it will not cause him any pain, but he will feel that he was able to cope and swallow the piece. This should be done gradually. Then ditch the chopper and blender and use a regular fork to soften your food.
Set an example for your child. Children love to imitate adults. This is another “trick” that is inherent in nature. You need to eat with your baby. Enjoy your food, praise it, give yourself a refill and show that the process of eating food is absolutely safe and very enjoyable. Don’t force your baby to eat, but just at least get him used to watching you eat with pleasure.

If taming to chew solid food began at a fairly late age, that is, after 1.5-2 years, then you will have to put in much more effort using each of the above methods. Most likely, in such cases you will need the help of a specialist.

To make it easier, it is advisable to invite other kids the same age as your baby to visit. If they are already happily eating solid food, then this will be the best example for your fidget.

How to teach your baby to chew. Let's sum it up

So, the advice of experts comes down to the fact that, starting from 7-8 months, it is necessary to gradually increase the density of food, adding slightly larger pieces. It is also worth paying attention to what food your baby likes most.

It is important to interest the baby - try everything yourself, invite friends with whom you can share a meal. Use additional aids, such as a special pacifier for chewing.

An excellent option if you prepare soft boiled meatballs or steamed cutlets according to a special children's recipe. They are very soft, slightly crumbly, warm and at the same time will help the child transition to solid food.

If you yourself cannot teach your child to perform such actions, then you should contact a specialist. This is done not only by pediatricians, but also by speech pathologists and speech pathologists with relevant work experience.

Experiences of other mothers

Of course, there are many more ways that often make themselves known simply by accident.

Some parents are surprised to find that the baby begins to chew if he sees foods that are new to him. He can throw out the usual pasta, cutlets, apple slices or simply hold it in his cheek. And if you offer something new and the baby likes the taste, then the likelihood that he will begin to chew and swallow the food increases significantly.

Some parents have to resort to tricks. Many children love marshmallows or chewing marmalade, and modern manufacturers produce children's marmalade or marshmallows with minimal sugar content. It tastes very pleasant and sweet. Many children do not refuse such treats and willingly chew and swallow them.

If the child is older, for example, he is 2 years old, you can explain to him that the store has run out of puree, and your blender is broken, so if he wants to eat, then he needs to try and chew the food. Of course, you cannot blackmail a child with this - you need to carefully monitor his reaction.

February 18, 2013

One day, a mother of two wonderful children (at her request, I will omit the names) came to me with an alarming message that her youngest daughter was 3 years old. refuses to eat chunky solid foods(afraid to swallow).

Since this problem is quite interesting, because it relates more to the psychology of a child’s perception of a particular situation (provided that physical health leaves no doubt), I agreed to our meeting.

A consultation was held via Skype, during which all issues were worked out, including the girl’s medical history, her psychological and physical development, as well as the system of relationships in her family.

Hello, readers of the blog “Your Child Psychologist”!

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Tatyana for her invaluable help in my situation.

I am an ordinary mother of two children – a son (6 years old) and a daughter (3 years old). I will say right away that I was prepared for hysterics, but I was not at all prepared for the fact that my child would not eat and fell into a stupor. My daughter refused to eat rough food - she only drank (and only fruit kefir, drinking yoghurts, tea and juices). The reason, according to the striker “ The crumbs are in the way and I'm afraid to swallow».

The pediatrician, who looked at my daughter twice, said that the child is completely healthy, just wait. But, like any mother who thought that my child was not eating enough, having read all sorts of horror stories on the Internet, she could not leave this situation. “Why didn’t you feed her puree?!”, you ask. Yes, because my daughter hasn’t opened her mouth on puree since she was 10 months old, when she learned to chew adult food, because even if puree was forced into her, she spat it out. God forbid, if any lump or tiny thing comes across (even a clot of yogurt) - my daughter immediately started scraping everything out of her mouth, spitting, even before the gag reflex.

Why - my child is hungry, my child is not eating enough, my child is losing weight, my brain screamed! Therefore, I cooked rolled oats, broccoli, carrots, rubbed them through a sieve (God, I didn’t rub so much as a baby), bought ready-made sweet potato puree (because it’s sweet) and green beans (at least some variety) and mixed it in fruit kefir, orange juice (it turns out that orange juice overpowers many of the flavors of J), mixed with chocolate milk once a week. If only my daughter received at least some nutrients. And God forbid, if there was a speck, my daughter would spit it out; if I overdo the puree, my daughter would immediately feel that the taste was changing...

Since the child is healthy in body (according to the pediatrician), then it is necessary to show his soul, or rather, his brains, to a specialist, and not only my daughters, but also mine.

I turned to Tatyana after the child had been fasting for more than two weeks. And so, having sent a detailed letter about the situation, photographs of the child, her drawings, works, my consultation with Tatyana Egorova took place.

Omitting all the details of the conversation, I will say one thing: Tatyana skillfully dotted all the I’s, directed me in the right direction, pointed out my mistakes and indicated my further tactics. The hardest strike tactic was to turn off my brain, my MOTHER brain. God, I did it too!

Educational psychologist, neuropsychologist, family consultant and coach on child-parent relationships. She has published in the magazines “9 Months” and “Nanny” as a medical psychologist, and led the column “Question to a Psychologist” in the magazine “9 Months”. Published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Author of seminars, courses and trainings for parents on practical child psychology.

When switching a child to a new type of food, some mothers sometimes encounter difficulties. Babies, accustomed to receiving breast milk, formula, and pureed foods, try to swallow pieces of solid food whole or refuse it altogether. Chewing food does not always mean grinding it with your teeth. The child must acquire the skill of distinguishing between solid pieces in semi-liquid food and forming a bolus of food in the mouth without the desire to spit it out.

Why do children refuse to chew?

Incorrect feeding. One of the reasons why modern children refuse to chew on their own for a long time is the wide variety of ready-made baby food. Such porridges and purees are very convenient for parents, as they are always at hand and do not require any effort in preparation. When purchasing such products, it is recommended to pay attention to the directions for use. As a rule, all products have their own age group, and the difference in the contents lies in the consistency of the finished mixture. For very young children, the first complementary food has a liquid puree form. For older children, the mixture may be denser and contain pieces of solid foods.
Laziness. Sometimes children are already quite spoiled and lazy at an early age - they just don’t want to chew their food. In addition, at the first whim, a caring mother will replace the product she doesn’t like with her favorite puree.
Hyperactivity. Children suffering from hyperactivity often refuse to chew because it takes a certain amount of time. For such kids, it is quite difficult to sit still and concentrate on eating.

Development of chewing skills in a child

6 months. The chewing reflex is formed starting from six months. It is very important not to miss the moment when the child’s first teeth begin to emerge. It is during this period that the baby’s chewing instinct is formed, so instead of a rubber teether, it is better to give the child dry food, crackers or baby cookies. Thus, the baby not only scratches his gums, but learns to make the first chewing movements.
12 months. During this period, children already have 6-8 teeth in their mouths, so they can try to chew solid food. Under the control of the mother, the child should receive thicker food before the age of one year (from 8-10 months) - offer the baby boiled vegetables cut into pieces, slices of fruit, large crackers.
2 years. By the age of two, the baby should be able to actively chew. It is during this period that eating solid food helps the proper development of the dental system, the normal function of salivation and the formation of the digestive system. If by this age the child is experiencing difficulties, measures should be taken.

How to help your child learn to chew

Some helpful tips for parents who are worried about how to teach their baby to eat solid foods:

Put on a little show for your child - tell him that the blender is broken and the store doesn’t have his favorite puree. Invite your child to mash the food with a fork. Of course, as a result, the food may end up far beyond the plate - take this completely calmly. It is important to interest the baby and draw his attention to the changes. Then invite him to try what he himself has prepared.
Pamper your child with something especially tasty - sweet fruits, marmalade, marshmallows. Invite other children to visit. Arrange a separate beautiful table for children. In the company of other kids who are happily devouring goodies, your child will also want to try a piece.
Stop chopping food - offer your baby only foods in their natural form. If the child refuses, do not be irritated, put it aside and repeat the meal after half an hour.
Try eating in a public place with your baby. Explain to him that he is already quite an adult and should not eat only “children’s” food. A change of environment and the presence of other people can help the child.

Of course, it will be quite difficult to overcome the child’s persistent reluctance. The main thing is to show patience and perseverance. Remember that first of all you care about the health of your baby. If you do not react to whims and worry about the fact that the child is hungry, the child will gradually get used to the usual diet.