At what age can you give solid food and how to teach your child to chew it

Transferring a child from ready-made formulas and breast milk to adult food is a problem for many parents, since the baby cannot learn to chew food, is naughty, refuses new foods, and spits out what he cannot swallow without chewing. Naturally, parents worry that he is malnourished, doubt whether he will be able to develop normally. How long will this last, and are there any secrets to help teach the baby to chew?

Late start of feeding. Some mothers take too literally the recommendations of doctors that there is nothing more useful than breast milk, that the baby should not be weaned from the breast for as long as possible. After 1 year, he begins to actively resist chewing pieces of food, as he knows an easier way to get enough.
Parents' fears that the baby may choke if you give him unground food. Excessive caution of parents leads to the fact that a child of 2 years old, if he does not refuse food at all, then accumulates it in his mouth and then spits it out.
Lack of skill in using teethers. These rubber devices, which are convenient for the baby to grab with a pen, not only massage the gums, facilitating the process of teething, but also teach him to chew with his gums.
Employment or weak character of parents. They have no time to engage in the process of feeding for a long time, it is easier to give the baby what he loves. He quickly gets used to the pliability of dad or mom and requires the usual food.
Increased activity of the child. He cannot concentrate on the process of chewing and swallowing food, he cannot sit in one place for a long time, he grabs food on the go, choosing what he does not need to chew.

Video: What to do if the child cannot chew

What should parents do to teach their baby to chew?

To teach a child to chew both soft foods and hard pieces, it is necessary to gradually add dishes with larger food particles to the meal. For example, soft bread can be gradually added to the soup so that the child can feel the pieces of food on the tongue. Of course, you need to carefully monitor so that the baby does not choke. Give him food in small portions. The child should sit quietly at the table. You can not distract the baby while eating, make him laugh.

The invention of ready-made food for babies, of course, makes life much easier for parents. The jars contain the "correct" food, which contains all the necessary vitamins, the amount of various useful substances is strictly calculated. However, when buying such food, you must definitely pay attention to what age the porridge or mashed potatoes are designed for. For older children, thicker food is prepared with the addition of larger pieces.

Note: Self-preparation of food for a child, and even with his feasible participation, increases interest in food, improves appetite.

Video: How to teach a child to solid food

Why babies need to learn to chew by age 2

The transition to more solid foods that must be chewed in order to be eaten is a natural physiological process associated with the development of various body systems. The digestive system gradually gets used to the digestion of solid food. The demand for nutrients is growing. A variety of "adult" foods can satisfy her.

If a child does not learn to eat normally, then the nutrition of all tissues of his body will be disrupted. This affects his physical and intellectual development. If there is still a problem with chewing, then do not panic. To teach your baby to chew pieces of food will help some special techniques.

Advice: You can give the baby a boiled carrot or chicken leg. They are comfortable to hold and interesting to pull in your mouth.

Experienced parents share their methods of overcoming the problem in the forums dedicated to raising and feeding children. Some advise to let everything take its course: grow up, learn. Others, on the contrary, offer shock therapy: do not give food, but leave adult food within his reach. If he wants to eat, he will get it and eat.

Dr. Komarovsky gives simple advice to parents who are faced with the unwillingness of the baby to chew food, how to teach the child to chew.

In particular, he suggests that mom and dad do not have to immediately agree with the stubborn demand of the crumbs to give him the usual pureed food. Parents should show artistry, portray regret that the blender broke down or the store ran out of jars of mashed meat. In extreme cases, you can give the baby a fork so that he mashes the pieces of potatoes. He will surely enjoy this, although the lack of skill may result in half the mash being on the floor. But that's the parent's problem. But the next time the child will demand just such “interesting” food, stuffing it into his mouth (the fork must be special - plastic, with blunt teeth).

In order for the baby to learn to chew food, you need to give him a tasty and beautiful cookie or a piece of sweet fruit that he likes. A bagel will do. Some parents give children as early as the age of 5-6 months drying or baby biscuits. At this age, as a rule, there are no teeth yet, but the child works on drying, because he feels a pleasant taste. He soaks it in his mouth, bites off small pieces with his gums, learns to chew and swallow them. Drying should be given not so much for saturation, but for the development of the chewing reflex. Then, when the first teeth appear, it will be more difficult for the baby to get used to such a useful and tasty toy. It is uncomfortable for him to bite with gums, and there are not enough teeth.

Komarovsky recommends trying to feed the child in a children's cafe. He will watch other children eat with what appetite, and he himself will want to try such food. In addition, the usual mashed porridge or vegetable puree is not served there.

Very often, mothers ask me this question: "the child does not eat solid food, does not know how to chew, or chokes." The problem is VERY common and, by the way, it appeared only recently, when the timing of the introduction of complementary foods was revised. Previously, the child received the first drying BEFORE the appearance of the FIRST teeth, and learned to chew with the 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 giving a child from 6-7 months to gnaw a bagel or pieces of fruit (apple, pear), then there is only one way out - to wait for the appearance of a full set of molars, and teach them to chew already. As early as around one year of age, a child can gradually begin to eat solid foods and chew small pieces. So how do you teach a one and a half - or worse, a 2-year-old baby to chew. The methods are quite simple, but require unanimity in performance, endurance and a little acting ability from parents and other relatives. And the essence is simple: to put the child in such conditions where he simply cannot not chew. Put yourself in the place of a child, why chew if you whimper, and they will always give you something that you don’t need to chew. The first is to work out the skill of chewing, the movements themselves. Here you will need marshmallows or chewing marmalade. At 1-2 years old, the child already thinks decently, therefore, when he sees it in your mouth, he will probably ask for it too. And you told him: \"Ladies, but it must be chewed, like this \"... Naturally, the product must be of high quality. The second is \"break \" or lose the wiper (mixer, blender, strainer or crush), show the result to the baby and sincerely grieve with him, forgetting to promise on occasion ("when they appear in the store \") to buy another. A promise to try not to keep. You can offer the child \"because he is already big\" chop his own food in a plate, for example, with a fork. It turns out a kind of competition between two laziness:\"too lazy to chew \" and\"too lazy to press \". As a rule, sooner or later the latter wins. The third is to stop cooking mashed dishes whenever possible. If he refuses to eat something else - do not feed. Only leave food for a snack in accessible places. Do not be afraid that the lack of regular three meals a day and multi-course meals will spoil the child's stomach. Decisive measures will help to teach to chew quite quickly, and\"chopping off the tail in parts \"-on the contrary. Therefore, the result depends solely on your perseverance and inflexibility. And a year or two on such a diet can be quite stretched out without any damage to health, verified! Fourth - very often children begin to chew a new, previously unfamiliar dish. Consider how you can expand your diet. Naturally, the novelty should be offered ONLY in a non-mashed and not crushed form. Fifth-go out more often\"to the people \". Meals out of the home usually do not involve special preparation of food for the whims of the child. Snacking on the go in the park, picnics in nature, trips to affordable catering establishments (the same McDonald's), especially surrounded by other children, usually act positively. Only the principle should be the same: eat what you have, there is no other food here. And the most, in my opinion, the main rule - with all this - no conversations, conversations, worries, nightly reflections and complaints to others about the child's not chewing. Let him think that everything is NORMAL with him. 1-2 years - the age is very dangerous in terms of the beginning of the manipulation of parental feelings. Not the best option if the baby will use his chewing / not chewing to blackmail you.

The transition of a baby from breast milk or formula milk 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 are the problems? How to deal with difficulties?

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

The first chewing movements in a baby appear at about 4-5 months of age. 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 get acquainted with pieces of solid food.

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

Important!

Do not treat the recommended terms uncontested. Much depends on the degree of maturity and readiness to learn a new skill: a full-term or premature baby, a healthy child or is sick, teeth have appeared or not yet, the type of feeding.

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

How to teach your child to eat on their own: and

Why the child does not want to chew or refuses solid food

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

Unformed eating habits

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

Unfortunately, often a baby begins to get acquainted with new products when he already has his first teeth. It seems that with such helpers it is easier to chew. But it's not. The child uses the teeth for biting, while they interfere with chewing with the gums.

More about complementary foods and pre-nutrition:

Health problems

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

Violation of the tone of the masticatory muscles

The tongue clumsily turns food, and the muscles do not clench the jaws well. Often the problem occurs after birth trauma.

Early refusal of breastfeeding

In order to "get" food from the mother's breast, the baby needs to make an effort - this trains the masticatory muscles. Whereas with a bottle it is quite difficult to develop the tone of these muscles.

Improper feeding

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

With a sharp transition from a homogeneous puree to pieces of food, the baby can become nervous and violently resist innovation. From his point of view, there is no "normal" food. Naturally, streams of tears are flowing and lips are compressed tightly.

However, all these difficulties can be overcome. The key 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 on as usual and gradually.

When to start training?

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

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

Are you against introducing your baby to bagels or livers at the age of 7-8 months? Then it is better to wait for the appearance of most of the teeth and learn to chew with them.

Take your time

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

Solid food or special "trainers"

While the baby is small, you can use a rubber teether. Starting around 6-8 months of age, gradually introduce your baby to solid foods.

The curiosity of the baby is your assistant

When your child tries to lick or “bite off” an apple/cookie with their gums, do not crush these foods. Try to offer him solid food more often - let him train 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 twisting rim. The device is a container in the form of a mesh or a silicone nozzle with holes. Put pieces of age-appropriate foods inside the container, and then give it to the child's hands so that he kneads the contents with his gums and at the same time receives 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 crumbs to solid food. It is important that the transition is gradual, and the child does not notice a sharp change in the consistency of his usual dishes. Otherwise, he may be capricious or refuse to eat at all.

Decrease the degree of grinding time after time: first prepare a homogeneous puree, then - with the inclusion of small pieces, then - thick food containing solid food fragments.

Ready canned food

When buying, pay attention to the label. Look for the label on the recommended nutrition for 8-10 months of age to state that the puree contains "pieces that teach you to chew."

Don't distract

Do not turn on cartoons or TV while feeding. If the baby focuses on the process of eating food, then he has better coordination of the actions of the hands, tongue and lips.

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

By about two years of age, the 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 little one hungry

The rule does not work well: it’s okay, if you get hungry, you will eat. On the contrary, the baby may get 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 started to teach your baby to chew, but he does not eat up during feeding, feed him with pureed foods.

Don't feel sorry for your child

Children aged 1.5-2 years old are skillful manipulators. Pretty quickly, they realize that you can whimper and get the usual dishes that do not need to be chewed.

Do not hurry

Gradually move from mashed potatoes to thicker foods containing pieces of food.

Get family support

All must be unanimous and sustained. If you teach your baby to chew, it is not necessary that, for example, a grandmother or aunt, loving and pitying, feed the crumbs with pureed food.

Take your child as a helper

First, chop the food together in a blender, then with a meat grinder or grater. A little later, invite the crumbs to crush their own food in a plate with a fork. After all, he is already "boooo big"! Usually, over time, the baby begins to get bored with rubbing / crushing, so he gradually begins to chew.

Practice chewing movements

Children love to imitate. Start chewing some goodies with pleasure, for sure, the baby will also want to try it. Of course, you will give it to him, but at the same time show how it should be done 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" the blender, mixer, strainer, grater. Say that in case (when it appears in the store) buy everything new. Try not to keep your promise.

Turn learning into a fun game

From slices of the crumbs' favorite foods on a plate, you can lay out a "rainbow" or "build" a house, "draw" animals.

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

Expand your diet

Offer a new dish in a non-mashed and not crushed form. Sometimes, due to natural curiosity, children begin to chew on unfamiliar foods.

Invite guests periodically or eat out

The principle is simple: there is no way to grind 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 you how to perform speech exercises.

Of course, these tips do not always work for all children. It is understandable, because each baby is individual. Use your imagination and add some creativity: think of new ideas and come up with interesting games.

pediatric resident doctor

When a baby is born, he has an innate sucking reflex, so there is no need to teach him to drink from a bottle or mother's breast. But the child grows up and different cereals and purees come to replace milk, and then adult food. The chewing reflex needs to be developed, so mothers often wonder how to teach a child to chew solid food. Such a simple task for an adult becomes a difficult task for a child.

What is chewing

Every day, absorbing a certain amount of food, an adult does not think about how this happens. The chewing process has been developed for a long time, and food is chewed reflexively. Chewing is the formation of a homogeneous lump of food in the mouth, which is then consciously pushed into the esophagus.

In a small child, such a reflex is developed gradually. He can only swallow food that is not much thicker than the previously received food. Therefore, this skill should be instilled in parents gradually moving from liquid to solid food.

At what age should a baby learn to chew and swallow solid food?

For a normal life, a newborn child needs to eat mother's milk or adapted mixtures. His digestive system is not yet fully formed and therefore is completely unprepared for denser, homogeneous, and even more solid food.

Every mother should know the approximate age when you need to introduce the first complementary foods, and then adult food. Very often, mothers are afraid that their baby will choke if he gets at least a small piece of solid food in his food and continue to crush or grind it in a blender until 3-4 years of age, and this is not normal.

It is clear that you should not give solid food to an infant, especially since a protective reflex will work for him when any solid object is reflexively pushed out by his tongue. As they grow older, the baby's innate reflexes become less pronounced and give way to acquired ones.

The first complementary foods are recommended at 6 months of age. How to enter it correctly, you can see the video at the bottom of the article. But this is not yet solid food, but thicker. Even if the baby has not acquired teeth by this age, he still tries to make chewing movements, copying the behavior of adults. Timely management of the first complementary foods forms the foundation for the introduction of food in pieces.

The transition from liquid to solid foods should be gradual, but by the age of two, the child should be able to chew and swallow solid foods well.

What harm can a child cause a late transition to solid foods

The timely introduction of the first complementary foods gives a good start for accustoming the crumbs to thicker foods. It allows the baby to learn to bite, chew and swallow more dense food.

But if you stubbornly continue to grind food for a two-year-old baby, you can cause real harm to his health:

Formation of a malocclusion. The appearance of various dental problems;
Various problems of the digestive system. As the child grows, the gastrointestinal tract develops, and the absence of dense and solid food will cause atrophy of the stomach. Food that does not require chewing does not cause the production of a large amount of saliva, which in turn affects the production of enzymes, as a result, the digestive system fails;
Problems with the development of speech. This happens due to the fact that for the correct pronunciation of some sounds, it is necessary to use certain facial muscles. As a result of the lack of chewing skills, these muscles will be underdeveloped;
A child who has not learned to chew at an early age will consciously refuse solid food at an older age, since he will simply be too lazy to make certain efforts to chew it. This can lead to food refusal.

A big problem for children who do not know how to chew and swallow solid food will be staying in kindergarten, because in addition to the usual adaptation, the child will still have to adapt to an unusual diet for him.

How to teach your baby to chew

It is tedious to gradually switch to the introduction of solid foods. If various ready-made purees and mixtures are present in the child’s diet, then they are purchased according to the age of the baby. The older the child, the thicker purees and mixtures are made by manufacturers. They begin to include small pieces of solid food.

When preparing homemade food, you should first refuse to rub through a sieve or finely grind food in a blender. We begin to lightly press the food with a fork, and set the blender to a slower speed. Subsequently, the blender should be abandoned altogether.

Some products for the child can be rubbed on a coarse grater. Hard pieces of food in the soup can be crushed with a fork first. Then we simply change the cutting technique when preparing the dish: from very small to normal-sized pieces.

Such a smooth transition from eating a homogeneous consistency to eating regular solid food should not cause problems for either mother or child.

What to do if the moment of introduction of solid food is missed

But it happens that due to any individual characteristics of the child or due to missed time, the baby categorically refuses to accept even small pieces of solid food. An attempt to swallow something not liquid ends with a gag reflex and loud crying. The child is ready to starve until his usual food is returned to him. Then the parents will have to carry out the following activities.

Tongue massage

It is necessary to activate the work of the muscles of the tongue. This will help get rid of the gag reflex that appears in the child when he tries to swallow hard pieces. To do this, gently massage the baby's tongue with a wooden spatula. Start from the tip, gradually moving to the root of the tongue. In order for the procedure to go without scandal, you need to come up with some entertaining story about a magic tongue or an exciting game with a wooden stick. A good exercise for a child's tongue would be if the mother places a gauze swab behind his cheek and asks the baby to push it out with his tongue. You can do this together, so the baby will be more interesting.

Nibbler application

Often the appearance of a gag reflex is associated with the fear of the crumbs associated with the ingestion of hard pieces into the mouth. Parents need to try to subtly overcome this fear. Nibbler is a small sieve in the form of a pacifier with a handle. A small piece of fruit or vegetable is placed in it, and the child is trained to chew, without the risk of choking.

Help baby mom with cooking

Mom and baby spend a lot of time together, so the child has long studied how food is crushed. Mom needs to convince the baby that the blender is not working, the sieve is lost, and only the magic fork remains. You need to give it to the baby, let him try. You can also give the crumbs a grater, on which he will independently rub a carrot or an apple, and possibly eat it right away.

positive example

The whole family must prove to the baby that a piece of food in the mouth is much more interesting than puree on a spoon. Prepare a family dinner by telling your little one interesting stories about the pieces. You need to wait until the baby is very hungry, perhaps an interested child will reach for a piece of a queen pumpkin or a giant cucumber.

A good example is contagious

Invite a family over with a child of the same age but able to chew and swallow solid food. Organize a small children's feast. Perhaps, using someone else's example, the baby will learn to do it himself much faster.

Many mothers, when transferring a baby to solid food, complain that he does not chew anything at all.

Some say that their child can’t do it, others that he knows how, but just doesn’t want to and is lazy, and others are worried that the baby is very restless and cannot even show a little patience to chew everything properly.

Be that as it may, this problem can occur even in children 4-5 years old and at an older age.

Here are the main ways to teach your child to chew solid food.

Chewing skill refers to the baby's ability to independently grind solid food in the mouth and swallow it. It is believed that the sooner this skill is formed, the better.

When the baby's gums begin to itch and he pulls everything into his mouth, tries to bite and gnaw - this is the period for developing the ability to chew.

It is important for parents not to miss this time and, even before the appearance of the first teeth, to give the baby teethers, drying, so that, with the help of solid objects, he gradually gets used to making efforts to chew, straining the necessary muscles.

Why do chewing problems occur?

The main reasons why a child does not chew solid food:

Late introduction of complementary foods;

But it is not easy for a baby to get used to the solid consistency of food, it takes quite a long time, so delaying the introduction of complementary foods often causes the child to not want to chew food served in pieces.

Prolonged predominance of pureed food in the baby's diet;

Many mothers are afraid that the child will choke or not be able to swallow solid food, so they feed him pure or completely mashed food for a long time, and also abuse canned puree (it's so convenient!).

Regular bottle feeding rather than spoon feeding also often leads to laziness and difficult addiction to solid foods;
Excessive activity of the child. It is difficult for a fidget to sit in one place for a long time and concentrate on chewing food (for information on how to find an approach to active children, see the article Choleric Child >>>);
The unwillingness of parents to devote a lot of time to feeding and teaching the baby chewing skills;
Power feeding. When a child is forced to eat something he does not want, then, due to lack of appetite, he may try to swallow food faster.

Why is it important teach your child to chew solid food?

Well-chewed food is better absorbed by the body;
The better the food is chewed and moistened with saliva, the easier the process of digestion goes;
The more carefully the baby chews, the better he feels the taste of food, which maintains his food interest and forms taste preferences;
Along with the ability to chew, the child acquires swallowing skills. He learns to determine how much food he can eat at one time and, if something went wrong, then get rid of the excess;
Training of the maxillofacial muscles contributes to the development of speech. The more the baby chews, the better it affects the pronunciation of sounds and words.

What causes a child's inability to chew food?

The process of digestion of food is difficult, because it enters the body insufficiently crushed and moistened with saliva. As a result, enzymes and gastric juice are not produced in the right amount;
There is a weakening of the teeth. They may become more wobbly and fall out prematurely;
There is no training of the muscles of the tongue, which can lead to a slowdown in the development of speech (find out when the child begins to speak ?>>>);
A persistent habit of eating completely homogeneous food is fixed, the baby is too lazy to chew and refuses hard pieces.

Ways to teach a child to chew

When thinking about how to teach your child to chew and swallow food, first of all pay attention to your behavior. What example are you setting?

Do you chew your food thoroughly or do you eat on the run? For the sake of instilling this skill in your baby, it makes sense to reconsider your attitude to food.

Sit down at the table with him and demonstrate by personal example how carefully you need to chew, slowly and without stuffing your mouth full.

With the introduction of complementary foods, you need to gradually accustom the child to a more solid consistency of food;

At first, all meals are given in the form of mashed potatoes (at 6-7 months), you can add crumbs of food and a few soft pieces;
Then, by 8-9 months, food can already be kneaded with a spoon or fork, include small semi-solid particles and soft large pieces;
At 11-12 months, offer your baby solid food, alternating it (but not mixing in one plate) with mashed potatoes. So, as early as a year, you can teach your child to chew different foods well.

To teach a child to chew pieces by the age of one year, not to choke and eat carefully, look at the scheme for introducing complementary foods according to the scheme proposed in the online course ABC of complementary foods: safe introduction of complementary foods to babies >>>

Try not to show your baby your fear that he will choke and be unable to swallow pieces of food. Children feel our mood and can also begin to be afraid and refuse food that is “dangerous”, in their opinion.

Be safe when introducing a child to solid food, never leave a child alone with a solid piece of food.

If the baby is still afraid of choking and refuses hard pieces, wrap one of them in gauze (or put in a nibbler) and let him chew;

It can be a slice of an apple, pear, bread or some vegetable. So the child will gradually get used to the hard pieces and stop being afraid of them.

Massaging the tongue will help overcome the gag reflex and pushing food out of the mouth. It can be done through a napkin or a special brush in the first months of learning to chew;
Try to turn the process of chewing food into an exciting activity;

For example, come up with some kind of legend why you need to chew well everything that is on the plate or arrange a competition who will “work with teeth” longer: a baby or a mother;
Let every time, as soon as the child does a good job and chews food thoroughly, the tummy will thank him for helping to digest food and get a lot of vitamins from it.

Of course, at 2 years old, you can teach your child to chew. But still, care and consistency are important in this process.

The sooner you begin to devote time to accustoming your baby to chewing, the more effectively and quickly he will master this skill. Children at 1.5-2 years old can be given long products that are convenient to hold and bite off.

Teach your baby to chew with the foods he likes. So it will be more pleasant for him to keep them in his mouth for a long time and chew thoroughly;
Do not offer too large portions, it is better to add food in case the child likes it and wants to eat more. Do not give a new portion until the baby has chewed the previous one, do not rush him;
Do articulation exercises. It will help strengthen the maxillofacial muscles and the development of the speech apparatus.

No matter how difficult the process of teaching a child to chew food may seem, the vast majority of children successfully master this skill. With your competent and methodical actions, the child will definitely master it.

Ludmila Sharova, consultant on complementary foods and correction of malnutrition in children.