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Introducing solids isn’t just about nutrition—it’s a sensory experience for your baby. New textures, smells, and flavours provide rich sensory input that helps build oral-motor coordination. This motor coordination is essential not only for eating but eventually for talking. As babies explore new textures with their hands and mouth, they are also developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They begin to develop an understanding of where their mouth is in space, and how to coordinate their hands and utensils to reach their mouth. 

From a sensory integration perspective, feeding helps babies develop their proprioceptive and tactile systems. The feeling of food in their mouth and the act of chewing contributes to their understanding of their own body and its movements, which is critical for motor development.

There are many methods or ways you can add foods into your child’s diet. No one of these is right or wrong. Below are some helpful tips to guide you as you introduce solids to your little one, ensuring it’s a fun and positive experience for all.

1. Single-Ingredient Purees
Begin with single-ingredient purees like mashed carrots, sweet potato, or avocado. These foods are easy to digest and provide a simple texture for babies just learning how to manage food in their mouths. Offering one food at a time also helps you monitor for any potential food sensitivities or allergies.

2. Offer Finger Foods for Sensory Exploration
Around 6 to 7 months, you can start offering soft finger foods like steamed broccoli, banana slices, or avocado chunks. Larger chunks help your little one explore chewing and motor skills that will later support their speech development. Allowing your baby to touch and handle food is great for sensory development. It helps them explore different textures, which is essential for their tactile and proprioceptive systems. Babies learn a lot through their hands and mouths, so as hard as it may be, let them get messy!

3. Create a Calm, Positive Mealtime Environment
Your baby will pick up on your emotions, so aim to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere during meals. Avoid pressuring your baby to eat, exploration is just as important as consumption at this stage. 

4. Eat with your baby
Make mealtime a family event when possible, allowing your baby to watch you eat. This can encourage interest in food whilst also modelling how to chew and eat foods correctly. Not only this but it can take the direct pressure off of your baby when your not watching them the whole time. 

5. Experiment with Different Textures and Flavors
Once your baby is comfortable with finger foods or smooth purees, gradually introduce more textured foods like mashed foods not pureed or finely chopped soft fruits. Offering a variety of textures is key for oral motor development and sensory processing. It also encourages your baby to explore and enjoy a range of flavors.

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