Stage 2: Soft Chews - Philips AVENT SCF862 Recipe Booklet

Stage 2:
Soft chews
Now that your baby has been used to eating purée or soft mashed foods with
progressively moving to roughly mashed foods, so they can learn to chew. At this
stage of weaning (from 6-8 months) babies should have started to progress onto
3 meals a day, in larger quantities than before, alongside their usual milk (breast
or formula).
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In terms of a baby's development, the sheer action
of chewing soft and small lumps of food and moving
food around the mouth with their tongue helps them
food may cause them to gag, cough or maybe even
vomit in order to remove lumps of food from the
back of their mouth, this doesn't mean they don't
will learn to eat a variety of foods and become more
receptive to trying new ones. Don't worry if they
occasions until they get used to the taste of it and
will eventually accept it. It can take several attempts
(sometimes up to 15 tastes) for your baby to accept
certain foods so be patient and persevere – it will
healthy food preferences when your baby is young
early years.
Although most babies don't usually have any teeth
at 6 months of age they can actually begin to
manage small soft lumpy foods (by grinding their
gums). Because this stage is all about teaching them
such as cooked vegetable sticks (carrots) or soft ripe
The 4 main food groups include:
1. Starchy foods – rice, pasta, potatoes and other cereals;
3. Fruits and vegetables;
4. Dairy products – full fat yogurt and cheese. Full fat milk can also be used during cooking.
fruit sticks, little slices of toast and even soft cooked
pasta shapes. Never give your baby whole grapes or
whole cherry tomatoes as this may cause choking.
If you want to give them to your baby, always slice
them up.
At this stage you can start to experiment more by
introducing dishes made from a combination of
Because this is a time period of rapid growth, your
baby will have a higher requirement for nutrient
rich foods – so be sure to give plenty of variety!
For example, all babies are born with an ample
supply of iron. However, that starts to run out at
around 6 months of age, so it's essential that they
get enough iron from their diet to ensure healthy
growth and development. So give them plenty
of foods containing iron, such as lean red meat,
cereals, beans and green vegetables. If you are not
sure about how much your baby needs to eat, let
your baby guide you – babies usually turn their
head away or keep their mouth shut when they
don't want any more food. For safety reasons never
leave your baby unattended whilst eating. Continue
cooled boiled water from a training cup or mug with
meals. Don't be tempted to give them any juice, as
they will be getting plenty of Vitamin C from their
milk feeds, as well as from fruit and vegetables.
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