Starting on solid foods is a HUGE change for your baby.
Therefore, intuitively, the baby needs to feel completely comfortable with all the new changes – and this happens, among other things, by exploring and sensing the food.
This sensory journey is one of the most important things our baby must go through when we talk about developing a comfortable relationship with food.
All the senses are working at full throttle when the baby is allowed to experience the food. The baby sees the food, smells it, feels it with their fingers, in their mouth, hears the food from the smacking sounds it makes when they taste it.
The baby uses this sensory journey to become familiar with the new, big task of eating.
Some babies quickly become comfortable enough to eat the food. For others, it takes longer to become comfortable. This is perfectly fine and natural. New things take time.
Mealtime is not measured by how much food your baby eats. A meal is a success when the baby has had a good and pleasant experience at the dining table. This means there has been presence, love, fun, and coziness. All of this provides the baby with good conditions to feel comfortable. There must be absolutely no pressure. It is the baby who sets the pace.
A large part of becoming comfortable with food is allowing the baby to feel, splatter, and mash the food with their fingers, if the baby wants to.
This is much more important than the food actually going into their mouth, because this is where comfort begins.
The more comfortable your baby is, the easier and more pleasant your baby's food journey will be.
