0-3 months

  • Solely breast and/or bottle-fed; having oral reflexes for suckling and swallowing
  • Have the following reflexes: rooting reflex, suck and swallow reflex, tongue thrust reflex, and gag reflex
  • Can close lips to seal mouth

4-5 months

  • Begins sucking and no longer only suckling
  • Should be introduced to soft solid foods; such as cereals and pureed fruits and vegetables from a spoon
  • Gag reflexes should diminish
  • Tongue thrust and rooting reflexes should subside
  • Should be able to move tongue up and down
  • Should start using lips to draw in food off spoon
  • Should start up and down munching
  • Should open mouth when you hold up a spoon
  • Cup drinking may also be introduced during this time (6 months,) as to practice their skills for a future transition to the cup

6-9 months

  • Opens mouth and waits for the spoon to enter
  • Uses upper lip to clean food off spoon
  • Be able to control the position of food in the mouth to prepare for chewing
  • Munch on food
  • Soft, dissolvable foods are (typically) introduced
  • Ground or lumpy solids are introduced
  • Begin to eat food with hands
  • Able to drink from straws at 9 months
  • Control the position of food in the mouth to position food between jaws for chewing
  • Be able to munch food
  • Begin to eat mashed food
  • Be able to eat from a spoon very easily
  • Begin to eat food with hands

10-12 months

  • Be able to move food from side to side in mouth
  • Tongue may protrude under the cup in order to add additional stability
  • Begin to curve lips around the rim of cup
  • Begin to chew in circular manner
  • Have a controlled, sustained bite through a soft cookie
  • Take liquids from a cup although bottle or breast may still be utilized
  • Mashed or chopped table foods with noticeable lumps are introduced
  • Start to use a spoon, but may choose to use hands
  • Diet will consist of yogurt, soft cheese, soft bread and crackers, strained meat or poultry, soft fruits and vegetables

12-18 months

  • Playfully bite on the spoon
  • Use a spoon proficiently
  • Feed self
  • Chopped table food continues to be provided and more control over the lips and tongue has developed
  • Bite through harder foods if teeth are present
  • You can introduce whole milk and eggs into the diet
  • Most 13-15-month-olds will not take a bottle and instead will use a straw or regular cup
  • At 16-18 months children are given more challenging foods that require chewing such as meats and many vegetables

19-24 months

  • Gaining more control of cup drinking and not biting the cup as much
  • Learning to drink for longer sequences with little to no spillage
  • Chew and eat most foods, but you should still cut up food into small, non-circular pieces, as to not pose a choking hazard, like hotdogs
  • Eat with mouth closed

24-36 months

  • Able to enjoy almost all foods
  • Drinking from an open cup or straw
  • Help you cook and clean up

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