How Babies Learn to Chew
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To learn to chew real food, babies need practice and exposure to lots of different textures. Our licensed pediatric pros explain what you can do to help baby build chewing skills as soon as they are ready to start solids.
Cooper, 11 months old, watches as his mother models chewing in an exaggerated way.
Key Takeaways
It is safe for babies to practice chewing. Between 6 and 8 months of age, baby has anatomy and reflexes designed to protect the body from choking.
Babies do not need teeth to chew. The gums are powerful, and they are capable of mashing most foods that need to be chewed.
Chewing starts with reflexes. Babies are born with chewing reflexes that naturally cause the tongue to stick out, then move side to side, and the jaw to move up and down.
Start practicing early because chewing reflexes fade with time. Between 6 and 8 months of age, these reflexes are very strong. Over time, some disappear or weaken.
Introduce foods that activate the chewing reflexes. Food teethers and foods with texture are easier to practice chewing, while other foods require almost no chewing.
To learn to chew, babies develop a mental map of the mouth. Babies need to train their brain to know how food feels in the mouth and when it is ready to swallow without seeing it. They develop this map over time through lots of practice with different textures.
Learning to chew takes time. Expect baby to fumble along the way. Just as babies need months of practice before they can walk, babies learn to chew food gradually over time, and they need to be allowed to try and try again.
It is safe for baby to practice chewing.
Between 6 and 8 months of age, baby has anatomy and reflexes designed to protect the body from choking.
Anatomy. A baby’s face and neck are small, and the mouth and throat are tightly packed together, with fewer open spaces and pockets in the mouth and throat than a toddler. This clear, well-defined pathway from mouth to stomach makes food easier to manage and swallowing quicker and safer.
Reflexes. A baby’s tongue has a very powerful ability to push things out of the mouth. This movement (the tongue thrust reflex) keeps food far away from the breathing tube. The gag reflex also protects baby: the body instinctively gags when the tongue loses control of food or when food moves toward the back of the throat without being chewed.
Swallowing. Our bodies are designed to reflexively move food into the food tube when it enters the throat. The swallowing reflex closes off the breathing tube, preventing it from being blocked by food. It also enables baby to swallow food that is not fully chewed, which may cause discomfort but the food tube is capable of managing.
Like wearing a life jacket when learning to swim, these reflexes are designed for protection while baby learns to chew, and they are strongest and most effective during the 6- to 8-month window of life. With time, these reflexes begin to change, and in some cases, disappear. This is why we encourage you to begin offering a variety of foods as soon as baby is ready to start solids around 6 months of age. This time is ideal for learning how to chew safe food shapes and sizes—and safely making mistakes.
Gus, 6 months old, explores a mango pit, a fantastic food teether for stimulating biting and tongue reflexes.
Chewing starts with reflexes.
Around the time you see all the signs baby is ready to start solids, you also see the chewing reflexes in action. These reflexes naturally cause the tongue to stick out, then move side to side, and the jaw to move up and down. After months of sucking breast milk and formula for nourishment, these reflexes are the brain’s way of saying, “It’s time to practice chewing food.”
Babies need to learn how to chew, and they use these reflexes to practice the movements over and over again. For example, take a bite of food, and notice how your tongue immediately moves. The tongue pushes food to the side of the mouth where it can be broken down with teeth. This coordinated movement is the tongue lateralization and phasic bite reflexes working together to make food safe to swallow. You were born with these reflexes, and by practicing them over and over again, your body innately knows what to do, even though the reflexes have faded with time.
While babies do not need teeth to chew (gums work at this stage), it takes months of repetitive practice using the chewing reflexes before a baby can chew and swallow enough solid foods to fill the belly.
Riley, 8 months old, munches on asparagus, which stimulates her chewing reflexes.
Start early because reflexes fade with time.
Between 6 and 8 months of age, reflexes that help baby learn to chew and protect the body from choking are stronger than they will ever be. Over time, some reflexes disappear or weaken as baby grows. For example: the phasic bite reflex, which makes baby's jaw automatically move up and down for chewing, typically disappears by the time baby is one year old.
This makes the 6- to 8-month window an ideal time for introducing a variety of textures that need to be chewed. The more the chewing reflexes are activated, the easier it is to build chewing skills. Learning to chew takes lots of practice: baby needs regular opportunities to use these reflexes to try to manage food in the mouth before they fade and ideally, practice begins when these reflexes are strongest.
Does this mean a 12-month-old baby cannot learn to chew if they have been exploring purees and mashes up until now? Thankfully, chewing skills can be learned at any age. However, it is easier for babies to learn to chew between 6 and 8 months of age due to their reflexes.
Skyler, 9 months old, eats quartered grapes.
Introduce foods that activate chewing reflexes.
Babies build chewing skills by exploring food that needs to be chewed. Some textures are easier for babies to practice chewing, while others require almost no chewing.
For example, a baby’s chewing reflexes are not activated as easily by pureed and mashed food, such as hummus, mashed vegetables, and yogurt. These foods can mostly be sucked to swallow just like breast milk or formula. Sucking food—a movement baby knows so well from months of practice—must be replaced by chewing food, which requires learning how to coordinate the jaw and tongue to move food around in the mouth.
Some families feel more comfortable starting solids with purees and mashes, and that is perfectly okay. Letting baby practice eating this texture from a spoon, a food teether, or their fingers does a better job of activating their chewing reflexes than being fed by another person.
It is also important to introduce a variety of foods that need to be chewed, and low-risk foods like food teethers are one way to get started. These foods hold their shape while firmly touching the tongue and insides of the mouth, which activates the chewing reflexes. This touch and movement communicates important information to the brain about how food works in the mouth—without the pressure of needing to swallow it.
Elena, 6 months old, uses frozen celery as a food teether.
To learn to chew, babies develop a mental map of the mouth.
Eating real food requires feeling food in the mouth and knowing when it is ready to swallow without seeing it. As adults, most of us can identify and spit out a tiny piece of bone or eggshell from a bite of food. Because this happens inside the mouth, our brains visualize what’s going on and take action based on our awareness of how the mouth works. This awareness is the “mental map” of the mouth.
Babies are not born with a mental map of their mouth; they develop it over time through lots of practice with different textures, and babies gag when they are still learning how food moves or where it is in the mouth. This is why food teethers are a great way to get started. They activate the chewing reflexes while “drawing” a mental map of their mouth in a low-risk way because they do not break apart as baby munches. Instead, food teethers hold their shape while firmly touching the tongue and insides of the mouth. This touch communicates important information to the brain about the space in the mouth and how baby’s jaw and tongue can move to better manage food.
Baby does not need teeth to chew.
Believe it or not, babies do not need teeth to chew. The gums are powerful, and they are capable of mashing most foods. In fact, teeth used for chewing (the molars) typically emerge well after the first birthday. The first teeth to typically emerge (the front teeth) may help baby take a bite from a large piece of food, but their gums are used to mash it.
Some families wonder, “But what if baby has a lot of teeth?” While it may feel scary to observe a baby with lots of teeth explore real food, there is no increased risk of choking on food that is prepared for the child’s age and developmental ability. Babies with teeth may be more successful in biting off pieces of finger food, but the child has reflexes to protect against choking, and taking a bite cues their brain to work on chewing the food.
Regardless of how many teeth a baby has or does not have, we recommend introducing foods that need to be chewed as soon as baby is ready to start solids around 6 months of age. Learn about safe food shapes and sizes and what to do when baby takes a big bite.
Learning to chew takes time.
Be patient. Chewing is a skill that takes lots of practice to learn. In addition to exercising the physical movements, learning to chew requires building awareness of how the different parts of the mouth work together to eat. This “mental map of the mouth” develops as baby explores different textures and practices moving the jaw and tongue in a coordinated way to push food around. Regular opportunities to explore a variety of food eventually leads to baby swallowing each bite.
Expect baby to fumble along the way. Just as babies need months of practice before they can walk, babies learn to chew food gradually over time, and they need to be allowed to try and try again when they make mistakes. For example, it is normal for babies to take a big bite of food that is hard to manage in the mouth. They will spit out food and then put that same food back in their mouth. They will even try to swallow food before thoroughly chewing it.
All of these scenarios are normal and expected, and while they can feel scary to observe, rest assured, they are part of the learning process.
Blythe, 6 months old, bites into ripe pear, and because she doesn’t have the skills to move it backwards to swallow yet, spits out the bite.
Tips for Teaching Baby to Chew
Only introduce solid foods when you see all signs baby is ready.
Create a safe eating environment with supervision and minimal distractions.
Start with a food teether to let baby practice chewing in a low-risk way.
Offer stick-shaped foods that are soft enough for baby to mash with gums and firm enough for baby to grab and munch without falling apart. Download the Solid Start App to use the First Foods® database to learn how to prepare any food by age.
Once you see signs baby is developing the pincer grasp (when the tips of the thumb and pointer finger are able to pick up objects), try moving down in size and offer bite-sized pieces of food. Learn more about safe food shapes and sizes by age.
Model how it’s done: eat food alongside baby so they learn by watching you.
Be patient. Baby needs lots of time and practice, and it is normal to make mistakes. Trust that baby will learn how to chew when you let them try and try again.
What to do when baby is not chewing food?
Baby likely needs more practice and guidance from you. Follow these steps:
Pause spoon feeding. When babies eat from a spoon, they suck to swallow food. If you are offering both purees and foods that need to be chewed, hold off on spoonfeeding for a week or two while you try the next step.
Offer food teethers. Foods that hold their shape as baby munches help teach how to move the tongue from side to side. If baby sucks on the food teether, gently show baby how to roll the food teether from one side of the mouth to the other. This helps baby build awareness of where foods need to go in the mouth.
Continue with stick-shaped foods. After some practice with food teethers, try offering another stick-shaped food with a different texture, such as a steamed vegetable floret/spear or large strip of melon or well-toasted bread. Prepare some for you to eat alongside baby.
Choose foods that “wake up” the mouth. Soft, bland foods are more likely to be sucked or mashed with the tongue rather than fully chewed. Go for foods with flavors or distinctive textures, such as roasted or grilled vegetable florets/spears instead of steamed.
Model how it’s done. Make sure baby’s attention is on you, then show how to take a bite. Open your mouth wide, bring the food to the side of your mouth, and take a bite with your molars. Move slowly the entire time so baby can watch your movements.
Let baby try. Pass a piece of food to baby, and see if they try to mimic you. If not, it’s okay. Keep modeling and after a few bites, let baby try again. Remember: learning to chew is a long process, and you may need to practice modeling over several meals before baby starts to follow your lead. Trust that baby is capable, and keep going.
What to do when baby swallows food without chewing?
Stay calm. It is normal for a baby to look a little panicked when swallowing food without chewing, especially when the piece of food is large. Swallowing large pieces of food is not ideal, but it is not an emergency. As long as baby can breathe, baby is not choking. The fact that baby has swallowed food likely means it is on its way to the stomach and not blocking the breathing tube. Occasionally, a large piece of food may be difficult to pass, which causes baby to vomit. This is a normal response, and it is the body’s way of protecting baby and teaching them that food needs to be chewed next time.
If baby is consistently trying to swallow food without chewing, follow our tips for teaching baby to chew to help baby move beyond this phase.
Why is baby chewing and spitting out food?
This is normal. Baby is learning how food works in the mouth, and sometimes a baby needs visual feedback. This is what’s happening when babies spit food. Check out our article, Baby Spitting Food Out? for strategies on how to navigate this phase.
What to do if baby is stuffing food in the mouth?
There are different reasons behind this completely normal behavior. Sometimes baby is learning what “too much” feels like, while other times they are playing and tasting. Check out our article, When Baby Stuffs Food in the Mouth for how to respond in different scenarios.
What if baby bites off small pieces from a large piece of food?
This is expected and normal. Trust that baby will be able to manage this. Baby will most likely spit out the food, chew the food and swallow, or try to swallow prematurely, which will activate the protective gag reflex. When baby tries to swallow food that is not ready to be swallowed, the gag reflex pushes the food forward so baby can try again, hold the food in their mouth, spit it out, or even swallow it whole. This last scenario is not inherently unsafe; the food tube can handle even big pieces of food, and experiencing this feeling is part of the learning process. Check out our article, What to Do When Baby Takes a Big Bite, for more information.
When to Seek Help
Speak with your pediatrician and ask for a referral to a feeding and swallowing specialist if:
Baby keeps sucking on or swallowing whole pieces of food after 2 to 3 months of practice.
Baby is consistently upset while learning to chew (regular gagging, tantrums, vomiting).
Baby refuses to put food into their mouth after 2 to 3 months of solid food meals.
Written By
J. Longbottom, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, Pediatric Feeding/Swallowing Specialist
K. Grenawitzke, OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT, Pediatric Feeding/Swallowing Specialist
K. Rappaport, OTR/L, MS, SCFES, IBCLC, Pediatric Feeding/Swallowing Specialist
M. Suarez, MS, OTR/L, SWC, CLEC, Pediatric Feeding/Swallowing Specialist
R. Ruiz, MD, FAAP, CLC. Pediatric Gastroenterologist
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