Moving a Diet From Liquids to Solids

Level One

Level one includes strained foods of a thin puree consistency. Some examples are: stage 1 commercial baby foods such as: apples, pears, bananas, peaches, peas, or green beans.

Level Two - Slightly thicker purees than Level One

Similar foods as above but thicker; these could include baby rice cereal, pudding, applesauce, yogurt, and the above listed examples but in a commercial baby food stage 2 package. 

Soft Mashed Table Foods – These foods can turn into a puree consistency with up and downward tongue movement or mashing. Blended or fork mashed table foods examples are: avocado, bananas, cooked vegetables, and potatoes.

Dissolvable Solids - Children will also be introduced to dissolvable solids, which they necessarily don’t need to chew. These are crunchy foods that will dissolve in a child’s mouth making them easy to swallow. Some examples include: commercial ‘puffs’, yogurt melts, and puff corn. 

Crunchy Solids - These may be in therapy only to practice chewing. Once a child improves their chewing, other crunchy solids can be introduced such as veggie sticks, Cheetos® puffs, pretzels, cheese crackers, etc. 

Level Three - Purees with Texture

Stage three has thicker purees with increased texture. Commercial baby foods labeled stage 3 can be foods such as: broccoli and cheese, chicken and rice dinner, and different vegetables and fruits. Stage 3 also includes pureed or mashed table foods.

Mechanical soft foods - These foods break apart very easily in the mouth. Some examples include: macaroni and cheese, french fries, eggs, chicken nuggets, bread, and cheese. 

Hard Mechanicals - These foods require adequate strength for chewing and oral control. Hard mechanicals require the most advanced skills. Examples include: raw fruits and veggies, meats, crunchy granola bars, and many foods a typical adult may have at dinner.