Food Texture: New Sensations Discovered by Newborns

Taste is not the only pleasure provided by food. Apart taste, texture is also a source of sensory stimulation. The child chews and bites and welcomes the arrival of solid food which makes him change his perceptions.

For the child, the mouth is a real tool for exploring the universe. The relationship between the different stages of oral and neuropsychological maturation is evident. Food diversification, in addition to knowledge of new flavours, implies a change in the texture of food needed to the progressive acquisition of food self-sufficiency. Chewing is therefore a result of a long apprenticeship.

Feeding is a reflex

This function is the first oral motor function to organize in the foetus together with the sucking reflex which appears from the 10^th week of life in the uterus and swallowing starting on the 15^th week. During normal birth the neurological equipment necessary for the head is mature and the newborn will be able to suck for some time. Children who are born prematurely will be unable to breastfeed and should be fed through a tube place in the stomach. In normal birth the children should be fed liquid and homogeneous foods. As the digestive and neurological system develops, food may be gradually thickened with cereal.

At around 3 months, the anterior part of the tongue begins to be used for swallowing and the activity of pancreatic amylase allows digestion of large quantities of starch. The suckling reflex, up to 3 months, starts to fade and disappears at 6 months, when chewing becomes possible.

Learning to chew

At about 6 months, the mouth sees changes: appearance of the teeth, changing the ecology of bacterial recognition of objects placed in the mouth and on the food, flavour selection and phasing out of suction for spoon learning. While sucking during the first few weeks was predetermined automatically, chewing is a result of learning which requires the maturation of the central nervous system and various sensor motor structures.

Tasting

During the first six months of the first years of his life, the infant learns to use his tongue to move food into his mouth and recognize consistency. He discovers the amazing experience of the bite and the destruction of food in his mouth and gradually builds tasting buds. The period of diversification of the diet is a new attitude of the child vis-à-vis food, which is what some call the "paradox of omnivorous": the child is torn between his exploration trend and the fear of the unknown.

Discovering new textures

The introduction of solid foods during the second semester is a crucial step that requires a real strategy. The discovery of new textures must be done gradually: we first offer pasty consistency food to gradually reach the stage of semi-solid foods. To obtain the desired consistency, it is sufficient to decrease each week, then every day, the time of food mixing.

We must stimulate the child and repeat the following days in case of refusal testing when introducing varied textures. Food that disintegrates easily may be offered first followed by lumpy foods that require chewing. After offer biscuits and pasta and rice, mixed fruit and vegetables and finally crushed fish and meat.

Source:

http://www.parents.com/baby/care/newborn/newborns-eating-habits/