Hard Munchables: Advance Your Baby’s Feeding Skills With Real Food Teethers

Hard munchables, or real food teethers, are resistive and unbreakable sticks of real food that can significantly increase your baby’s oral motor skills to get them ready for chewable solid foods. Hard munchables come with many benefits that help teach your baby the skills needed to advance to foods that require chewing and move beyond purees. Keep reading to learn the benefits of and how to use hard munchables, and scroll to the end see my ultimate list of hard munchables.

For more information about introducing solid foods from purees to chewable solids, check out Part 1 and Part 2 to introducing solids.

What are Hard Munchables?

While hard munchables are a food, they are meant for mouth exploration only, and your child should not be able to break off a piece. A caregiver should be directly supervising their child the entire time they have a hard munchable, as it can be a choking hazard, as it is still always possible that a piece of the food could break off.

A hard munchable is a firm stick shaped food that should be long enough for your baby to hold onto and place in their mouth at the same time (i.e. the whole piece should be too long to fit entirely into your baby’s mouth), typically at least 6 inches long. It should be thick and firm enough that they are not able to break off a piece. While some hard munchables are wider (e.g. mango pit), it is helpful to also offer thinner options that your baby can maneuver around their mouth (e.g. celery stick), though it should not be thin enough to easily snap off. Great examples include long peeled carrot sticks (not baby carrots), celery sticks, jicama sticks, bell pepper strips (from a large pepper), and pineapple cores. Keep reading for the ultimate list of hard munchables!

Raw celery sticks are a great hard munchable option that promotes oral motor feeding skills including munching and tongue lateralization.

When should I introduce hard munchables to my baby?

You can offer real food teethers as early as 6 months of age when you first introduce purees, as long as your baby is showing readiness signs including sitting with minimal support, good head and neck control, bringing toys to their mouth, and showing an interest in foods. Some babies may even be ready for hard munchables around 5 months if your baby is showing an interest in food, but they’re not yet showing all readiness signs to start solids. It is actually helpful to offer hard munchables when they don’t have any teeth yet, as there will be a reduced risk of them using their teeth to break or scrape off any small pieces. Introducing hard munchables will actually help advance your baby’s oral motor skills to help get them ready for solids.

Check out my blog here to learn what teethers to introduce between 3-6 months of age to help get your baby ready for solids!

As mentioned above, it’s important to introduce foods that require some chewing before 10 months of age, so it’s a good idea to introduce hard munchables before that time to help get your baby ready to control soft solids in their mouth, and help you feel more confident about their abilities to control solid foods.

There are a select few hard munchables I would recommend using if your baby already has their molars, to reduce the risk of them breaking off larger pieces, which I mention in the list below.

What oral motor skills are required to eat chewable solid foods?

When babies eat puree, it requires limited oral preparation, and babies can more or less push or suck the food straight back to be swallowed. If this same oral motor plan is used with a food that requires chewing, baby is very likely to gag, and possibly choke (this does not mean that babies will automatically use this motor plan, but it is possible; this is also why we do not “hide” soft solids in puree, as this most likely will cause gagging).

For chewable solids, it requires skills including:

Coordination of tongue and tongue tip lateralization:

This allows us to move solid food to the side to be chewed in our molars (or in baby’s case, gums), rather than mashing it with the tongue to the roof of the mouth, or swallowing it whole.

Jaw strength and development of chewing:

Babies start with munching (up and down jaw movements) that will develop into a mature rotary chew (a more circular motion of the jaw) in order to effectively tear and chew foods.

Accurate sensory awareness inside of the mouth:

This is extremely important for babies to be able to track food within their mouth to guide it appropriately, to be able to determine if it’s been chewed enough and is ready to swallow, as well as to know if they have too much food in their mouth.

Hard munchables, or real food teethers, can help teach your baby:

Control of their tongue lateralization:

The tongue lateralization reflex causes the tongue to move towards whatever touches the side of the tongue. This reflex helps babies learn to move their food over into their molar area to chew before this reflex integrates and disappears by 9 months of age. As the hard munchable touches the side of their tongue, their tongue pushes back against it, and they learn to manipulate the food in their mouth with their tongue. Since this reflex disappears around 9 months of age, it is very helpful if baby has learned how to move their tongue to the side volitionally, without the use of the reflex, before it disappears.

Munching and chewing skills:

The bite reflex causes babies to bite up and down when pressure is applied to their back gums. This helps baby learn to chew, and is integrated around 9-12 months of age. Hard munchables apply pressure to the back gums, stimulating this reflex. Since the food is hard and resistive, it helps build strength in their jaw required to chew foods, in a low risk way, as the texture of hard munchables, or real food teethers, should still be too difficult for baby to break off since they don’t yet have many (if any) teeth. Since this reflex disappears around 9-12 months, it is very helpful if baby has learned the motor plan for chewing volitionally before this reflex disappears.

Oral sensory awareness:

When your baby places hard munchables, or real food teethers, in their mouth, they are provided with a plethora of sensory information. They received sensory input into their gums, tongue, cheeks, and roof of their mouth to help them learn the boundaries of their mouth. A separate, though related skill to being able to physically move the food efficiently in their mouths, babies also need to know how to feel and track solid foods within their mouth. This skill is necessary to know where to push the food, as well as to know when the food is chewed enough in order to swallow. Additionally, real food teethers expose your baby to new food textures in their mouth which will help them be more receptive to the textures of foods other than smooth puree. Research has shown there is a critical window of time between 6-9 months of age when children are most receptive to textured foods, and should be offered some chewable foods during this window of time if developmentally appropriate for your child.

By introducing hard munchables, your baby can more quickly learn skills needed for soft solids to help you feel more confident in their chewing skills in order to transition off of smooth purees.

Hard breadsticks or pizza crust are another good hard munchable option, just watch out for when they become soggy and mushy as pieces that are too difficult for baby to manage may break off.

What are the other benefits of using hard munchables?

In addition to helping to teach your baby the skills required to eat soft solid foods, and eventually all table foods, hard munchables, or real food teethers have a number of additional benefits:

Moves the gag reflex further back in their mouth:

The gag reflex is a normal reflex in both babies and adults. As a 6 month old, the gag reflex is near the front of the tongue, and as your baby is exposed to new foods and textures, the gag reflex will be desensitized and move further back in the mouth. When the gag reflex is still near the front of the mouth, it is easier to trigger. It is normal for babies to gag when they are first learning to eat, and will possibly gag when the hard munchable texture is first introduced. Hard munchables, or real food teethers, help move the gag reflex back by providing frequent repetitive sensory input to the tongue, which desensitizes it. Together with the tongue thrust, the gag reflex helps protect your baby’s airway to push food out of their mouth that is not chewed well, or is too big to swallow. Hard munchables help move the gag reflex back so that babies can place soft solid foods in their mouth without gagging right away in order to prepare and chew the foods, though the reflex stays intact further back in the mouth as a continual protective measure.

Learn more here about the difference between choking and gagging. It is important to remain calm while a baby is gagging so they do not become scared of solid foods. It is also a good idea to be prepared if your baby is choking, by taking an infant CPR course.

Can be picked up independently to promote self-feeding:

While young babies do not yet have the fine motor skills to pick up small pieces of soft solid foods, they are likely able to hold a stick shaped food and place it in their mouth (as this is similar to bringing toys to their mouth, a readiness sign for solid foods). Many babies are very motivated by being able to participate in self-feeding, which may lead to even more practice with this texture. The hard munchable should be long enough for your baby to hold onto and place in their mouth without being able to stuff the whole piece into their mouth (at least 6 inches), which further promotes their ability to self-”feed” this texture.

While they should not be getting much, if any, volume of food from a hard munchable, it’s a great idea to provide a puree for your baby to dip the hard munchable into. This way, they are able to take in some volume, as well as further promote their self-feeding skills.

*As a reminder, baby should always have direct adult supervision when eating, especially with hard munchables.

Introduces baby to new food textures early in a low-risk way:

It is important to start introducing textured foods as soon as your baby is tolerating smooth purees. This is because research has shown there is a critical window of time between 6-9 months of age when children are most receptive to textured foods, reflexes are being integrated (as we discussed earlier), and babies should be introduced to foods that require some chewing during this window of time (e.g. lumpy mashed foods, meltable solids, soft cubes). According to research, being introduced to foods with texture that require chewing during this critical window results in a greater likelihood of accepting a larger variety of foods as a toddler, and, children that are not introduced to foods that require some chewing until 10 months of age or later are at an increased risk for developing feeding difficulties, such as poor chewing skills and picky eating. Hard munchables introduce your baby to a texture that helps rapidly teach them the skills needed to get ready for chewable textures like soft solids and meltable solids.

Feels good on their gums:

Your baby may be motivated to munch on hard munchables due to teething, and a cold stick shaped food may feel nice on their gums, making hard munchables real food teethers!

Raw carrot sticks are another great hard munchable that encourage munching and tongue lateralization.

How should I first introduce real food teethers?

Appropriate and Supportive Seating

As with all eating it’s important to have a safe feeding environment, which includes having your baby sitting in a 90-90-90 seating position. This means baby’s hips, knees, and feet/ankles are all at 90 degree angles, with their feet supported against something (like a foot rest, or yoga blocks). This position helps support your baby’s breathing (our body’s #1 priority), provides stabilization to the core, and allows for better hand-to-mouth coordination and chewing. We also want the table or tray to be between their belly button and breast bone. This allows them to easily reach the food in front of them. My favorite high chairs are ones that have adjustable foot support, and can grow with your baby into childhood.

If you choose to offer hard munchables when baby is showing an interest in food, but is still requiring more support to sit upright, make sure to add extra support to baby’s chair such as rolled towels, or use a slightly reclined seating position so baby is fully supported.

Hard munchables with puree

Offer the hard munchable alongside a familiar puree, such as hummus, mashed potatoes, mashed avocado, yogurt, apple sauce, or stage 1 or 2 puree. Dip the hard munchable in a favorite puree to help encourage your baby to place it in their mouths. It is important to model munching on one, as well. Place the hard munchable in your mouth to the side into your back molars and show them how to munch up and down on it, pretending to chew it. If your baby does not pick it up and place it in their own mouth, hold it out and offer it to their mouth. Use it almost like a spoon to offer their puree on it if needed. Give verbal praise once it’s in their mouth and encourage them to munch by moving it to the side for them, rather than keeping it in the middle of their mouth. We want baby to munch on it on the side of their mouth, rather than suck on it, too. Encourage them to hold it on their own, too. If your baby is not yet interested in it, don’t force it. Continue to offer it, model how to munch on it, and serve it alongside new, preferred, and non-preferred purees. It’s also beneficial to introduce your baby to a variety of different real food teethers. See below for some more examples of hard munchables!

Can I just use regular teethers?

While regular teethers are also great for teaching skills like tongue lateralization, munching, and tolerating new textures in their mouths, we know from research that motor skills are best learned in context. This means that to learn to chew food, we need to chew food. Teethers, for example, do not change in shape or texture when it is chewed like real food does. Hard munchables provide a relatively low-risk way to introduce baby to chewing real food, as the stick is not long enough to be stuffed into their mouths all at once and can easily be pulled out, and should be firm and thick enough that large pieces do not come off easily, although direct adult supervision is still highly advised.

Check out my blog here to learn what teethers to introduce between 3-6 months of age to help get your baby ready for solids!

A corn cob with corn still on it can be used with babies with no or few teeth to munch on and introduce a new texture to their mouth (do not serve loose kernels of corn until 12-18+ months of age when your child has more advanced chewing skills to reduce the risk of choking).

Examples of hard munchables, or real food teethers:

It should be noted that it’s variable between these foods how much they change across the course of your baby munching and teething on them. If your baby has any teeth, they may use their front teeth to scrape off little pieces so you should take notice of how your baby manages these small pieces, and encourage them to place the food to the side in their back gums. Some may become mushy or start to become less firm, and should be taken away at that time and can be replaced with a new piece if your baby is still eating and interested.

*Remember sticks should be long enough for your baby to hold onto and place in their mouth at the same time, about 6 inches at least. The whole piece should not be able to fit in your baby’s mouth.

-Long peeled raw carrot stick - Not baby carrots, babies may try to shave off small pieces if they have front teeth

-Raw celery stick - Because of the fibers, it stays together a little bit better if a piece is starting to break off

-Raw jicama stick - Babies may try to shave off small pieces if they have front teeth

-Raw asparagus spear - Use a thicker spear, and offer this one earlier when your baby has no or few teeth as it is less firm

-Raw broccoli stem - This one stays pretty firm, but shouldn’t be used if your child has molars, and make sure to break off any loose pieces before offering to baby

-Raw bell pepper strip - Use a large pepper so the strip is long enough, offer this one earlier when your baby has no teeth as it is less firm, though the skin can help keep the strip together if it is starting to break

-Raw green bean -Offer this one earlier when your baby has no or few teeth as it is less firm

-Cucumber spear - Offer this one earlier when your baby has no or few teeth as it is less firm, this one will likely start to get smashed pretty quickly depending on your baby’s jaw strength

-Hardened pizza crust - When this one becomes soggy small pieces may break off so watch out for how your child manages this and plan to remove it before big pieces can break off

-Frozen bagel - This one will become softer as it thaws, so remove it before it becomes too soft

-Frozen melon spears - Watch for the texture as this one thaws, so remove it before it becomes too soft

-Pineapple core - This one is pretty firm and sturdy, even if your child has a few molars

-Watermelon rind - The white and green part of the watermelon can be used for munching

-Cantaloupe rind - The rind of the cantaloupe can be used for munching, just make sure it has been washed well, and watch out for how your baby manages any small pieces of the residual melon flesh that break off

-Corn on the cob - For babies with no teeth you can leave the corn on, while for babies with several teeth you can give them an empty corn cob with the corn cut or eaten off

-Mango pit - This one is pretty firm and sturdy, even if your child has a few molars

-Hard dried mango strips - Dried mango strips right out of the package may be too soft and you might need to leave the package open to let them harden, be aware these may have a lot of sugar so use them sparingly

-Spare rib bone/chicken drumstick bone - Test out the bones to make sure the bone doesn’t bend, splinter, or crumble, and check to make sure there are no smaller bone or cartilage fragments that can break off, also take note that seasonings/sauces do not have salt, sugar, or honey

For more information about introducing solid foods, check out Part 1 and Part 2 to introducing solids.

If by 9-10 months of age your baby is having difficulty transitioning to soft solid foods, speak to your pediatrician and ask for a referral to a feeding therapist (feeding therapists have the title of speech-language pathologist (for oral motor and/or sensory issues) or sometimes occupational therapist (for sensory or self-feeding difficulties)). Some babies may benefit from an evaluation even sooner if you’re seeing frequent gagging, vomiting, and/or coughing, limited chewing, or rejection of purees and/or solid foods.

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This website and information on this blog post is provided for educational purposes only. It is not meant as medical advice, intended to replace a speech-language or feeding assessment, therapy from a speech-language pathologist, or serve as medical or nutritional care for a child. It is recommended that you discuss any concerns or questions you might have with your Speech-Language Pathologist, pediatrician, and medical team, and develop an individualized team plan specifically for your child.