Introducing your baby to finger foods for the first time can be really scary. But what if there was an option for finger food that didn’t need chewing and dissolved in your baby’s mouth?

That’s where dissolvable solids come in.

What exactly are dissolvable solids?

Dissolvable solids are foods that ‘melt’ in babies’ mouths and require minimal chewing. Once they mix with saliva, they dissolve quickly, which allows your baby to have a more gradual transition to different textures and finger foods.

Examples of dissolvable solids:

Puffed rice
The classic breakfast cereal of Rice Bubbles or Rice Crispies can make an easy option for dissolvable solids. Choose options that have no or minimal added sugar.
Baby puffs
Found in the baby snack section, these are typically made with corn or rice and some very mild flavouring.
Rice rusks or teething wafers
Also found in the baby snack section these are a great shape for babies to hang on to and work on their hand-eye coordination.
Yoghurt melts
Another one in the baby snack section, these are little drops of yoghurt that melt in babies’ mouths. They have the benefit of offering calcium so are one of the more nutritious options when it comes to dissolvable solids, however, they do tend to contain added sugar.
You can also make your own using a recipe like this one I found: Homemade yoghurt melts

What are the benefits of dissolvable solids?

There’s a window of time between the ages of 6 to 9 months when babies are most receptive to new textures (Borowitz,2021). This is the optimal time to move from purees to lumpy foods and finger foods.

If babies are only given pureed foods in this window, they can have trouble accepting different textures later on and miss out on developing the skills needed to eat these foods.

But some babies can have a difficult time moving from purees to textured foods. Because dissolvable solids break down quickly in babies’ mouths once they are mixed with saliva, they allow a more gradual transition to different textures.

Babies can also practice their self-feeding skills and develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they pick up these foods and bring them to their mouth.

Dissolvable solids work well with both spoon-feeding and baby-led weaning.

When can dissolvable solids be introduced?

Babies can have dissolvable solids as soon as they’re ready for solids, from the age of around 6 months.

But it’s important to make sure your baby is showing signs of readiness for solids before any solid foods are given.

Tips for introducing dissolvable solids

Choose age-appropriate options
The types of dissolvable solids that babies will be able to pick up will depend on their age and stage of development.
Smaller foods such as rice puffs, baby puffs and yoghurt drops will require a pincer grip (between thumb and finger) which typically doesn’t develop until around 9-10 months. A larger baby puff or rice rusk can be gripped with the whole hand so will be easier for younger babies to manage.
Check that the food is safe
Place the food into your own mouth to make sure it dissolves easily before giving it to your baby. When dissolvable solids become stale, they may no longer melt as easily in your baby’s mouth and can become a choking hazard.
Allow your baby to play with the food
Touching, squishing, smearing and smushing is how babies learn about food and is a totally normal and developmentally appropriate part of their eating experience.
Just make sure you have a splash mat under their high chair so you don’t spend all your time cleaning up!
Show your baby what to do
Demonstrate to your baby how to pick the food up and put it in their mouth.
If they’re struggling to pick up the food themselves, hold it up to them and allow them to take it into their mouth if they want to. You can then offer more if they want it.

Disadvantages of dissolvable solids

While dissolvable solids can be a really useful tool in exposing your baby to textures in a safe and fun way, there are also some disadvantages to be aware of:

Limited opportunity for skill development
Dissolvable solids are a great way to start introducing your baby to new textures. But, it’s also so important that babies learn how to deal with foods that require chewing, and dissolvable solids unfortunately don’t help much with this.
So if you’re giving your baby dissolvable solids, start including other textures in their diet too.
Can be high in added sugar and salt
The types of foods that dissolve in the mouth can often be high in sodium (salt) and added sugar. Check the ingredients and nutrition information panel on the back of the packet and choose options that have minimal added sugar and sodium.
Products specifically designed for babies generally have lower levels of added sugar and sodium so these may be a better choice.
Often low in nutrients
Foods such as corn-based puffs and risk rusks can be handy for starting your baby on finger foods but are typically fairly low in nutrients (although some do have added vitamins and minerals).
This doesn’t mean they need to be avoided altogether though, just make sure that you’re also including plenty of nutrient-dense foods in your baby’s diet such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains and protein foods such as meat or meat alternatives, legumes, nuts and seeds. Iron-rich foods are particularly important.
You can also spread dissolvable solids such as rice rusks with toppings like avocado, yoghurt, hummus or mashed banana to make them more nutritious.

Other ways to safely introduce new textures

Mash foods with a fork rather than pureeing
Mashing rather than pureeing foods makes way for a few lumps and bumps so that your baby can start experiencing a wider variety of textures. Start with well-mashed foods with only very small lumps and gradually increase the size of the lumps by mashing foods less as your baby’s skills develop.
Introduce some safe finger foods
Offer finger-sized pieces of soft, ‘smushable’ foods such as avocado, banana and cooked sweet potato. Have a read of my ‘First finger foods for babies’ post for some ideas.
Babies can have age-appropriate finger foods from 6 months.
Try a mesh feeder
Offering food in a mesh feeder is another option for safely starting your baby on finger foods. You simply place foods us as chunks of fruit or soft vegetables into the feeder, pop the lid/handle on and let your baby go for it!

If you need support introducing solids to your little one, grab a copy of my Step-by-Step Starting Solids Guide or book a one-on-one consultation

References

The Royal Children’s Hospital, Eating and Mealtimes: A guide to early eating experiences, 2020

Dissolvable Solids For Babies