Tacos are an easy dinner that can be enjoyed by the whole family! We’ve put together some visuals for how to serve tacos to kids 6+ months to help them developmentally get to the stage where they can eat crunchy tacos! (Hard taco shells are technically a choking hazard for kids under 4!) These are simply ideas – if you’ve taken our online courses, you know that we encourage meeting your child at their current stage and challenging them to get to the next level safely.

 

In these images, you’ll notice that foods start soft and in larger pieces for new eaters to hold well and then actually get smaller as they develop more sophisticated grasps and techniques.

 

 

 

 

6+ months: Babies can have cheese – it’s just that if you’re serving shredded cheese with your own taco, it may be hard for them to pick it up!

10-12+ months: A 10-12 month old baby is just starting to learn how to bite and pull with front teeth (as these teeth come in), so it can be helpful to make serrated lines with a fork on a soft tortilla to give their mouths a place to bite.

15-18+ months: As they get a little older (on average 15-18+ months), toddlers can try eating very small tacos (basically mini burritos) to practice this bite and pull skill. Their little mouths probably aren’t ready for a full-sized soft taco, but it’s great to start getting them used to these types of foods so they can eventually eat sandwiches, pizza, etc. Note that the lettuce and bell pepper servings are small – around this age many toddlers become more particular, so it helps to keep less preferred foods in tiny portions so as to not overwhelm them. They can start to try crunchy lettuce at this time.

4+ years: As your child gets older (4+), it’s time to try a crunchy taco! Let them build it themselves from a topping bar – they’re more likely to try different foods if they serve it to themselves.

A few notes:

  • The ways beans and avocado/guacamole are served here are arbitrary – either black beans or refried beans can be served to children 6+ months (same with guac or avocado), it’s just hard for young eaters to pick up black beans.
  • Your child may not be ready for these foods at these ages, or maybe they’re ahead of the game!

6+ months: Babies can have cheese – it’s just that if you’re serving shredded cheese with your own taco, it may be hard for them to pick it up!

10-12+ months: A 10-12 month old baby is just starting to learn how to bite and pull with front teeth (as these teeth come in), so it can be helpful to make serrated lines with a fork on a soft tortilla to give their mouths a place to bite.

15-18+ months: As they get a little older (on average 15-18+ months), toddlers can try eating very small tacos (basically mini burritos) to practice this bite and pull skill. Their little mouths probably aren’t ready for a full-sized soft taco, but it’s great to start getting them used to these types of foods so they can eventually eat sandwiches, pizza, etc. Note that the lettuce and bell pepper servings are small – around this age many toddlers become more particular, so it helps to keep less preferred foods in tiny portions so as to not overwhelm them. They can start to try crunchy lettuce at this time.

4+ years: As your child gets older (4+), it’s time to try a crunchy taco! Let them build it themselves from a topping bar – they’re more likely to try different foods if they serve it to themselves.

A few notes: 

  • The ways beans and avocado/guacamole are served here are arbitrary – either black beans or refried beans can be served to children 6+ months (same with guac or avocado), it’s just hard for young eaters to pick up black beans.
  • Your child may not be ready for these foods at these ages, or maybe they’re ahead of the game!

 


 

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