Pre-feeding skills are capabilities that babies can practice in preparation for eating and drinking, such as tongue elevation, tongue lateralization, lip closure, and lip rounding. These skills demonstrate a baby's readiness to start solids and drink from a cup safely and successfully. Building these skills before the first bite helps ensure that food is swallowed properly and sets the foundation for a positive, confident mealtime experience.

Dentists recommend a brushing routine before baby has their first tooth (usually between 3-6 months). You can use a tongue depressor with your baby before their teeth emerge. By familiarizing yourself with your child’s developing oral cavity you can identify signs of illness or emerging teeth.

No! Having teeth is not a prerequisite for starting solids. When caregivers introduce solid foods around 6 months of age, most babies do not have teeth. Babies learn to eat through a process called munching, using their gumline, tongue, cheeks, and jaw to break down soft foods safely.

Pre-feeding tools like the ezpz Oral Development Tools help build tone and strength in the lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw - the same muscles used for speech. Skills like tongue elevation, lip closure, and tongue lateralization are foundational not only for safe eating and swallowing, but also for the motor movements needed for early speech development. Practicing these movements before solids begin gives babies a head start on both feeding and communication milestones.

Most families start solids around 6 months of age once their baby is showing all six signs of developmental readiness, including sitting with minimal support, reaching and grasping objects, and demonstrating head control. If you have concerns about your baby's readiness, your pediatrician can provide guidance or refer you to a speech-language pathologist who specializes in pediatric feeding.