How should food be served to ensure infants can eat safely?

Serving food to infants requires careful consideration of their developmental stage and ability to chew and swallow safely. The correct answer highlights the importance of cutting food into small pieces, which allows infants to manage the size of the food better as they learn to eat.

When food is cut into small, manageable pieces, it reduces the risk of choking and enables infants to practice their chewing and swallowing skills in a safe manner. This approach aligns with developmental milestones, as infants start developing their ability to pick up and consume solid foods usually around the age of 6-12 months.

Although purees are appropriate for younger infants, as they begin transitioning to more solid foods, providing them in small pieces is essential for encouraging self-feeding and promoting independence. Whole items, while potentially safe with supervision, carry a much higher risk of choking, especially as infants do not have the same chewing ability as older children and adults. Mixing food with yogurt can enhance texture and taste but does not specifically address the safety of food size and shape for infants learning to eat solids. Thus, cutting food into small pieces is the safest and most suitable method for serving food to infants.