[KimOH]

I think a lot will depend on what your child is eating. Our DS was 12 months old and it was obvious that he'd never had anything solid before. He didn't know what to do. He ended up eating smooth baby food (no chunks) and rice cereal, runny oatmeal, etc. He quickly learned to chew on small things like cheerios, mashed potatoes, bananas, etc.

DD was a little bit older (16 months), but she was also used to pureed food. However, she took to solids immediately and then didn't want anything pureed at all. We made baby food into a thick paste by adding rice cereal. She ate tiny bits of bread, cheese, banana, cooked vegetables, etc. She even liked the beet salad we bought at the grocery store. She also liked "baby cottage cheese" that you can buy in little cups (like yogurt) in the grocery stores.