I feel stuck. My 15 month old only has 5 teeth. I like to prepare him healthy meals and I feel like I give him the same thing all the time. He can't chew food well because he doesn't have any teeth in the back. I choose soft foods and cut them up really small for him. For breakfast he normally has 1/2 banana and rice cereal; for lunch he usually has organic turkey breast, cheese, crackers, and sometimes a vegetable; for dinner he has Gerber chicken or turkey sticks with a veggie and more crackers. His snacks are usually yogurt or crackers or fruit. I tend to give him the same veggies and fruits over and over again because most are choking hazards if they are raw and he also seems to have sensitivities to foods. He can't have eggs, oats, or citrus because he gets diahrrea and a diaper rash. I'm afraid to try berries so I haven't done that yet. Do any of you have any ideas for making meals with a variety of foods that are safe for a kiddo with only a few teeth?
Thank you Moms for all your advice! I think I needed to hear that he will be able to chew his food with his gums too. I don't know why I was so worried about it. I am planning on getting that book Super Baby Food and trying some of the other ideas as well. You guys are great!
I would take my meals that we had for dinners and blend them in a food processor and add some water... Good luck!
You could try bananna squash. Peel it, cut into chunks and steam it, then cut some baked potatoes in half length wise and scoop out the potatoes so you have the skins left (the boats) then mash the squash and potatoes together with butter, milk, a little garlic or seasoned salt and put it back into the potato skins. We always call it bananna boats! Your son probablly won't be able to do the skins, but you and Dad can.
Would a food mill help? Then you could grind up whatever you are having that would fit his dietary needs and not worry about the lack of teeth. Does he eat what you serve him? I wouldn't worry about variety if he's eating it. I know it gets monotonous, but soon he'll be eating more and more different things.
My experience is that some toothless kids are pretty dangerous with just gums and jaws - those gums are just as good as teeth! So you should start incorporating more solid foods into his diet and see how he does. My kids were able to eat basically anything at this age (except nuts and lettuce.) I fed the kids steamed broccoli (just softer than I'd eat it); peas - just the frozen kind prepared in a microwave; sweet potato - just skin it, slice it and nuke it in water for 5 minutes; butternut squash - peel, slice into cubes, nuke it for 5 minutes; cheese sticks; beans and rice; sliced fruit like apple or pear; ... Mostly they ate the ingredients from our dinners. You should be able to start phasing in real table foods, respecting your son's allergies. Pizza can be sliced into small bits. Sandwiches can as well.
I have used a book called "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron for all 4 of my boys. My 11 month old is still on the "Super Baby Food" diet. Ruth gives a ton of recipes and meal ideas for your little one -- all super healthy (more than you can even begin to imagine!) and easy to prepare. I swear by it. If you don't want to buy it, I would check it out at the library. But once you read it, you'll want to hang on to it forever - so I suggest Amazon.com. They have the best price for it around. But in the meantime...here are a few ideas: Steamed veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, etc. all in bite size pieces and topped with butter. Yogurt (yo-baby is the best!) with a little ground flaxseed meal mixed in. Full fat cottage cheese with some canned peaches or pears. Avocados are a super food! Feed him all he wants of those! If he seems sensative to eggs, try just using the yolk -- it's usually the white part that gives little ones problems. I hard boil the egg and then mash the yolk into some brown rice cereal (not from a box) or just separate the yolk and scramble it with some butter for a little high protein finger food. Oh I can go on and on, but it would easier for you to just get the book! Good luck and happy mothering!!
I agree with the other advise that they can pretty much eat most foods with those gums. You may be surprised what he can eat. We fed our kids pretty much whatever we ate, just cut up in really small bites. Things like broccoli may have to be cooked a little more though. Just leave his pieces in the steamer a little longer. I do think variety is important so they don't become picky eaters though.
Baked sweet potatos and other squashes can be cut up instead of mashed so he can still pick it up with his fingers, steamed brocolli gets soft enough, tater tots (although probably not too healthy), protein shakes (I like the hormone-free whey protein from Sprouts), meatballs can be soft enough (my husband adds bread to his which he says makes them softer), and spaghetti cut up really small are a few ideas.
I had a thought about the teeth coming in slowly. Have you heard of homeopathy? There are several remedies that would point to teeth coming in slow. A homeopath would direct you better, but for example, if your son also had cradle cap (now or before) then the remedy Calc. Carb. would be indicated. A Classical Homeopath (CCH) is what you would need to find if you went this route. Other things like his digestion could also be improved with homeopathy. My guys have both benefited from it in many ways including sleep issues. When I see something like slow teeth, walking ,etc in my kids, I think of it as an indicator toward something. Homeopathy is a natural and gentle approach to healing. It helps the body heal itself. Send me a message if you want to talk more about it.
Good luck with the cooking ideas!
B.
____@____.com
dont limit his food because of the amount of teeth he has......gums are just as strong as teeth.....feed him everything you eat......if you have chicken cut it up a little smaller..... my kids were super late with their teeth too but by 10 months they pretty much ate everything we ate for dinner just a lot softer & cut up real small...by his age my kids were eating chicken nuggets, meatloaf was a favorite, cheesburgers, chicken enchiladas.....believe me he can chew EVERYTHING.....
I agree with the other moms about the surprising power of the gums, but here are some suggestions for softer ingredients:
- Couscous
- Quinoa (tasty grain, cooks similar to rice but with more nutrients)
- Lentils
- Chick peas/hummus
- Black beans (pinto, kidney, etc)
- Blueberries (less allergenic than strawberries and raspberries)
- Mango
- Tofu (unless he is sensitive to soy, of course)
- Avocado
I agree with the other ladies. I was worried about my child who only had 1 tooth. Then one day she stole a sausage link off my plate when my head was turned and chewed up the whole thing! After that I wasn't worried anymore. They can chew up pretty much anything with those gums fo thiers. Letting him eat harder foods might even help him with teething. Good luck!!
i have the exact same problem...(except mine has 4 now bcz he knocked out one of his front lol) wow that must be hard to not be able to give him eggs or citrus...
well here are some ideas
veggies-peas (he loves), cucumber, tomatoes (maybe too citrucy?), al the rest i steam, really loves squash..
fruit-blueberries and blackberries, apples (has a hard time with), papaya, melons, kiwi,
meat-lunch meats or course...he LOVES LOVES LOVES fish (usually grill in lemon juice, but u could just try w/o)...also loves boiled or grilled chicken (thigh is more tender and has more zinc than breast, don't worry about fat, they need it, just not greased up lol) oh also we sometimes try to give him tofu (silkin) blend up with spinach
grains-whole grain bread, WG pasta (again with v8 juice or tomatoes sauce idk if too acidic for yours??)
dairy-cheese, yogurt...
hope it helps...i know how frustrating feeding your child can be, making sure they get all their nutrition
Updated
i have the exact same problem...(except mine has 4 now bcz he knocked out one of his front lol) wow that must be hard to not be able to give him eggs or citrus...
well here are some ideas
veggies-peas (he loves), cucumber, tomatoes (maybe too citrucy?), al the rest i steam, really loves squash..
fruit-blueberries and blackberries, apples (has a hard time with), papaya, melons, kiwi,
meat-lunch meats or course...he LOVES LOVES LOVES fish (usually grill in lemon juice, but u could just try w/o)...also loves boiled or grilled chicken (thigh is more tender and has more zinc than breast, don't worry about fat, they need it, just not greased up lol) oh also we sometimes try to give him tofu (silkin) blend up with spinach
grains-whole grain bread, WG pasta (again with v8 juice or tomatoes sauce idk if too acidic for yours??)
dairy-cheese, yogurt...
hope it helps...i know how frustrating feeding your child can be, making sure they get all their nutrition
Updated
i have the exact same problem...(except mine has 4 now bcz he knocked out one of his front lol) wow that must be hard to not be able to give him eggs or citrus...
well here are some ideas
veggies-peas (he loves), cucumber, tomatoes (maybe too citrucy?), al the rest i steam, really loves squash..
fruit-blueberries and blackberries, apples (has a hard time with), papaya, melons, kiwi,
meat-lunch meats or course...he LOVES LOVES LOVES fish (usually grill in lemon juice, but u could just try w/o)...also loves boiled or grilled chicken (thigh is more tender and has more zinc than breast, don't worry about fat, they need it, just not greased up lol) oh also we sometimes try to give him tofu (silkin) blend up with spinach
grains-whole grain bread, WG pasta (again with v8 juice or tomatoes sauce idk if too acidic for yours??)
dairy-cheese, yogurt...
hope it helps...i know how frustrating feeding your child can be, making sure they get all their nutrition
