Seeking Advice on What to Expect Now That My Baby Has Some Choppers

C.,
Stay far, far away from biter biscuts, they ARE a choking hazard. I had to do the baby heimlich on my son a few years ago. If you really want to give things like that use a mesh feeder.

I agree with the other moms, start out with the gerber fruit puffs and then move on to cheerios (or something like cheerios). The front teeth that she has won't really be used for chewing, its all in the back. My 11 month old has only his front teeth and chews everything in the back.

Have fun. This is a fun age!
B.

The biter biscuits are very messy and break off in pieces so you have to be extra vigilant. I would recommend the Gerber puffs or wheat puffs (in a bag in the cereal isle). They dissolve in the mouth and you can later see when their mouth is ready for other textures and sizes. My son loved the wheat puffs.

Hi C.!

All babies are ready at different times, but I wouldn't start with biter biscuits just yet. Start off with giving a couple of cheerios at meals here and there. It takes a while for them to figure out how to pick them up and put them in their mouth, and then it takes a while longer for them to figure out how to eat them without gagging. I started trying cheerios probably when my son was about 7 months but I could tell he wasn't ready because he would keep gagging. So I'd wait a week and try again. It probably took a couple of months of trying here and there before he got the hang of it. Another easy food is those Gerber puffs that look like stars, they disintegrate really quickly in the baby's mouth. I didn't give him biter biscuits until he was pretty good at eating solids because I was afraid he would break off too big of a piece.

Good luck and have fun with the messes that go along with solid food!!

L.

I too stayed away from biter biscuits until he was better at solids. When I first tried cheerios I would dunk them in water first too soften them until he got used to them. There was a lot of trial and error with food (still is). His favorite thing when teething is a cold/wet washcloth to suck on.

I would stay away from the biter biscuits, too. My pediatrician thinks they're a choking hazard, and I know from experience that they make a horrible mess all over everything. Less hard baby cookies are good, though.

My favorite teething aid is, wet and wring out a washcloth (baby size is fine) and twist it into a long rope or ring shape, then put in the freezer. It's cool and soothing, but not cold and irritating.