Not only was I sick of doing this same routine, Bennett hated it! I knew I needed to switch something up, but he still didn't have teeth, so I was really unsure what I could do, he couldn't possibly eat food with out teeth, could he??
I started slowly, with soft foods like bananas, and avocados. But how many bananas and avocados can a kid eat? finally I took the plunge, I was eating dinner one night, I believe it was ground chicken tacos (YUM!) and decided, maybe he could try this... and he did, and he ate more than I have ever seen him eat before!
I simply gave him some ground chicken (in small bits) cut up the tortilla (about the size of a cheerio) and peeled a tomato and cut it up into little chunks! and he ate it ALL without a single issue!!! I was amazed!
Our menu QUICKLY grew from there! He is now 10 months old, and we feed him basically anything we eat, and he STILL has NO teeth!
We just follow a few simple rules, and he enjoys his meal!
1. SOFT Veggies- I have found that frozen, or steamed work best, carrots, broccoli, peas, beans, corn, spinach, squash, potatoes, tomatoes (we either peel the skin, or cut them up really small) avacados, bell peppers, pretty much anything under the sun!
Veggies we avoid: veggies that are stringy, or hard, for example, brussels sprouts, and asparagus!
2. Fruits- I also stick to soft fruits, I have heard that you can do an apple, but I find that bennett will stick the WHOLE apple slice in his mouth, instead of just sucking on it like he is suppose to do. I will often pick up a bag of mixed frozen veggies, like strawberries, blue berries and cherries (be sure to cut these up so they don't pose a choking risk).
Fruits we avoid: Although he doesn't have teeth yet, and we don't have to worry about the acidity, I generally stay away from oranges, as they have sort of a skin over each slice. we have never tried pineapple, or water mellon, but I would assume they would both be good, water mellon just has a lot of sugar, and no real nutritional value to it!
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| squash and some sort of ground chicken hot dish! |
3.Meats and Protein : I don't eat a lot of meat, I actually only eat chicken and seafood, however, Bennett eats it all! Usually I serve his meat ground (chicken, turkey or beef) but he has also had chicken breast (cut into small pieces) and tuna! beans, are also great, and so is peanut butter!
Remember to watch for allergies especially with fish and peanut butter!
Meats we avoid: I would not try any "tough" meats, like stake, I haven't eaten meat in so long, I can't even imagine what pork or lamb is like, so use your own discression on those!
4.Grains: I can't think of any grains he doesn't eat, and love (someones a carb person like his momma) he has bread, noodles, pizza (in very moderation!) tortillas, anything really! we just make sure to cut them up to about the size of a cheerio, and he just gums it until he is ready to swallow!
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| spaghetti with meatballs! either cut the noodles up small, or keep them big for easier holding! |
5. Dairy: I was very nervous to introduce dairy to his diet, for what ever reason I was scared he may have allergies to it, but I tried it (waiting to try it, isn't going to change the outcome, he is either allergic or not!) and he loves it! Cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt are his favorite!
It is not recommended to start cows milk until after the 1st year of life, but this does not include dairy products, its simply switching from formula to cows milk
I am always blown away by the foods he is able to eat! so don't be afraid to try it with your toothless baby!
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