1 year old with no teeth - what to feed?

malky613

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 2:51 pm

My 1-year-old loves to eat solids, but I am scared to give her a lot of foods others give 1-year-olds because she has NO teeth whatsoever. She's been teething ferociously for a few months but hasn't cut a single tooth yet. What can I give her to eat that she could handle with no teeth?

So far I give cheerios, saltines, small pieces of bread, chunks of soft fruit and baked sweet potato and butternut squash, scrambled eggs, and lots of pureed and mashed food (chicken, beef, etc). What other finger food can I give that has substance but is still manageable for a 1-year-old with no teeth?

Thanks for your advice!

amother

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 4:04 pm

in my experience, kids can eat all the same things, teeth or no teeth. their gums are very hard and can usually cut like teeth.

drumjj

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 4:09 pm

pasta in pieces its very soft when cooked and they can use their gums to break it up

MOMMYRN

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 5:12 pm

amother wrote:

in my experience, kids can eat all the same things, teeth or no teeth. their gums are very hard and can usually cut like teeth.

my kids were eating pieces of chicken and cereal w/o teeth. as the other mother said, their gums are very hard.

NYmommy

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 5:21 pm

I gave my dd everything her older sister ate. She got her first bottom 2 at 12 months & top 2 at 18 months. She had no problem 'chewing' her food without teeth.

YALT

Thu, Jul 16 2009, 5:25 pm

DS got first teeth at 18 months.
DD just got her first at 16+ months.
They ate EVERYTHING without teeth.
Including peppers & cukes.

The first 2 times you give them something, I'd just keep an eye to see how they're doing.

Rodent

Wed, Jul 22 2009, 11:37 pm

I agree, anything that needs crushing is fine. The only thing my son couldn't manage was like a whole apple but come his first two teeth (top middle) at 13 1/2 months, he's been able to well and truly devour those also (we're lucky to have the stem left over...). He's 20 months and still doesn't have the bottom middle teeth, I don't adjust anything.

greenfire

Thu, Jul 23 2009, 10:32 am

MOMMYRN wrote:

amother wrote:

in my experience, kids can eat all the same things, teeth or no teeth. their gums are very hard and can usually cut like teeth.

my kids were eating pieces of chicken and cereal w/o teeth. as the other mother said, their gums are very hard.

ditto ... kids this age need to be kept a close eye on regardless of teeth while eating ...

sped

Thu, Jul 23 2009, 10:38 am

Rodent wrote:

Please be careful! Apples really, really are a choking hazard! They should be sliced very, very thin when given to young children!

geemum

Thu, Jul 23 2009, 11:00 am

Even without teeth they can eat 'most anything. Try:
fish (salmon or fried cod "fingers")
meatballs in tomato sauce (or similar) and you can cut up the rice and put in too
vegetable soups - butternut squash is a favourit. I often cut little piece of ANYTHING and put it in the soup.
potato kigul (not the crust, my DD finds it to hard and sometimes chokes on it)
mashed potato
tuna mayo

Good Luck

shatzileh

Thu, Jul 30 2009, 11:05 am

I heard many people say 'they can eat anything.' This is probably true, but from one nervous mother to (possibly) another, one thing that your list was missing that was a big hit in my house is American cheese. Baby loved it in small pieces, and now I can give him a whole piece and he practically inhales it!