finger foods for baby with no teeth

[ted]

My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
having lunch? She jumps at us and grabs our plates while we eat. So I
was wondering if I can give some food to play or eat while we're also
eating.
I know even if she has one or two teeth, she won't chew at this age.
Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.

Thanks.

[iphigenia]

ted wrote:
> I know even if she has one or two teeth, she won't chew at this age.
> Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
> we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.

Mushy fruit should be fine - like canned pears or peaches.
Rice Chex are a pretty good finger food for an older baby, since they've got
all the holes, making them not too chokable.

--
tristyn
www.tristyn.net
"i have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
i do not think that they will sing to me."

[Anne Rogers]

> My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
> any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
> having lunch? She jumps at us and grabs our plates while we eat. So I
> was wondering if I can give some food to play or eat while we're also
> eating.
> I know even if she has one or two teeth, she won't chew at this age.
> Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
> we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.

try her on anything you would give a baby with teeth, the worst that can
happen is that she doesn't want it and you waste a little food, or that
she tries it and can't manage because of her lack of teeth. I don't know
exactly what you would usually give an 8.5 month old as we are 2.5 months
behind so I haven't got to that chapter yet!

[HollyLewis]

>My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
>any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
>having lunch? She jumps at us and grabs our plates while we eat. So I
>was wondering if I can give some food to play or eat while we're also
>eating.
>I know even if she has one or two teeth, she won't chew at this age.
>Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
>we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.
>
>Thanks.

By the time my DS got his first tooth, he was eating Cheerios and other dry
cereal, bread, chunks of soft fruit, whole peas, bits of ground meat, and whole
bananas.

Basically anything that (1) turns to mush when gummed, like skinned apricot, or
(2) is in pieces small enough to be swallowed whole without choking, like peas
-- or both, like Cheerios -- is fine to try. If your DD has trouble, then back
off, but you'd be amazed what a baby with no teeth can "chew". :-)

Holly
Mom to Camden, 2.5 yrs
EDD #2 6/8/04

[Tracey]

ted wrote:

> My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
> any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
> having lunch? She jumps at us and grabs our plates while we eat. So I
> was wondering if I can give some food to play or eat while we're also
> eating.
> I know even if she has one or two teeth, she won't chew at this age.
> Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
> we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.
>
> Thanks.


Mine is 8.5 months old and has 1.5 teeth. SOme of the finger foods he eats
at this point include tiny pieces of bananas, small pieces of cooked soft
veggies (carrots, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, slightly mushed
peas), canned fruits cut in small pieces (peaches, pears, pineapple),
toast, french toast, pancakes, cherrios, biter biscuits, zwieback toast,
crackers (like Ritz and Townhouse), and his very favorite thing: pizza
crust.

[CY]

We gave my DD Rice Krispies ( I think they also make an arganic version)
when she was around 7 months and didn't have any teeth. She loved them and
they are not chokable at all. Have fun!
"ted" > wrote in message
om...
> My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
> any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
> having lunch? She jumps at us and grabs our plates while we eat. So I
> was wondering if I can give some food to play or eat while we're also
> eating.
> I know even if she has one or two teeth, she won't chew at this age.
> Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
> we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.
>
> Thanks.

[Di]

On 25 Nov 2003 07:16:08 -0800, (ted) wrote:

>My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
>any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
>having lunch?
>Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
>we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.

Anything soft is fine. She will start to chew, at least mushing the
food a bit. What she can not do is tear food smaller, so you need to
make sure food she gets is mushable. DD didn't get any teeth until she
was over 12 months (and even now at 19 months she only has 4, with
about another 4 just about ready to pop). From memory at that age we
where giving DD, mushed, steamed vegs and fruit and slices of ripe
banana

Di

[Marion Baumgarten]

D:
>
> >My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
> >any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
> >having lunch?
> >Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
> >we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.
>

Tofu chunks- canned fruit, I used to cut up apple and microwave it a
minut or two to soften.

[toypup]

"Anne Rogers" > wrote in message
...
> > My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
> > any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
> > having lunch? She jumps at us and grabs our plates while we eat. So I
> > was wondering if I can give some food to play or eat while we're also
> > eating.
> > I know even if she has one or two teeth, she won't chew at this age.
> > Is it an appropriate age to give any tiny chunks of fruit? Or should
> > we wait longer? Please give me some ideas.
>
> try her on anything you would give a baby with teeth, the worst that can
> happen is that she doesn't want it and you waste a little food, or that
> she tries it and can't manage because of her lack of teeth. I don't know
> exactly what you would usually give an 8.5 month old as we are 2.5 months
> behind so I haven't got to that chapter yet!

I think the worst that could happen is they could choke. DS couldn't manage
well under 1 yo. He choked on harder foods. Give softer foods, mushed up
foods or foods that soften up when gummed, like crackers.

[Naomi Pardue]

>My dd is 8.5 months old. She doesn't have any teeth yet. Can she get
>any finger foods at this age that will keep her occupied when we're
>having lunch?

Shaina had no teeth at all until she was 14 months old. She was totally on
table foods, except for meat by then. Babies can gum up virtually anything
except really hard foods like meats and raw veggies. You'd be surprised.
Remember, even babies who HAVE teeth don't usually have chewing teeth until
they are past one year, so teeth make little difference in their ability to
eat.

Just watch her, and if she gags and starts to choke, be ready to give her a
hand.


Naomi
CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator

(either remove spamblock or change address to to e-mail
reply.)