Teething foods--which are good?

[jamsmu]

DS hasn't sprouted those teeth yet, but he's been teething since 4 mos. He dislikes bread, rolls, etc. He stares at everything I put in my mouth. I'm thinking of giving him salt-free pretzels. Any suggestions?

[Jen in Chicago]

Saltines and Ziewback toast are favorite in our house. I don't have to watch him like a hawk anymore. In the beginning he was a happy little chipmuck and filled his mouth and cheeks without swallowing. Those days I hope are over.

He loves COLD applesauce (Natural no sugar added- in adult section) when he is teething. I have mixed applesauce right from the frig with cereal and fed it to him, or put in a lot of cereal and allowed him to feed himself.

We are experimenting with finger foods and it is going very well. My latest is dicing potatoes and boiling them. They are soft to eat, and the can get a hold of them.

[pritchettzoo]

A friend used frozen mini-bagels and frozen mini-waffles or waffle sticks. She'd give her son the thing right out of the freezer and he'd gnaw away happily for a long while. I don't know if your son would hate bread products frozen or not. I saw some wheat-free waffles at Kroger last night if you're concerned about wheat; I'm sure other stores carry them in the natural-food section.

Another friend used real-fruit popsicles. She'd put him in the bathtub to eat them because they were so messy. Also, frozen pieces of peaches, bananas, etc. can be put in one of those food bag things (depending on how you feel about them).

Pretzels--I dunno...brings to mind the near-miss President Bush had! ;)

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[toomanystrollers]

I would stay away from the pretzels at this age - yup, just think of George W. LOL I agree with Anna's suggestion of a "baby safe" mesh bag device - you can cram nice cold canteloupe in - one of Neve's favorites.

HTH

[JElaineB]

I would also recommend the baby safe mesh feeder. I felt so much better using that before DS had teeth. He didn't get any until he was 8-9 months old (can't remember exactly). I mostly put fruit in it. Especially cold fruit would be good if his gums are sore.

ETA: Not really a "teething" food per se, but Gerber Wagon Wheels (fruit and veggie) and Gerber Graduates Cereal Snackin' Squares are great finger foods pre-teeth. They both dissolve VERY easily. I would break them up into about 4 pieces before giving them to DS when he was younger. He still likes the Snackin squares now, but whole. Also I just tried some Veggie Booty finally today, and DS really liked it. They dissolved really easily too, I would proably break them in half for a younger baby.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[mharling]

We used to put teething biscuits in a mesh feeder. He loved them, but I was too scared to let him eat them on his own.

Mary
Lane 4/6/03

[jamsmu]

Thanks for all the suggestions. LOL - the pretzel incident!!

I'm headed to BRU tomorrow for a mesh bag. DS loves fruit, so i'll be trying that one for sure!