variety please!

[x95stocchier]

I'm trying to introduce a little variety to my DS (13 mo).  He has a few favorites and that's about all he'll eat.  He has only 5 teeth, and no mastry of the spoon....he'd much rather feed himself, but there is only so much you can do with finger foods that can be chewed with only 5 teeth, kwim? 

Anyone have advice on some variety we could add to his diet?  SO far we've got: pasta, waffles, sometimes toast or grilled cheese, fruit, dried fruit, cheese chunks, crackers, corn, peas, and raw carrots, and his favorite, cream cheese on just about anything---bagel, rice cake, graham crackers....  that's about it.  I'd really rather be offering him a more healthy diet.  In the morning he often takes oatmeal or yogurt from a spoon, but that's often the only meal he'll let me feed him.  Not sure what to do. I'd like to move him to eat the same as us, but is that even possible with he hasn't mastered the spoon and has so few teeth?

I wish he were on a more healthy diet.  I'm afraid I've catered too much to find things he can or will eat.

Thanks so much! 
Sarah

[tylersmommy]

Honestly, I read the list of things he eats and thought "Wow, what a healthy eater!" You can try sandwiches cut into bits. You can hide all kinds of things in there. It's definitely possible for him to eat what you eat, but if he doesn't like to be fed from a spoon, that might limit things. Although I've found that nearly anything can be turned into finger food...it just depends on how high your tolerance for messes is.

I wouldn't worry about how many teeth he has. Toddlers really don't use their teeth to chew until they get molars, they mash food around with their gums and tongue. Obviously, you'd want to avoid things that can't be mashed around, like hard chunks of raw veggies, until he gets more teeth.

[x95stocchier]

Thanks for your encoragement Melissa. I guess maybe I just need a little perspective.  I read in tracys book about eating jags, and we seem to be on a cream cheese jag right now!  Maybe I should put it on broccoli, lol! 

When you do sandwiches at this age, are you talking ham, turkey, cheese, etc sandwiches?
Thanks!

[MDHmommy]

Hi, I'm jumping in, this is my fav. new topic....

Have you tried tofu? My DS didn't like it much at first, but somewhere around BW I heard of a new way of making...cook it in a bit of chicken broth (in a small frying pan) just so that it absorbs some of that flavor, then sprinkle while hot with parmesean. My DS is really into this lately.

Re: sandwiches, I give all kinds, turkey, cheese, tuna salad, I tend to just give the contents in sep. piles tho - sandwiches tend to fall apart. One thing DS likes is grilled cheddar sandwich with a really thin slice of apple on there. It's pretty yummy! I also make cream cheese sandwiches, with a smear of jam or apple butter.

Hope some of these ideas help!

[x95stocchier]

can your los eat bread fine?  DS always spits out fresh bread, and tortillas too, as if he can't chew it....he does fine with toasted bread though.....

[MDHmommy]

Mine does ok with bread but I cut it into peices about the size of my thumbnail. Have you tried giving him bread cut into lengths, so he can pick up and bite off a peice?

[x95stocchier]

just tried that at lunch today---no go.  

About the tofu-do you buy "firm" ?

[MDHmommy]

Yeah, extra firm if they have it.

[tylersmommy]

We did a lot of sandwiches w/diff kinds of nut butter thinned w/milk, juice, etc...peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc. Sandwiches are also a good place for veggie puree as a spread. Tyler always liked spinach and cream cheese in a sandwich!

Food jags are part of toddlerhood...don't worry re lack of variety if you're only offerin healthy stuff!