Meat at 16 months

[HugsAndKisses]

Hi :wave:
My son is 16months old and is very good at eating toast, mince, potatoe, fruits etc... u get the idea.My qusetion is, When can i start introducing meat that is not blended to a puree? he has 7 front teeth but no back teeth does this make a difference to what he can and cant eat also?:confused:

[SilverStarfish]

Meat that is soft (ie. chicken or meat that has been cooked in a crockpot/slow cooker) would be a good place to start - though you'd be surprised at how well kids without teeth go on all sorts of things.

My friend's DD1 was 15 months old before she got a single tooth in her head, but one of all time favourite treats was pizza!!

[cobysmummy]

ds is 17 months and i dont think i pureed his meat past 8 months...

i cut his meat in peices on his plate... and he has been eating by himself using his hands since 8 months... since 12 months he has been using his fork or spoon...

cut the meat into small peices and see how things go... he might gag at first coz it is a new texture, but he will get used to it.. .

[MrsMiggins]

My DD refuses pureed foods (always has!) so she has been eating un-pureed meat since she was about 8 months old. I give her bite-size pieces of chicken, sausage or very tender steak. You could also try introducing mince. My DD loves anything with mince in it! I make her chicken rissoles & beef rissoles which she loves, and today I have some pork mince I am going to make something with.

[the pero clinic]

Dear Shannon_colville,

Meat can be a tricky food for little ones to eat – particularly red meats before the appearance of teeth.

By 16 months, a toddler should be able to manage most foods, as long as they aren’t too hard or chewy. You mention that your son also has some trouble eating a range of other foods that seem to be quite soft. The presence or lack of teeth shouldn’t be affecting the way he manages those foods.

It is more likely that your son is having some difficulty in the way that he is or isn’t using his lips, tongue and jaw to bite, chew and swallow foods effectively. Many little ones have trouble progressing from foods that aren’t pureed or mashed.

Instead of trying to progress your son’s feeding with meat, it would be easier if he developed his skills with other softer foods first. Continue to offer soft finger foods, such as the cooked vegetables, cheese, fruit pieces. Eat with him and show him how you use your mouth to bite and chew.

You might also consider seeking some advice from a feeding specialist to gain some more specific ideas to improve your son’s oral skills for feeding - if you would like some suggestions for who you could see in your area, please email via our website www.theperoclinic.com.au (http://www.theperoclinic.com.au/) and we will try to help.

the pero clinic

[HugsAndKisses]

hi sorry to bother you again, but you did not read my post correctly...

I said that my son IS VERY GOOD at eating soft foods and mince etc....
also i asked if the number of teeth he has effected what he could eat or not in regaurd to meats such as chicken steak etc...?

Im not trying to be rude just would like to set the record straight :thumbsup:

[the pero clinic]

Dear Shannon_colville,

Apologies for misreading your question! I am glad that your little boy is eating a range of softer solids.

Toddlers generally develop their upper and lower molars between 13 and 30 months. The surface of these teeth allow for grinding of hard and chewy foods, and combined with a rotary chewing action (that develops around 2 years of age) they allow for the break down of tough meats.

Even without molars, a toddler who is managing to chew other solids can be given soft meats in solid form – not just puree. Chicken, fish, mince, meatballs and small pieces of tender red meats are good places to start as these are softer and can often be managed without molars. Steak and chops that are tougher will probably end up being spat out in the absence of teeth to grind them up.

the pero clinic

[HugsAndKisses]

thanks very much :thumbsup: thats good to hear will give those ideas a go:yes: