My DS can't chew and v fussy - any ideas for meals?!

[MumofJTM]

My DS (2.8yrs) has a genetic disorder that means that his teeth have not grown properly and he only has 2 pointy teeth in the middle of his top gum. No molars for grinding, so no meat, raw veg, hard fruit e.g. apples etc.

He eats pasta and potatoes, baked beans, bread, cereal etc, so carbs covered, I think.

Eats lots of soft fruits, fruit puree pouches etc, and is OK with peas, sweetcorn, well boiled carrots, tomato sauce (on pasta rather than ketchup!) etc.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to get more protein into him? He'll eat cheese, yoghurt etc, but not sure how else he might get lots of protein that he might otherwise get from meat? Won't touch fish. He's a typical fussy toddler too, so not easy to try new things. I work full time, so it's even harder to try new things in the week, cos if he won't eat them, then he's starving, and meltdown usually follows. . .

I just think I've got lazy about not trying new things, but am not a great cook, and don't really have any inspiration. He's on 50th centile for his weight, so obviously something making him grow, but would like to broaden his tastes.

All ideas very gratefully received!!

dd2 has cp and was born with no gag/swallow - she got over that but has no lateral movement of her tongue so can't 'position' food in between her teeth to chew unless she does it with her fingers/ fork (lol). so we've been there with the chewing thing

does he like the texture of mashed potato? dd2 gagged on it, but it's really useful to mix salmon etc into if it's well flaked. if he manages pasta then there's lots of meats you can get away with tbh. it's scary at first, but as long as they are soft or chopped/ minced small (always check yourself for chewiness lol) you can add them to most things.

(as an aside - nursery and school staff were all trained for choking incidents for dd2, so you might want to think about this for longer term)

do you have a dietician on board if you are struggling? ours was a bit useless so we only went twice, but some people find them really useful for getting ideas.

dd2 doesn't ever really chew even now btw, but manages a normal diet by squashing the food against the roof of her mouth with her tongue (it moves that way ... she's a bit bigger, but i think they do learn coping mechanisms if you go slowly.

could he eat lentils??

Maybe in a soup or something.

I used to make carrot& coriander & lentil soup for Dcs which also had potatoes in it too to thicken it up..

Is very slow cooked meat not an option? Not the same, I know, but mine managed to get that down quite well as babies, as it just requires hard gums to break up a bit, not the hard grinding of molars

Is there any treatment he can have as he gets older? He sounds like he eats quite well for a 2yo!

We're going to see a specialist paed dentist in a few weeks time. It's most likely that he will have dentures until he is a late teen, when the bones in his jaw will hopefully bo strong enough to cope with implants. Pretty scary thought. How to explain removable teeth to a pre-schooler?!

Thanks a lot for ideas - I can't bear lentils, but definitely worth a try for J. I hadn't thought of soup either - could blend up lots of good stuff, I guess!

How do you slow cook meat without a slow cooker? Just in oven for ages and ages? Sorry - i did say i was a rubbish cook!

Yes - say 3 hours or so in oven in covered casserole - lamb shanks good, as is shin beef, but any chunks of stewing type meat should just fall apart. Why don't you post for simple recipes on the Food section?

Hope ds is ok at dentist.

Actually, try www.babyledweaning.com for ideas - lots of things there for 6-7 mo babies with no teeth.

Sorry - had to get ds to bed. Poor wee soul - lots for him to put up with. fwiw his diet doesn't sound too bad for a toddler - there are many more fussy than that who don't have the restrictions he does.

Thanks so much Habbibu - really appreciate your comments and ideas! Will certainly try BLW link.

What else could I give him for quick snacks? He has Fruit/ flakes/ Humzingers/ raisins etc, but can't seem to cope with dried apricots or similar. Eats cheese. Can't do raw carrot, celery etc, and won;t touch cucumber/ cherry tomatoes etc.

Any other things I could try? Lunchbox inspiration? Seems to have the same thing every day! Sandwich fillers? We alternate honey, jam and cheese spread.

Is his diet really OK? So many MNers seem to be posting deliciious fancy menus that their LOs eat, and I feel like I'm letting him down and failing him. Obviously this is not a new issue for us, but am getting more concious of it. My fear is the older he gets, the harder it will become to get him to eat more stuff, but I guess he'll have to learn all over again when he gets dentures?

Don't know why, just feeling a bit miserable for him at the moment

Sorry - that should be fruit flakes, not fruit/ flakes!

what about dips??

Like hummous or something??

Could he dip in soft bread?

Dried fruit-wise - try soft eating fruit - dates and apricots specially prepared to be v soft and squishy. DS can hoover those up.

I think I'm maybe less concerned over the possible range than you as I am currently BLW-ing ds, and at 7 mo I'm once again astounded at what wee gums can cope with. That said, he's not a toddler with A Mind Of His Own, and I suspect your DS is much more "normal" than you think.

Avocado is great, and you can mix it with all sorts of stuff - used to finely chop chicken and mix with mashed avocado for sandwiches. Will he eat peanut butter? That's good for protein.

Right, so here's what he eats atm:

Bread/cereals/starchy: pasta and potatoes, baked beans, bread, cereal

Protein: cheese; baked beans

Dairy: cheese, yoghurt

Fat- cheese, yoghurt

Fruit: lots of soft fruits, fruit puree pouches etc. Fruit/ flakes/ Humzingers/ raisins

Veg: peas, sweetcorn, well boiled carrots, tomato sauce (on pasta rather than ketchup!) etc.

Put like that I think that looks pretty well balanced for a toddler - a lot of people would kill for their child to eat that well, even with a full set of teeth. I think you need to relax, work on the protein a bit, and show lots of enthusiasm for what you eat yourself. Nick stuff off his plate, and have fun.

Protein - like I said, slow-cooked casseroles, bean burgers, minced meat - eg little soft patties made with beef or pork that break up easily, shepherd's pie, chilli con carne, peanut butter, lentil soup.

Thanks Habbibu - a voice of reason!

Never thought of peanut butter - thought was really bad for him! Hadn;t considered protein angle. Must get to supermarket in the morning. . .

Must try lentils. will search for good recipes!

Must try apricots again - maybe not giving him enought credit for what he could cope with. . . Dates defintely worth a try too.

Is lots of dried fruit OK? I remember reading somwhere that lots was bad for LOs.

CAn I put mince in the blender? I've tried him on it before and he just spat it out. IF i could make it less lumpy in pasta sauce, might go down better?

Eggs source of protein too? Ate two poached on toast for lunch. . .

shepherd's / cottage pie
chilli con carne
thai style chicken mince

Thanks activate - where can I get chicken mince from? Supermarket? Might be a bit less lumpy that beef mince?

have you got a food mixer with a blade? Just pulse chicken breasts in there - it's no more tender than lamb or beef mince it's just a different taste

Will try chicken mincing business on Thursday when finish work early. Thanks activate!

New development over weekend - apricots and dates no go - too chewy, but will try again another time with different brand perhaps?

Wraps a surprise hit! Bought on off-chance as on offer in tesco, and put grated cheese and sweetcorn and smidge of mayonnaise, and went down brilliantly! So much so that DS requested another for lunch box today!

How can I sneak other new things in to wraps for him to try!? Worth having a go with new stuff while still a novelty! Going to try egg mayonnaise next, I think. . .

Any more ideas welcome!

quiche? its the only ay i can get ds to eat eggs.
finely minced meat in a sauce like spag bol. salmon or tuna in cheese sauce - can have with pots or pasta?
he sounds pretty good already to me so it may be a case of just keep trying things and as he gets bigger he'll learn methods of chewing/ squashing foods without teeth iykwim?