HI Moms:
My 12 year old just got braces and his favorite snack is popcorn, which he is not allowed to eat. He will have these braces fro over two years so I am wondering if any of you have suggestions for snacks that will satisfy his cravings?
Thanks!
Thanks for all your great ideas mamas! I will try out a lot of the suggestions. He was happy to read through all of your posts too!
They have those Pops that are made by Cheetos, I think...they are like popcorn w/out the kernels. (My 11 yr old got braces in August and he has had a nibble or two of popcorn, but chews w/ the back teeth and is very careful...overall, he stays away from the stuf he's supposed to!) Anyway, good luck...I just hope it's worth all the time, money and frustration we all put into it! LOL!
I was his age with braces. I still ate popcorn all the time, but I chose my pieces selectively to avoid biting on a kernel and just ate them carefully. Rice cakes or Pirate Booty (kind of like a puffed chip), Old Dutch brand popcorn twists, pita chips, melba toast and pretzels are good alternatives.
Totally agree with Pirate's Booty!
Pirate Booty!
Total godsend when SD had braces and before DD could manage the kernels.
would rice cakes do it? that's all i can think of.
Gosh, I ate popcorn all the time. And it's pretty healthy if you don't lather on butter and salt. Why no popcorn?
How about nuts? Chex mix? Lots of recipes to make your own. I just made spiced pecans last night - worstershire (1TBSP), butter (2TBSP), garlic powder (1/4TSP), salt (1/4TSP), chili powder (1TBSP), red pepper(1/4TSP), and bake 30 minutes.
Pirate's Booty! Lower in fat than most chips and other junk food. It's really quite yummy!
I wore braces for 7 years (40 years ago) and ate popcorn all I wanted.
Granted I had the full mouth of bands on every tooth - not just the glued on brackets they use today.
My son just finished 2 years of braces - he had the brackets - and popcorn was not one of the forbidden foods.
Taffy, tootsie rolls, chewy sticky candies = big no no.
You don't chew on un-popped or partially popped kernels.
You can get some gourmet popcorn which will pop up with very little hull which means much less to get caught up in the wires.
Maybe he can't have it as much as he use to, but I think a little popcorn every now and then shouldn't be a problem.
http://www.popcornlovers.com/shopcontent.asp?type=popcorn...
Snyders makes a popcorn that is made like cheese puffs. It satisfies my sons taste for popcorn. It was especially hard when he had to sell the popcorn in the fall for Cub Scouts.
Popcorn isn't allowed anymore for those of us with braces because it could pop a bracket or break a wire.
I've had my braces on for 8 weeks now. Hubby made popcorn the other night and I did eat a little...but I had to pick through it and make sure I only ate the white "popped" part and none of the kernel.
HTH!
Get your son a Waterpik. My daughter got braces last summer (11yrs old) and she loves popcorn. The Waterpik is a lifesaver.
My daughter ate popcorn with braces. If your son eats a piece at a time and doesn't shove it in his mouth by the handful, he should be ok.
Is hulless popcorn okay?
I just asked my 15 year old, who has braces, a soft palet appliance, and jaw bars - and his response "Mom, you know that I still eat popcorn!".
This is what a waterpic and super floss is for.
:)
Not sure if mentioned... but Pirates Booty is a household favorite!!
I personally love Triscuits - they're nice and salty like popcorn.
My dd just got her braces off recently. She ate popcorn. It was on the forbidden list but she was told she could eat it but not to put a whole handful in her mouth at a time. The concern as a previous poster mentioned is biting on an unpopped or partially popped kernel which will knock a bracket loose or break a wire.
Doritos was another food she ate that was on the forbidden list. She didn't have any problems with eating that either. I don't think there was anything on the forbidden list that she didn't eat. She ate gummy bears. She just sucked on them instead of chewing.
Chew with the front teeth. :p The problem with pop corn is the shells can get under the gums and you can't floss them out. Then you have to have an embarrassing visit to the orthodontist explaining you broke the rules, please remove the debris.
For whatever reason it is always the molars.
I had braces as an adult so if I didn't like a rule....I survived though slightly embarrassed.
Oh yeah, you can also pull off the fluffy bits and eat just them but that is a lot of work. :p
air-puffed snacks....both butter & cheese flavor. That's what my sons used. Breaking brackets is just tooooo costly to risk. Much easier to follow the rules for 2 years.
I had braces with the brackets and wires and still ate popcorn. They make brushes to specifically clean between the brackets and that should clear out any hull pieces that might get stuck.
We just got a new product that we liked called "Popcorners - The New Shape of Popcorn". Looks like a tortilla chip, tastes like popcorn. We tried the Sea Salt flavor and all liked it enough to munch on most of a bag while watching a movie. It seems that they come in Kettle, Caramel, Butter, Cheesy Jalapeno and White Cheddar too.
I looked up there website for you: http://www.popcorners.com/
Good for you for asking, one more way to show him you love him.
Any type of Puffed Rice...Pirates Booty makes a bunch of different flavors. It's a bit more expensive, but SUPER good.
Per my 12 yo daughter who is sitting next to me: "When I had braces, I still ate popcorn. I chewed it on the sides of my braces where it wouldn't get stuck." Hope that helps. =)
