I am wondering if it's ok to give my 7 month old fresh watermelon. I think the texture would be great for him to move into the next stage of "chewing". I have been pureeing all of his foods up to this point. Are there any other good ideas for foods that are easy for a teething baby to 'gum'?
that's an interesting question. i don't remember when we started giving watermelon to my LO but I'd imagine that it's okay. maybe mash it up just a little though at first to see how it goes. i'm interested in reading other replies!
sure but i would cut it small. they say the size of a cheerio is good for babies. also try well cooked mac and cheese, ripe avacado cut small, cottage cheese is good to practice spooning with. oatmeal, cut bananna, strawberries, those gerber puffs. those are great they disolve pretty easily and have lots of flavors. my kid loved the sweet potato ones.
My second daughter didn't get her first tooth until she was 11 months old! I found she was able to safely eat all kinds of food without teeth including ribs down to the bone, LOL. Just cut it up in small chunks that are bite size for him and watch to make sure he's got the hang of it.
My son loved watermelon. I cut it up into bites the size of little peas. He also loved "smoothies" - i'd mix oatmeal baby cereal with breastmilk, pureed bananas & blueberries, with a little bit of Baby Yo. So good! You can also try scrambled egg yolk (DON'T GIVE BABY EGG WHITES - they are highly allergenic!). Whole Foods sells a great little rice wafer called Baby Mum Mums (have also bought on Amazon.com) - and they dissolve very easily. You can also check out www.wholesomebabyfood.com for more ideas. It has food recommendations and recipes for every stage - i've gotten a lot of great ideas there. Good luck!
Hi Heather,
Just don't give to much watermelon. I did the same thing when my daughter was around 9 months. We were at the lake and thats all she wanted to eat, we didn't think it would hurt her. She got severe diaper rash for the rest of our vacation. Watermelon is acidic so just don't give him to much.
my daughter is 8 months old, and we started giving her watermelon at about 7 months. just watch him with it, because mine started to choke on it a couple times, even with small pieces.
mine also loves banana, well-cooked potato, cheerios softened in water, and very tiny pieces of well-cooked chicken. oh, also any other melon, just make sure its ripe and soft.... always make sure you watch him with any new food so he doesn't choke.
There was nothing better for my teething daughter at that age than watermelon and canteloupe. She LOVED gnawing on the fruit and rinds. Go for it!
Funny, I just started giving my six month old watermelon! But since he has no teeth and is really still eating stage 1 baby foods, I give him the rind with just a sliver of red left (after I have eaten most of it) to just knaw on. It seems he really likes it. There is still juice that he can suck on, he can gum on it and I don't have to worry about him choking on a small piece that might come off.
I wouldn't. There are so many other foods that are universally non allergenic and more nutritious. Watermelon is very sweet. I would wait on it. Try cooked or very soft pear, cooked apples, yams, banana mixed with avocado for some good fat... there's a great book by Annabel Karmel called Top 100 Baby purees.
Babies love watermelon. But because it is so soft, they can bite off a bigger piece than they can swallow. I recommend putting the watermelon in one of those mesh things you get at Babies R Us or Target. Sorry I don't remember the name, but you can find it with all of the other feeding gear at Babies R Us. That way you don't have to worry about choking and baby enjoys the wonderful taste of watermelon. Enjoy!
Cheerios! Tofu is also a less scary option. you can roll it in Cheerio "dust".
I would warn against watermelon. It is a fruit that is easy to choke on. I think it might be the high water content. I have seen elderly people choke on watermelon, so I'm assuming that young children could have the same problem. Best wishes.
I second (or third?) the mesh food holder thing. I got some at Target, here is a link to them on Amazon:
My daughter would eat fruits and veggies mostly in the feeder, and when she was teething I would throw frozen apple slices in for her. One of the little boys at her daycare would even eat steak out of his! If you are worried about choking this is the best thing. It is also really nice for babies to hold on to juicy, slippery fruit and veggies without them ending up on the floor. Good luck!
Our son loved watermelon, pears, peaches, avocado, peas, and overcooked whole wheat pasta at that age. Just be careful on the portions, especially with watermelon and pears - they tend to run right through them!
There are those little mesh fruit holders that allow a baby to suck the fruit without choking on pieces. I have seen them at drug stores and at Target. They are not expensive and take the worry out of giving young children fruits. I would look into it and let him enjoy!
If your family has a history of food allergies, don't give your baby watermelon. It is one of the more highly allergenic foods. Not as common as milk, soy, wheat, eggs and peanut butter but still more so than most fruits and veggies. Our oldest had a horrible reaction to watermellon at 18 months. He didn't even eat it, it just touched his lips. He had already reacted to milk but more mildy. So if your child has any food allergies or family members do I would wait.
Absolutly!! It's a great source of fluids when the weather is hot and it's high in lycopine (sp?). I started my daughter on watermelon when she was 7 or 8 months. I cut it into small cubes, about the size of a pea, and she will pick them up and eat them on their own. Like all new foods, introduce it slowly and with out any other new foods so you can watch for allergies.
Also it freezes pretty well, I've been keeping some in the freezer for my daughter as a special treat.
Take care,
Allison
Dear Heather,
YES! Give your baby watermelon! Give him cantaloupe and honeydew, pears and peaches!
This might sound strange, but I have passed this along to many people...
I teethed both of my kids on jerkey.
Not the thin, brittle stuff that looks like a sheet of paper, but the thick, hunky stuff. We got it at Costco. They have beef and turkey. My kids LOVED IT!
The could gnaw and gnaw and get some flavor out of it too. We never went anywhere without jerkey in the diaper bag. They would chomp and suck and drool on it until it became mushy and we just threw it away. It was something they could hold in their hands themselves and just go to town.
Be sure to inspect each piece before giving it to your kid to make sure there are no parts that will easily break away to possibly choke on. I should take out stock in the jerkey company for all the people I've told about teething with it.
Best of wishes!
I gave my daughter slices of watermelon, so that if it broke off it would not choke her. She loved it and it is healthy. Believe it or not, I gave my babies the crust of french bread, especially when we were out to eat. It is hard enough to gnaw on but won't hurt them. They loved it! In fact, it was my daughter's first "real food." My kids didn't like the prepared foods/snacks made for babies. They liked the food I was eating much better. I just "think outside the box." (so long as it is safe)
Good luck.