Wondering what finger foods for your baby with no teeth? Here are some of the foods that they can safely manage to eat!
I did Baby Led Weaning with both of my kids. That means that at the age of 6 months (assuming they can sit very well in a high chair) they started getting whole foods.
No baby food, no mush, no purees. Actual normal human food.
I know this is scary for a lot of parents and caregivers and I’m not here to pressure you to feed your baby any way or another!
But I specifically remember being at the library’s mommy and me class with Luke and a mom asking what he eats. I told her he ate a hamburger for lunch. He was probably 7 or 8 months old at the time.
The other mom scoffed at me and said well her baby didn’t have any teeth.
I remember looking at Luke drooling on the rug with his one sad little bottom middle tooth and laughing to myself if she thought that tooth was really tearing into the burger meat!
I don’t mean that to laugh at the other mom at all. Just to say that babies don’t really need teeth to eat.
There are a lot of finger foods for 6 month old babies with no teeth. There are a lot of snacks for babies with no teeth!
Their gums are great at smashing and chewing solid food, teeth or not!
That being said, I steered clear of anything overly sharp or crunchy. Though, my daugther is currently 9 months old with only 2 bottom teeth and eats a LOT of goldfish.
We offer our kids 3-5 things at each meal. Go with small amounts of each and give seconds if needed!
Regardless, starting solids is a personal choice for the parents. If you are introducing finger foods – usually 6 to 10 months of age – here are some ideas to get you started!
A note about choking
I’m not going to lie. Choking is TERRIFYING. It’s horrific to imagine and as babies start eating, they are going to gag and choke a little bit. Here are some things that made me feel better.
Watch YouTube videos showing choking vs. gagging. It will make you feel more comfortable and know what to look out for.
Familiarize yourself with the best and safest way to cut foods. It’s actually easier for small babies to eat long sticks than food cut into small pieces (until they develop the pincher grip). We have this Baby Led Feeding book and it has great diagrams on how to cut foods.
Make an OK sign with your thumb and pointer finger. Never serve anything round smaller than that circle. Smush blueberries, and quarter anything else.
Get CPR and heimlich maneuver certified for children and adults.
If it makes you feel better, keep a Dechoker on hand and know how to use it.
**Always consult with a doctor if you are concerned about your child’s diet. I am not a doctor, just a mom!*
The best food for babies with no teeth
Here are some of my kids’ favorite foods before they got teeth! I organized this list by food type, so find exactly the thing you need to complete you next meal!
- Banana- cut in half moons
- Smooshed blueberries
- Sliced strawberries
- Mandarin oranges
- Diced canned/pop top peaches, drained
- Wedges of watermelon (for sucking)
- Blackberries – cut in half or quartered lengthwise
- Diced mango (an absolute favorite for both my kids!)
- Pineapple tidbits – canned or fresh
- Diced apples, sautéed with butter and tossed with cinnamon
- Diced pears – fresh, they go brown quickly
- Sliced prunes (great for constipation)
- Raisins – beware, they can rehydrate inside their bellies and come out… large
- Kiwi – peeled and sliced
- Grapes – quartered
- Slices of lemon or lime – people do this to be mean but our son LOVED them at restaurants
- Applesauce – in a pouch or on a spoon
- Fresh peaches – diced (you can leave the peel on small pieces!
- Raspberries – cut or torn in half
- Smoothie (cup with a straw)
- Roasted sweet potatoes – peeled wedges or sticks, with skin removed
- Baked or sautéed carrots (cut in half moons)
- Mashed potatoes (pre-loaded spoon)
- Mashed sweet potatoes (pre-loaded spoon)
- Roasted squash – sticks or half moons
- Mashed avocado or mild guacamole preloaded on a spoon
- Zucchini noodles with sauce
- Diced tomatoes
- Green peas – by the handful
- Chick peas – roasted and smashed so they are no longer round
- Avocado chunks – toss with breadcrumbs or coconut to make less slippery
- Cucumber – peeled and cut into sticks
- Cooked corn – I use canned
- Broccoli – roasted, cut into very small pieces
- Pickles – quartered lengthwise or sliced into half moons
- Plain full fat yogurt (pre-load a spoon)
- Shredded cheese
- Sliced cheese – torn into fingernail sized pieces
- Block cheese – cut into small sticks
- Fresh mozzarella, torn
- Cheese sticks – cut in half moons or quartered in sticks
- Babybel cheese, whole or broken up
- Shredded chicken
- Meatballs (both our kids’ first foods was a meatball!)
- Meatloaf – cut into bite sized pieces
- Chicken nuggets – cut into small bites
- Fish sticks – but into small bites
- Pepperoni – diced or torn
- Deli meat – torn into bite sized pieces
- Bacon – thin cut, don’t cook it too crispy, cut into 1/2″ wide slices
- Sausage – quartered lengthwise
- Hamburger – broken into bite sized pieces
- Corn dogs – quartered lengthwise
- Ground turkey
- Ground beef
- Ground chicken
- Ground pork
- Sausage or hotdogs – quartered lengthwise and sliced
- Shredded/flaked fish
- Shredded pork
- Black beans
- Veggie burger – cut in sticks or squares
- Scrambled egg chunks
- Hardboiled egg – diced
- Omelet cut into strips or diced
- Fruit and Veggie Melts
- Baby puff cereal
- Goldfish crackers
- Cheerios
- Animal crackers
- Vanilla wafers – broken in half or mini size
- Teddy grahams or Annies bunnies – broken in half
- Belvita breakfast crackers
- Veggie straws – whole
- Peanut butter bambas
- Dehydrated carrots – broken up
- Round crackers (like you’d use for cheese and crackers)
- Toasted bread with butter, peanut butter, or jelly
- Hash browns – whole or broken up
- Rice cakes – minis broken in half or large ones quartered
- Mini pancakes – halved
- Toast strips with mashed avocado (a fave for millennial parents)
- Waffles – cut into strips
- Biscuits – torn into bite sized pieces
- Muffins – torn into bite sized pieces
- English muffins – toasted, torn into strips
- Bagels – sliced into 1/2″ thick slices
- French fries whole or torn up
- Sweet potato fries – whole or torn up
- Pizza – cut into squares
- Spaghetti with sauce of choice
- Lo mein noodles (our daughter slurps them up!)
- Lasagna, cut into bite sized pieces
- Macaroni and cheese (tubes are easier than shells for little babies)
- Microwave cheese quesadilla on taco shells – cut into strips
- Corn cakes, cut into bite sized pieces
- Couscous (we like the pearl) on a spoon or messily by hand
- Pasta – we love penne, cut in half lengthwise for small babies
- Taco shell pizzas (taco shell with sauce + cheese, baked) cut into strips or bites
- Pita, torn into bites, with dip
- Hummus, pre-loaded on a spoon
What are your favorite foods for babies without teeth?
Thanks for reading!
Hey there, I’m Morgan, the creative mind behind CelebratingWithKids.com! As a parent of two lively little ones, I’ve made it my mission to turn ordinary days into extraordinary adventures, sharing playful activities, thoughtful toy reviews, and delightful printables to help families celebrate every moment together. 🎉👨👩👧👦🎈