All of a Sudden

My neighbor's dog has no teeth and can eat crunchy dog food with the best of them! My first born didn't get his first tooth until he was 14 months, but no way was he having 'baby' food that long. He let me know real quick that that wasn't going to happen! Lol! I think, barring sharp, scratchy foods (think taco shells) or really hard foods (raw carrots, ect) you can just cut up small (cheerio) size bites and let her go to town.

I also suggest, for those hard foods, an idea I got from Rachael D. A cheese grater! You can shred raw carrots or apples (or even cheddar and mozzeralla cheese) and she'll get a kick out of that as well.

Babies do not need teeth to chew food. Their gums are quite strong! I would just cook the food well and cut them in to small pieces and let her go to town!

You can take all those foods youve been giving her and whatever youre eating and cook it soft and cut it up. I used to buy canned (ick now) veggies and run hot water over them to warm and plop the whole thing on my sons high chair tray and he ate it all. And a can of fruit cocktail. There isnt anything in that can full so big it will choke him, and its all chewable enough with gums. Gums are really strong. She can bite hard enough to cause pain even without teeth so dont worry about it. She can have soft cooked anything! fresh fruits too, cut grapes in 1/4s, chunks of peaches and apples, pears, banana, avacado, and mango are all soft enough to eat without teeth. Potatoes too, along with carrots and peas and green beans, I cant think of much you cant steam, or broil that she cant have.Even pastas with sauce and chicken chunks. Gosh, what fun, shes growing up!!!

As long as it's soft, and small enought that there isn't a huge choking hazard, she can still mash things with her gums. just make sure it's mashable with little effort and let her feed herself :D

Don't be nervous, as long as the food is soft enough and cut small enough she should have no problem feeding herself. She is asserting her independence so you definitely want to encourage it. Her gums are strong enough to chew up soft chunky foods.

Everyone who said "let her gum it" is right.
I would add: Enjoy some extra time you have now that you don't have to clean a food processor all the time! ; )

they 'chew' w/their gums, I didn't have teeth till 18m & ate everything

Great responses so far so I will just add - Welcome to the world of "me do it!"

Enjoy!

When my kids hit this stage, I'd put THEIR food on MY plate ;)

Well mama....how does she do with the food that you have cut up for her? As long as she's not choking she can gum the food up!

Give her small pieces she can gum to a pulp. She will get teeth soon enough.

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Give her small pieces she can gum to a pulp. She will get teeth soon enough.