What are the foods best suited to your toddler's teeth?

This is a concern that most parents as they would like their kids to have good shiny and healthy teeth. The foods that are good for your toddler’s teeth are also good for his/her general health; it includes a balanced diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits and veggies, calcium-rich options, and plenty of protein. Here are 6 toddler friendly foods that would work even for a picky eater.

6 foods that are best suited for a toddler’s teeth:

1. Sweet potatoes:

Your toddler would love sweet potatoes as they are a comforting cross between regular spuds and a slice of yummy pumpkin pie; also this colorful vegetable is rich in Vitamin A that helps form tooth enamel.

Baked sweet potato is a hit among toddlers; it could also be sneaked in a pureed into batter for pancakes or waffles. You could also serve steamed carrots or broccoli and ensure you deliver the tooth-building powers of vitamin A.

2. Oranges:

Serve your toddler Vitamin C rich fruits like kiwis, oranges, papayas, mangoes and strawberries; these fruits are low in refined sugar that minimizes tooth decay and being rich in Vitamin C they keep gums healthy and protects against gingivitis.  

Serve navel orange with the seeds removed, Clementine sections; you could also give your toddler mini cubes of strawberry, papaya, and mango to dip in yogurt for a double dose of tooth-saving nutrients.

3. Water:

Water is one of the essentials for healthy teeth; it does not have decay-causing sugars like juice and milk and it also helps rinse away food particles that are trapped between the choppers. Tap water is best as it contains fluoride that strengthens tooth enamel.
 
Make drinking water appealing by putting it in a cute reusable water bottle or through a crazy curly straw. You could also give your toddler water by mixing plain water with flavored carbonated water for a fizzy sensation or a very small amount of juice.

4. Apples:

Diced apples are a crunchy palate-cleanser and much better than a chocolate-chip cookie as a dessert; apples also keep the tiny tot’s teeth cleaner. Apples and carrots act as mini tooth brushes and massage the gums and cleanse the teeth. They also help produces saliva that washes away cavity-causing bacteria.

Serve crunchy foods like apples and carrots that pose choking hazards in kids under three by cutting them into half-inch cubes and give her baby carrots.

5. Cheese:

Cheese is rich in calcium and phosphates that combine to balance the pH content in your kid’s mouth to make them less hospitable place for the bacteria that cause cavities; calcium helps in making tooth enamel strong.

Serve cheese as small cubes on a tray and tell your toddler they’re building blocks good for stacking and eating; you could also cut them into funny shapes with cookie cutter or make kid -friendly berries kebabs with quarter sliced strawberries and use sturdy straws to spear the cheese and fruit.

6. Cranberries:

Cranberries help keep sugar from sticking to the teeth; studies prove that certain compounds in cranberries and cranberry juice coat the teeth and make it help eliminate cavity-causing bacteria.

Start your toddler’s day with a slice of cranberry bread or muffin, baked with fresh or frozen cranberries; avoid dried cranberries as they are  choking hazards for kids under three and loaded with sugar that stick to the teeth and cause cavities.

Have you started giving your kid teeth friendly food?

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