Easy to eat, gentle on sensitive teeth, and felt more satisfying than endless smoothies...though I did miss crunchy snacks for a while.
Haha, scrambled eggs were a lifesaver for us too. My daughter practically lived on mashed potatoes and applesauce after her braces went on. I tried oatmeal but got the "eww" face every time...guess honey wasn't enough to win her over. It's funny how creative we get when crunchy stuff is off limits. Glad we're not alone in the soft-food club!
Scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes are definitely staples in our house too. When my son got his braces, he was pretty miserable at first—he's usually a crunchy snack guy, so soft foods were a tough sell. We ended up experimenting with pasta dishes and soups, which seemed to help him feel more satisfied. Funny enough, oatmeal was also a no-go here...guess it's just not appealing enough texture-wise for some kids. Glad to hear others have navigated this successfully as well.
"Funny enough, oatmeal was also a no-go here...guess it's just not appealing enough texture-wise for some kids."
Haha, oatmeal seems to be one of those polarizing foods—either kids love it or they act like you're serving them wallpaper paste. My daughter had braces put on last year, and we went through a similar struggle. She's always been picky about textures, so I knew we'd have to get creative. Scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes were definitely our initial go-to as well, but after a week or two, she was pretty bored with them.
One thing that worked surprisingly well for us was smoothies. I know, I know... smoothies aren't exactly groundbreaking advice, but hear me out. We started experimenting with frozen bananas, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, and even spinach (which she swore she'd never touch). Turns out, blending spinach into a smoothie is the ultimate parent hack—she couldn't taste it at all, and it gave her some extra nutrients when chewing veggies was uncomfortable.
Another lifesaver was homemade mac and cheese. Not the boxed stuff—though that's fine in a pinch—but something creamy and comforting made from scratch. I found that adding a bit of cream cheese along with cheddar made it extra smooth and easier to eat when her mouth was sore. Plus, it felt more substantial than soups alone.
I also remember her orthodontist mentioning that cold foods can help soothe the discomfort after adjustments. So we stocked up on frozen yogurt bars and popsicles (the fruit juice kind). It seemed to help numb things temporarily, plus it felt like a treat rather than "braces food."
It's funny how quickly you become an expert in soft-food cuisine when braces enter the picture. Glad to see we're not alone in navigating this culinary adventure...
Haha, totally agree about oatmeal—my son acted like it was punishment when he got his braces. Smoothies were a hit here too, but we also leaned heavily on soups. I found that blending hearty soups (like chicken noodle or veggie stew) into a creamy consistency made them filling enough without breaking the bank. Plus, freezing yogurt tubes at home was cheaper than buying popsicles and still gave him relief after adjustments.
"It's funny how quickly you become an expert in soft-food cuisine when braces enter the picture."
Seriously...never thought I'd be googling "soft food recipes" at midnight!
Haha, midnight googling is definitely a rite of passage when braces enter the picture. I remember feeling so overwhelmed at first—like, how many ways can you really serve mashed potatoes before your kid revolts? But you're right about soups; blending them up was a lifesaver for us too. I found that adding a bit of cream cheese or coconut milk to blended soups made them richer and more satisfying, especially when my daughter was complaining she was "starving" but couldn't chew anything.
One thing we stumbled upon by accident was polenta. I'd never even thought about it before braces, but it's soft, filling, and you can mix in cheese or veggies to change things up. Plus, it reheats pretty well if you make a big batch ahead of time—perfect for those days after adjustments when everything hurts and cooking feels like climbing Everest.
Also, totally agree on freezing yogurt tubes! We did something similar with homemade pudding pops—just regular chocolate pudding poured into ice cube trays with toothpicks stuck in. Super cheap and easy, and my daughter swore they helped numb her mouth a bit after tightening appointments.
Honestly though...it's kind of comforting knowing we're all in this together. Braces are stressful enough without feeling like you're failing at feeding your kid properly. Hang in there—it does get easier over time (or maybe we just get better at improvising?).
