Beautifully smashed pears

Teething has hit our household. Hard. Sure, Mason’s had symptoms for the last several months–he turned 10-months-old on Father’s Day–but we’ve reached a whole new level of teething intensity. He’s frantically chewing on his hands (and everything else), drooling, fussing, and clinging to me yet the child has no teeth yet. None! Just all the symptoms, worse than ever. Yesterday was so bad that when I arrived home from work last night my nanny handed him to me and wished me luck getting him to eat dinner. I was able to coax Mason to eat Pear-Green Bean Yogurt (one of his faves) and diced avocado–but only after giving him a dose of baby Motrin and even then it was a struggle. He went on to drink 12 ounces of formula between 12:30 and 4 am so he was clearly hungry. Poor bug.

I had planned on shredding chicken for Mason and freezing it after he went to bed. Instead I smashed fruit. The soft consistency would be easy for Mason to manage with his swollen gums, and I could serve it to him very cold to help relieve the pain. Mason had been completely uninterested in the frozen bagel that my pediatrician recommended to help ease teething pain. He hated the mesh teether with cold fruit that a friend gave us, and the frozen waffle that another friend suggested we try got thrown across the room more times than I can count. Perhaps smashed fruit would work.

I started with fresh pear. Bug has loved this sweet, luscious fruit since he first tasted it at five months old. Since I’m transitioning him to chunkier purees and more finger foods, I mashed the peeled and cooked pears with a potato masher instead of pureeing them. The result was a juicy, chunkier pear mixture that Mason enjoyed this morning with his oatmeal. I noticed that he sucked on the fruit a bit before swallowing it so I’m guessing the cold did feel good. And he ate a great breakfast! I made extras–I always do to freeze for later–so when I serve it later this week I’ll mix in fresh cherry, blueberry, banana, or apple to keep things from getting boring.

Check out the recipes below (under the pics) — you can use them to smash or puree the fruit, depending on which texture works best for your babe. Let me know what happens! And, I’d love to hear some of your tricks for combating teething pain, especially if they involve food. Do dish, please!

Draining and rinsing the pears after cooking

Smashing the pears with a potato masher after cooking

Recipes:

Smashed (Or Pureed) Pears

Ingredients

Organic pear
Water

Directions

1. Wash, peel, and dice pear. Cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
2. Strain pear to remove excess water and mash with a potato masher. Or puree until you read desired consistency.
3. Freeze leftovers in 2- to 4-ounces portions.
4. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Smashed (or Pureed) Blueberries

Ingredients

Organic blueberries, fresh or frozen
Water

Directions

1. Wash blueberries. Cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
2. Strain blueberries to remove excess water and mash with a potato masher. Or, puree in a blender or food processor until you read desired consistency.
3. Freeze leftovers in 2- to 4-ounces portions.
4. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients

Organic gala apples
Water

Directions

1. Wash, peel, and dice apple. Cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
2. Strain excess water. Mash with a potato masher for a chunkier texture. Or, puree in a blender or food processor until you read desired consistency.
3. Freeze leftovers in 2- to 4-ounce portions.
4. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Smashed (or Pureed) Cherries

Ingredients

Fresh or frozen cherries
Water

Directions

1. Wash and pit cherries, slice in half. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Mash with a potato masher. Or, puree in a food processor or blender with a bit of water, breast milk, or formula. S
3. Freeze leftovers in 2- to 4-ounce portions.
4. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Smashed (or Pureed) Bananas

Ingredients

Organic banana
Water, breast milk, or formula

Directions

1. Peel and slice banana. Mash with a potato masher. Or, puree in a food processor or blender with pre-mixed formula or water until you reach desired consistency.
2. Freeze leftovers in 2- to 4-ounce portions.
3. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.