Although introducing solids is tons of fun, there are challenges. In our house, slippery foods and messy bibs were two of the biggest. Here are two little tricks we used to combat each issue.

Paper towel placemats and highchair hooks to the rescue!

Early on, one of the Trikester’s favorite foods was melon. Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew – if it was sweet and juicy, he loved it. The only problem was figuring out how to get it into his mouth. I started out giving him three-inch chunks that were easy to hold, but then I got nervous when he gummed off huge bites and gagged (I know this is normal, but I couldn’t tolerate it). As an alternative method, I cut the melon into tiny bite-size pieces, but that didn’t work either, as it was so slippery and juicy that he could never actually grasp it.

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My solution for juicy, slippery foods? Introducing the paper towel placemat. I ran masking tape around the edges of a folded paper towel to affix it to his highchair tray. The paper towel absorbs the juice from melon and other slippery foods, adding some much needed friction to the tray and reducing the slip factor of the fruit. The masking tape is a must because it keeps the paper towel in place and out of the Trikester’s mouth. An easy fix for one of our baby led weaning challenges.

Another feeding issue is the mess! The Trikester completely trashes his bib at every meal, but in the beginning I didn’t own enough bibs to get through a couple days without having to do laundry. To compensate, I rinsed bibs out in the kitchen sink, and then let them dry until the next meal. I got sick of draping the damp bibs over the sink faucet, so I bought a couple of 3M removable hooks and stuck them to the back of his highchair. Now they’ve got their own drying spot and are handy for mealtimes.

What mealtime tricks can you share? I’d love more ideas!