We are about a month away from starting solid foods with Little Bug and even though I have done this before, I am getting prepared early this time with what I have deemed essential for this stage in his life.
1. Food- Beech-Nut Baby Foods – For the first two months or so of solids, I make my own so I can add breastmilk to it. As we get more adventurous, I love using Beech-Nut baby foods. I actually go out of my way to go to a grocery store that carries this brand because I like it so much. I love the glass jars because I use them later for crafting, and I like that they have a larger variety of combinations than Gerber and other brands. And to be completely honest, I really like how they taste. The texture is a little less gelatinous than other foods and they really are delicious.
3. Bowls – Munchkin Stay Put Suction Bowls – I really like these because they stick right onto the tray and don’t move. When I was a newbie to this feeding game, I bought some regular old bowls and LeLe proceeded to slide and toss them everywhere as soon as she had more hand control. Not this time! These suckers stay put and they are in a set of three. The bowls have this cool release button on the handles to make removing them easy for the parent.
4. Silicone Bibs – Tommee Tippee Explora Easi Roll Bib – I like these because they catch so much of the extra food and they are easily washable. The regular bibs I have are instantly covered in food and they are a pain to wash, but these are super easy. I don’t love the feel of them, so I often tuck a burp rag behind them on the neck so it doesn’t rub uncomfortably.
5. Spoons – Gerber Graduates Soft Bite Rubberized Spoons – These are pretty basic, but I like them a lot. We had a set for LeLe, but as soon as she got teeth she started biting then ends so we had to slowly throw them away as they became unsafe. I especially like that they come in a pack of 6 so I am not always having to wash one right after we use it.
6. Freezer Tray- NUK Homemade Baby Food Flexible Freezer Tray and Lid Set – I used this with LeLe and I will re-use it with Little Bug as well. I really only make their food for the first two months or so so I can mix everything with breastmilk, and this tray was so handy to have. I would make enough for about a week of one kind of food and it was awesome to be able to freeze it and pop the little cubes right out of the tray. I actually have two of these now!
7. Mess Catcher- KidKusion High Chair Splat Mat – I am in love with this thing. I have one for LeLe now and it is awesome. I started using an old sheet when we started solids with LeLe and it was such a pain to wash it all the time. This mat is super cute and it is easy to clean. I just wipe it down when I am wiping down the highchair and it is saving me a lot of time. When we aren’t using the highchair, we roll the mat up and store it in the corner of the dining room. Easy Peasy.
8. High chair- Graco Simple Switch HighChair – I love this chair. I have one for LeLe and it has a lot of great features. The tray lifts off in two areas, one push/pull system on the front that you can do with one hand, and two push/pull systems on each side to remove the tray with both hands. There is a 5 point harness that is removable and washable. The cover is also removable and washable. The chair tilts back into a reclined position as well, which is nice for when I just want to put Little Bug in something to occupy him for a while. Lastly, the legs are removable and you can strap the seat to a regular chair when they are ready to start eating at the table with everyone else. All around, great chair.
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What are some of your go-to items for when you start solids with you little ones?
kiwi / 584 posts
I wish I had known about that highchair!!!!
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Love the mesh feeder! DD barely wanted to be fed from the spoon so we went to the mesh feeder a lot sooner!
And I have the exact same chair and I love it!
nectarine / 2243 posts
Mum mums. My LO loves chomping on stuff. These dissolve almost instantly so I’m not concerned as much about choking. She started on them at 6 months. I’m amazed (and so was her pedi) at how they helped with her manipulation of foods, coordination, and taking bites/chewing. She loves the banana flavor. Yes I realize they aren’t very nutritious but they help make sitting in the high chair a positive experience.
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
I find for brand new eaters, Plum Organics puffs are the meltiest. Later on, it doesn’t matter what kind of puffs you use, but at the beginning, those were the best for baby.
I really preferred the Gerber/Nuk spoons that have the flat end that helps you scrape up the food off their face.
Powdered oatmeal or rice cereal was just gross. After a while, my son just preferred the tubs of Gerber cereal breakfasts mixed with fruit so we stuck with those.
We also gave our son a fair amount of mum mums to keep him happy while we ate our own dinners.
blogger / apricot / 378 posts
That floor mat is awesome! We have dogs so nothing lasted on the floor very long but that would have at least eliminated the dog spit marks all over my floor.
We did BLW but were huge fans of pouches for Jackson when he was first learning. We sent them to daycare a lot! He still has them on occasion, it’s the only way I can guarantee he’ll get some veggies in his system!
blogger / kiwi / 626 posts
I totally forgot about puffs and mum mums! I’ll have to pick some of those up.
blogger / kiwi / 626 posts
@Mrs. Garland: I totally get you with the dog spit. Basset hound in my house… She’s the messiest thing I have ever met.