Regardless of what your approach to starting solids is (and there is no wrong answer, trust your gut!) it's important to feel prepared. When you have the right tools it makes the journey much more enjoyable, especially because it can be such a harrowing experience. Deep breaths! You got this.
Here are the essential items that have made starting solids with my baby easier and smoother.
The Set Up & Tools
The right tools will make or break your experience.
Highchair or Booster Seat
I ate in front of the TV for the last decade (at least!) before having a baby. But as soon as my son started eating solids, we moved into the kitchen so we could all sit together and build healthy habits and routines as a family eating together. A good baby booster seat or high chair (read our review of the Evenflo Bria RightSeat Multistage High Chair) makes all the difference!
Suction Bowls and Plates
We started with some silicone suction bowls and eventually graduated into needing some silicone suction plates as the food because more diverse and solid. The suction cup feature is a requirement unless you like cleaning oatmeal up off your floor (spoiler alert you're probably going to be cleaning up at least some of the floor anyways but hopefully not the entire bowl's worth.)
The silicone suction plates come with sectioned areas so you can offer multiple foods and let your baby explore the unique tastes and textures.
Silicone Bibs
Using a silicone bib will not prevent your baby from making a mess, I'm pretty sure that's impossible. But they will help you to contain some of the mess and catch a lot of the food that would otherwise end up in their lap. Silicone is flexible and easy to wash.
Baby Spoons (First and Second Stage)
Now personally, our baby mostly uses his hands when he eats. I am an advocate of making a mess and letting them experience the texture and exploring with curiosity but using utensils is an important skill to practice! We loved the silicone spoons that come with both first stage and second stage feeding.
The first stage design has a zig zagged hole in the spoon and it allows you to mash foods and offers it to your baby. They chew on the spoon and get a taste of the food. The second stage spoon is a regular spoon for once they are ready to level up and start scooping themselves.
The silicone is soft on their gums and easy to clean.
Sippy Cups
Around 6 months old, babies can start drinking regular water. We started with a spill-proof sippy cup with handles. Our son was a big fan right away but he did need a hand learning to tip the cup to get the water out. So we tried a spill-proof cup with a built-in straw and now he is chugging back water every day. We got a few more and new we keep one with his high chair and one stays in his play area so he can help himself whenever he wants to.
Food & Prep Essentials
These are the essentials that made our journey solids feel much easier!
Iron-Fortified Oatmeal
When babies are born, they have a natural store of iron that they got from their mom during pregnancy. For the first few months, that’s enough to support their growth. But by about 6 months, that store is mostly used up.
Silicone Feeding Soothers
At first we used these silicone feeder pacifiers for introducing foods that were too solid to serve in pieces but still squish-able, like watermelon. Then we kept using them for teething, we would fill them with some frozen fruit which provided a lot of relief and it was tasty. And now I continue to use them just tp serve my son a tasty frozen treat, or I'll put a dried apricot in one to keep him busy during a car ride or long walk.
Kitchen Sheers
Cutting on a cutting board with a knife while you have a baby in your hand? NO THANK YOU. Using kitchen sheers to chop up your baby's noodles or food right on the plate/bowl? Yes please! This is not a baby tool per se but it has been a huge blessing when I have my hands full and I recommend every new parent have a pair in the kitchen.
Silicone Muffin Tins
These were an unexpected life-saver with a baby. Every time I make soup or broth, I save the leftovers in the freezer in our silicone muffin tin. Then I pop them out, put them in a large freezer bag and boom! You've got an easy meal for your baby for those days that you are low on groceries or don't know what to cook.
Pouch Making Kit
You can buy premade food ouches from the store, but they are often full of preservatives and sugar. I found that making my own pouches in a big batch and then freezing them is easy and I can trust I know what my baby is eating. They thaw quickly in my diaper bag on the go or under a bit of warm water.
All you need is a blender or food processor and a Squeeze Station.
I fill these pouches with apple sauce and most commonly greek yogurt blended with local or organic fruit. You can buy frozen fruit any time of the year and create fun combinations with banana pineapple or strawberry mango - yum!
The Clean Up
Get ready for this to become your full-time job.
Muslin Clothes/Wipes
Don't you dare get rid of all your burp clothes after the spit up stage os over. We go through at least 3-5 clothes every day after meal times. We love the Muslin cloths that we got as a gift, they are soft, durable and machine washable.
Eating On The Go
Don't let eating out scare you, you got this!
Clip-On High Chair
One time we pulled up to a restaurant and their highchair looked like it was from 1974. Luckily we had our own clip-on high chair that wasn't cracked, crooked and stained. Some restaurants only have one high chair and if you're the second family to arrive you're out of luck. And some restaurants only have booster seats when your baby needs full support and straps. When you bring your own high chair, you never have to reply on others to have a great meal with your family. We keep our in the car at all times.
