Starting Solids! The baby feeding Essentials.

Yes, this is essentially a post about spoons and plates. And I wish it was as simple as picking cute colors and shapes. But as a first-time parent, you realize the whole idea of your baby starting to eat anything other than milk is quite scary and overwhelming. Or maybe you’re beginning the baby weaning with your next child, and this time, you want to do things a bit differently.

AAP recommends starting babies on solids at 6 months old. However, The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) recommends introducing highly allergenic foods to babies as early as 4 to 6 months. This is because research shows that delaying the introduction of these foods can increase the risk of developing allergies. We started feeding my son around 5.5 months old to take advantage of this time window.

one anxious parent

As a first-time mom, I was riddled with anxiety. The choking hazards, gagging, building independent eating skills, what style of weaning to choose (purees, BLW aka baby-led weaning or a combo of both?), the source of foods (homemade vs. store-bought?), food contamination (like heavy metals)- the mental load is a lot to take in. Does the food need to be organic? Is my son getting appropriate nutrition? How do I make sure not to project my pickiness on him? Don’t even start me on possible allergic reactions.

I sent my husband and myself to the CPR class and ensured we always had a bottle of children’s Benadryl nearby. I would watch my son like a hawk every time I fed him. Thankfully, we have had no issues so far.

We’ve made beautiful memories (and adorable videos) of my baby trying new things for the first time, and it is incredibly gratifying when you see your child’s skills growing daily. There’s just something primal and instinctive about seeing your child eat.

Clean products

I believe it’s important to be mindful of what we buy, especially for our kids. Our knowledge of the dangers of plastics and chemicals added to everyday items is developing, and aware consumers and new companies are changing the market.

On the other hand, it’s easy to drive yourself crazy trying to avoid everything that might be harmful in our surrounding world. Sometimes, we must choose what is more beneficial to our child—a sane parent or an anxious, joyless one pursuing an utterly nontoxic lifestyle (a hint—it’s impossible).

How you handle this transition entirely depends on your parenting style.

However, having the right tools and information can ease some of that anxiety and make the entire process easier.

Of course, every child is different, but this is the feeding essentials list of items we’ve used, loved, and can genuinely recommend.

1. HIGHCHAIR

It’s one of the most essential baby products. It’s not just a tall chair. The ideal ergonomic design has five characteristics: safety, comfort, ease of use, performance, and aesthetics.

The ideal highchair:
– is sturdy, has a comfortable seat;
– has an adjustable footrest (it reduces the risk of choking and helps maintain the correct posture);
– should come with a removable, easy-to-clean tray;
– has an easy-to-buckle harness for safety;
– grows with the child and adjusts to their needs. The 6-month-old wobbly baby eats differently than a mobile 2-year-old;
– lasts through multiple children (and maybe even grandchildren!).

Some parents use one chair for starting solids and later transition to a booster seat attached to a regular dining chair. I prefer, if possible, to buy fewer things that can adjust to our changing needs.

STOKKE TRIPP TRAPP

We’ve been using the famous Stokke Tripp Trapp, first designed in 1972 and loved by parents to this day! It truly is a testament to the value of a good design. This minimal chair is versatile; it grows with the child, and after 50 years, it still looks modern and beautiful. It comes with a soft, washable baby insert and a safety harness. The harness was a bit complicated to adjust initially and has some learning curve, but it is now easy once I figured it out once.

Initially, we used the chair with the included tray, which was easy to remove and wash in the sink. Once my son started protesting while sitting in it, all it took was removing the tray and moving the high chair to our dining table. He could share the table and dining experience with us and was a happy little camper again.

Stokke even offers an additional baby insert, which I plan on buying if we have another child.

2. plate & BOWL

When it comes to feeding essentials for babies, the plates and bowls are a true must-have. I initially bought a beautiful silicone feeding set for my son. The colors are irresistible, and technically, food-grade silicones are considered non-toxic. However, there have been concerns about silicone leaching toxic chemicals into food at higher temperatures, especially when in contact with fats (hello, milk!). But this is not why I don’t recommend them.

After some use, my husband noted that all the food off our baby’s plate tasted like soap. I recommend putting the milk in the bottle with a silicone spout and tasting it after 45 minutes. Yuck.

Some people claim you can eliminate the soapy taste from the silicone by baking it in the oven or scrubbing it with lemon, soda, or vinegar. I recommend switching to non-scented dish soap and dishwasher tablets. However, to me, this proves that silicone is not as chemically stable as it’s marketed to be. And it’s just simply a lot of hassle.

What to use instead of silicone

Later, I bought a bamboo plate that molded and cracked quickly. There are also ceramic, non-toxic toddler plate options, but in my experience, if you want to spend your money just once, get a stainless-steel plate. You won’t ever have to worry about weird taste, breaking, molding, or cracking. And unlike plastic or silicone, we can use it for baby weaning for our following children. (When those crack, they should be thrown away.)

The two best options I have found are:

AHIMSA BALANCED BITES DIVIDED PLATE

Surprisingly, for stainless steel, it comes in additional colorful blue or rainbow options. Easy to clean, durable, and lightweight. They don’t have a suction bottom attachment, but I haven’t found this to be a massive issue with my son.

AHIMSA BABY BOWL

This tiny 8 oz (3.9″ D) lightweight bowl can be engaging for babies with its beautiful colors and mirrored interior finish. The downside is that it’s only sold in sets (like this Starting Solids Set or pack of 4).

AVANCHY DIVIDED TODDLER PLATE

The only quality suction stainless steel plate I’ve found! It’s a bit heavier than Ahimsa, but overall, a brilliant choice. The suction bottom comes in fun colors and is removable. Unfortunately, they are often sold out, but I was delighted when I finally snatched one.

AVANCHY STAINLESS STEEL BABY BOWL

This small 10 oz (5 in diameter) bowl is perfect for tiny hands starting to eat purees or oatmeal. Double-wall insulation helps keep food at a desired temperature. It also comes with a lid and can later serve as a snack cup.

3. UTENSILS

Baby utensils are one of the items I believe silicone, even with its dubious nature, is the best choice for, at least initially. While my son was learning to eat by holding a spoon or fork, I was comfortable knowing the soft material wouldn’t hurt his gums and growing teeth. The baby utensils are not in prolonged contact with high-temperature foods, and I used non-toxic dish soap for washing. As soon as he became more dexterous, we switched to stainless steel toddler utensils (with silicone handles for an easy grip).

EZPZ TINY SPOON TWIN PACK

This is a great first baby spoon. It’s tiny, fits the child’s grip perfectly, and is easily maneuverable. The spoon features small sensory bumps that help create the baby’s sensory awareness, map the mouth, and decrease gagging and the risk of choking. It was really interesting to see my son grabbing it for the first time and just knowing what to do with it immediately.

WEE SPROUT STAINLESS STEEL TODDLER UTENSILS

ELK & FRIENDS STAINLESS STEEL SPOONS + FORKS

Both Wee Sprout and Elk & Friends offer the best of both worlds: stainless steel tips for durable, non-toxic utensils, and silicone handles for an easy-to-hold, non-slip grip.

4. BIBS

I’m not as concerned about the materials in the bibs, as these items don’t interact directly or for a long time with the hot food. We use two types of bibs interchangeably, and we found they both have distinctive uses.

MUSHIE SILICONE BABY BIB

Most of the time, we use these silicone bibs with integrated food catcher. They are easy to put on and off, and a breeze to clean. And they catch a bunch of food that could otherwise go to waste. There are many bibs of this type on the market, but Mushie has the most adorable patterns, and I like their fastening design. Made with food-grade silicone, they are also BPA, BPS, PVC, and phthalate-free. You can squeeze them in the diaper bag for a restaurant lunch easily.

MUSHIE LONG SLEEVE BABY BIB

We use the long-sleeved bib if we know it will be messy food (like yogurt) or highly pigmented (like beet puree). The fabric bibs are great overall, but the food catchers don’t work as well, as they stay flat on the body. This Mushie product is sized for 6-24-month-old babies. The water-resistant, easily cleanable fabric can be machine-washed as well.

ZOE & CO BABY LONG SLEEVE BIB

My son was almost always a 99% for both height and weight. He outgrew the 24-month size at 15 months old. For bigger kids, I found this great bib on Amazon. It’s sized for 6 to 36 months. What appeals to me most is that the food catcher pocket is sewn in at chest height, not at the bottom of the bib, like in other popular brands (like Tiny Twinkle or Bumkins). I feel like it helps to catch the mess a bit more.

5. OPEN CUP & STRAW CUP

Open-cup and straw drinking are important skills for babies to learn and can be introduced to babies at 6 months old. But babies are notorious for spilling things, so why would anyone want to do that? They promote good oral-motor development and are better than hard-spout sippy cups for speech development (that can prevent proper tongue-tip elevation). Drinking from open and straw cups is a lifelong skill, unlike bottle and sippy cup drinking. These must be dropped at some point to avoid speech delay, improper tooth development, and tooth decay. The idea is not to immediately switch all milk/water drinking to an open cup, but rather a slow introduction and skill building.

The stainless-steel cups and bottles might be too heavy at this stage, whereas plastic and soft silicone are much easier to handle and more comfortable for a baby’s mouth. I would just make sure they are hand-washed with non-toxic, scentless soap. Switching to stainless steel might be a good idea when a child gains confidence and reaches the toddler stage.

BABY – EZPZ MINI CUP + STRAW TRAINING SYSTEM

This 4oz (2.5″ D) tiny cup is made from 100% Silicone (BPA, BPS, PVC, phthalate, and latex free). It doubles as an open and straw cup. I tried the stainless steel cup that came in one of our Lovevery play kits, but it was too hard for my son. The silicone just worked much better here.

BABY: MUNCHKIN CAT STRAW CUP

This stainless steel straw cup is ideal for small babies. Its double-insulated wall keeps the liquid temperature cool for up to 15 hours. This can be really helpful in the summer or for travel. It features a handle designed specifically for baby’s hands. However, the lid and straw parts are made of plastic and silicone, so it’s not 100% non-toxic.

TODDLER: ZAK KELSO STAINLESS STEEL STRAW CUP

This popular 12-oz capacity toddler cup similarly features a stainless steel body, and a silicone- and plastic-made lid and straw. I wish the brand offered a few more non-licensed/original graphic designs. The manufacturer recommends this cup for children 3 years and older, but many children (including my son) have used it since around 1-1.5 years old.

CAMELBAK EDDY+ STAINLESS STEEL INSULATED KIDS BOTTLE

Another toddler favorite. This durable 12-oz water bottle, which is insulated and easy to carry, features fun yet tasteful original graphics. We use it interchangeably with Zak, usually for outdoor use.

6. HELPFUL baby weaning products & RESOURCES

SOLID STARTS

Solid Starts is a fantastic website, with an Instagram page and an app. They offer countless resources about feeding babies and children. The most useful is the free food database. It features information about allergens, safe ways to cut and serve the food to reduce choking hazards, and age recommendations. They primarily advocate for baby-led weaning, but even when I started my son on purees, I found it immensely helpful.

TOP ALLERGEN INTRODUCTION KIT

As recommended by AAAI, the idea is that early introduction (as early as 4 months old) to allergens and subsequent consistent exposure might help prevent children from developing food allergies. It is especially important for baby weaning to include things like peanut butter, eggs, and milk.

Ready Set Food! offers packets of powdered allergenic foods. Is this product necessary? No. But it has made my life so much easier. The mental load of keeping track of the exposure and all the prep work required to add these foods regularly to the baby’s diet is a lot on top of regular feeding. I simply mixed a pouch with baby oatmeal once a day. A few different companies are offering similar products. However, the Ready Set Food stage-based process made the most sense to me.

Did this work for us? It’s tough to tell. Our parents haven’t used this kind of approach, and both my husband and I have no major food allergies. And so far, my 2-year-old son hasn’t developed any either, which we’re grateful for. But I felt like I did everything in my power to ensure that.

The cleanup

PURACY DISHWASHER DETERGENT PACS

I started using these non-toxic dishwasher tablets when I realized how strong of a chemical smell and taste my regular dishwasher tablets left on my son’s silicone items. But the smell was also present on other ceramic dishes. The Puracy tablets work just as well as other popular brands, but they don’t leave your plates smelling like chemical orange.

DAPPLE BABY BOTTLE & DISH SOAP

Made with plant-based ingredients without phthalates, parabens, SLS, SLES, and dyes. It comes in fragrance-free or a few scented options. The nurse gave it to me at the hospital when I gave birth, and I haven’t stopped using it ever since. I love that this pure, non-toxic dishwasher soap is third-party tested and has a purity award.

I have a few in travel size for when we go abroad, and their cleaning wipes for pumping parts saved me when we were driving for 5 hours on our trip in South America when my son was 4 months old. He refused to breastfeed in the bright surroundings, so I was pumping with my Elvie and giving him milk in the bottle the whole ride.

CATCHY THE FOOD CATCHER

This plastic tray can be added to the bottom of different highchair models to catch all the messes made by the baby/toddler. When I first saw this product, I thought it was silly and redundant. What’s the difference between cleaning the floor and the tray? I finally caved in when I couldn’t handle the mess on the floor anymore. And I was very wrong; this silly thing saved my sanity (and the living room carpet). So, I had to include it in this feeding essentials list.

It won’t catch everything if your child likes to throw stuff around, but it will usually catch most of the food. It’s not only so much easier to clean and maintain than the floor, but if I keep it clean and sanitized, I don’t feel bad picking a piece of food and giving it back to the baby. The tray is made from non-toxic, BPA-free, PVC-free, and food-safe material.

BLACK + DECKER DUSTBUSTER HANDHELD VACUUM

Crumbs. A toddler is a crumb-making machine. I don’t always feel like getting my large vacuum out of the closet. This little thing is right there, next to the play and dining area, charged and ready to go. It’s not the most powerful vacuum out there, but it’s good enough for small pieces of food and easy to clean. The bowl, filter, and pre-filter can be washed, so no additional purchases are required. It’s cordless and has a dock station that doubles as a charger.

Unless you have a dog, then you probably won’t need it.