We've been given the green light to start LO on solids. Looking for recommendations for any nifty gear I may need. Bows, spoons, etc. Already have a high chair but need recommendations for everything else. Thanks!
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http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/share-your-favorite-gear-for-starting-solids
We have 3 weeks to go... So excited (and a lil nervous haha) too! DD is beyond ready!
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@snowjewelz: haha thanks! I'm not sure if DD is ready. Maybe I'm the one not ready. How old is your DD? How do you "know" she's ready?
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We have some bowls, spoons and some bibs from shower...
DD is very interested in food
She mimics me chewing and follows us when we are eating.... they start to show an interest in it -
@Meowkers: I follow Kellymom's advice -
http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/solids-when/
Her dr gave her the green light at 4 mo's but he was very cool with us waiting to 6 months and at 5 mos 2 weeks she is pretty much hitting all the milestones needed so I'm sure by 6 mos she will be more than ready!
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These are expensive but my favorite spoons! http://www.amazon.com/BEABA-First-Silicone-Spoons-Sorbet/dp/B00HU7DLBG
I could tell when dd was really ready for solids when she would open her mouth and reach for my food when I was eating!
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We did blw, so highchair and hands were all that were required. We gave her some baby utensils to start with - I prefer the metal kind. But sh really didn't get into them until around a year. We love our ezpz happy mat, but didn't start using it until around a year.
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Bibs that are easy to clean! You may need to test a bunch of different styles, I think we bought 4 different kinds before figuring out what worked for us. We love the ones by modern twist (silicone). We're still using them now a year later! We also have placemats from the same company.
One thing that didn't work for us were those mesh or silicone baby feeders. I think they work great for some families, but our LO wasn't interested at all.
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If you plan to make your own food, get a BEABA. We made all of our own baby food and it was really simple. My son is 20 months old and I still steam veggies and make mashed potatoes in it.
Get these bowls:
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Small-Large-Bowl-Snap/dp/B0038JDUWA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1431453246&sr=8-3&keywords=oxo+bowl+non+slip -
@Alba4: Can you explain how a BEABA is different or better than a separate steamer and food processor (magic bullet.) I already have a magic bullet, a blender, a food processor and a steamer but everywhere I look there are all these baby food making machines. Are they really that much more convenient? (Maybe this should be a separate thread.)
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These spoons - great for scraping food off the face.
http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Graduates-Spoons-5-Count-Colors/dp/B007LKFW7I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431483752&sr=8-2&keywords=gerber+spoonsFinding the right bib is really tricky. The neckholes on the Bumkins one was the only one small enough for my son's neck. He still needed to wear a regular bib underneath at first, but that's what worked best. Then after a while he learned to rip off the Velcro, so we moved to the pullover kind. We have these and just use a fresh one each day:
Definitely need a splat mat of some kind. We have this one:
We get the little Ziploc or Gladware square containers - they hold 4oz each. I used pouches at the very beginning just because DS wasn't eating that much in one sitting and it made sense to squirt a tablespoon or two at every mealtime. Now that he eats 3x a day, I just make purees by steaming/nuking/boiling whatever veg or fruit we have around and mixing it up in a cheap bullet type machine and portioning it out into those little containers.
Once your kiddo can eat little bites or is on finger foods, I would get those dollar bin kiddie plates, like at Target, that have the little sections. I cut up a bunch of different things every night, like blueberries, apple sticks, steamed broccoli trees, zucchini sticks and macaroni tossed in olive oil and Parmesan and load the tray. It fits perfectly into a gallon Ziploc bag and you can just store in the fridge between meal times. I don't give DS the plate - I just pick a few things of each out and put it down on his tray and put the dish back in the fridge. That way I can make sure he gets a variety and not just puffs and yogurt melts.
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I'm unfamiliar with the magic bullet. I think the BEABA is really easy to clean. And it is smaller than a regular steamer. I just found it to be really easy to use.
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@MEOWKERS -I just googled the magic bullet. I think the BEABA is easier since it all fits together. You put the steamer basket inside the actual food processing container, fill up the water and turn on the switch. When you are done, you empty the water and then you can dump the steamed veggies directly into the food processing container and then turn the switch to blend. Less things to clean. Smaller/appropriate portions for a baby/toddler.
I would have hated to clean my entire big blender just to make smaller portions, but that was what worked for me!
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@Meowkers: So fun! I wouldn't go too crazy buying gear for baby food. We started my daughter on purees, but really within a month she wasn't very interested in them and wanted finger foods. Some babies eat 'baby food' way longer than she did, but I would have been annoyed to spend money on a bunch of stuff I used for like 3 weeks!
I just steamed or roasted veggies and harder fruits, blended them in my food processor, and froze them in ice cube trays. For soft fruits and avocados, you don't even have to cook them - just throw them in the blender or food processor. Then I just used our regular bowls to feed her from and got a big pack of baby spoons from Target.
Once she started eating finger foods, I just gave her food right on her high chair tray. Now that she's a toddler, she uses bowls and plates, but up until 18 months or so, they just would have ended up on the ground.
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