Have you been wondering what essential things you need to have for starting your baby on solids?
Five must haves regardless of whether you’re planning to do the spoon feeding purées approach, the baby led weaning approach, or a combination of both. The process of introducing a baby to solids is exciting, but a lot of parents are nervous about it.
1.High Chair.
The first must have, and the one that you will probably spend the most time deciding on is the high chair. Since you will be using it several times a day for several years, it’s best to invest in a high quality chair that will grow with your child. There are several considerations to keep in mind to ensure that your baby has the best sitting posture that facilitates a safe swallow from the beginning. This includes that your baby is sitting upright in the high chair and has the feet resting flat on a footrest. Something that I’ve learned from speech language pathologists is that when a baby’s feet are resting flat on a footrest, it stabilizes the baby’s core and facilitates a safe swallow. Unfortunately most high chairs on the market either don’t have a foot rest, or the one that comes with the chair is not adjustable.
There are several high chairs that meet the criteria.
- Nomi High Chair
I think the Nomi High Chair has the most genius design. Both the seat and footrest can be quickly and easily adjusted with no tools required. Because of the unique curvature of the stem, the seat and footrest will always be at the proper depth to facilitate a good sitting posture. It easily transforms from an infant high chair to a toddler feeding chair, and can continue to be used as a sitting chair into adulthood. Since this high chair literally grows with the child, it eliminates the need to purchase a booster seat during the toddler age range. Although this seat is on the pricier side, its design and features make it well worth the price. This chair is designed to stand directly at the dining table so the baby gets to be a part of the family mealtime from the beginning, therefore the feeding tray comes as an extra add on.
- Abiie Beyond Wooden High Chair
The Abiie Beyond Wooden High Chair is another great option. Its design makes it possible for it to go from being a baby high chair, to a toddler feeding chair, to then becoming a traditional dining chair for all ages. There are no tools needed to make the adjustments. This high chair standardly comes with a feeding tray, but it can be removed and the chair placed directly at the dining table.
- Ikea antilop high chair
The third high chair option I want to mention is Ikea antilop high chair, it can be modified to fit the criteria. Many families like this chair because it’s very affordable. Although it doesn’t come with a footrest, the brand Yeah Baby Goods has created an adjustable footrest that goes well with this chair. The little black rings slide onto the front legs and the wooden footrest sits firmly on top of them. It’s easy to adjust the position of the footrest so that your baby’s feet sit flat on it while the hips and knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Also since the seat on this chair is deep, and some of the smaller babies will end up sitting far away from the edge of the tray, a solution is to get the cushion insert from Ikea or Yeah Baby Goods.
2.Bib.
The process of your baby learning to take solids is not going to happen without mess. Don’t be surprised if most of the first food feedings end up on your baby’s face, hands or the bib. When babies start eating solids, it’s a developmental process of exposing them to new tastes and textures. So we want to give the baby an opportunity to explore, but also do the best we can to minimize the mess for you to clean up afterwards. I know that the silicone bibs with the big pocket at the bottom are very popular. And I’m not against them, but since they are heavy and wrap around the baby’s neck, some babies get frustrated feeling that pressure on the back of the neck and get distracted during the feeding because of it. For this reason a bib that’s made from a lightweight waterproof fabric is a better option.
- A great brand to check out is Bapron. They make a bib-apron hybrid that provides full-coverage and ties around the baby’s back instead of the neck.
- Another great option is the Bumkins SuperBib. It’s lightweight, waterproof and closes over the back of the baby’s shoulder with a velcro material.
- And if you would like to have a bib that provides full coverage, then check out the long sleeved bibs, such as the ones made by the brand Baby Noah. It has an adjustable adhesive strap that closes over the baby’s back. The cuffs of the sleeves fit around the baby’s wrists, to help prevent food from getting onto the arms.
3.Bowl.
Remember that in the first several months of starting solids, food will be complementary to breastmilk or formula that the baby is already taking, not a replacement. Therefore we expect that the baby will be taking small amounts of the food initially, and there is no need for a large bowl. Babies are very curious about everything, and food is no exception. Even if you’re planning to start off spoon feeding your baby purees, it’s ideal to give your baby an opportunity to reach into the feeding bowl and explore the new food of the day. If you’re doing baby-led weaning, it’s better to put the strips of food that your baby will be feeding herself into a shallow bowl, rather than putting them directly onto the feeding tray. It’s only around 9 months of age that babies typically develop the pincer grasp, the ability to pick things up using the tip of their thumb and index finger. But until then the baby will be using all fingers in a raking like motion to pick the food up. The walls of a bowl will actually make it easier for the baby to grasp the strips of food, and make for a less frustrating experience than sliding the food around on the feeding tray in an effort to grasp it. Babies have a tendency to grab items and throw them down, the bowls that suction onto surfaces are ideal. There are a lot of options out there.
- Personally, the ezpz tiny bowl is the best one on the market for starting solids. It’s perfect for first foods, such as purees, yogurt and baby cereal, and also supports the baby-led weaning method of feeding.
- Another great option is the ezpz Mini Mat. It’s an all-in-one placemat and plate that suctions to the table. I like that it has three different compartments. This especially comes in handy if you’re planning to do a combination approach of spoon feeding your baby a puree and giving your baby the opportunity to explore and self feed that same food cut up into strips and placed into one of the other compartments. And it also works well to have the new food in one of the compartments, and then add another one or two foods that the baby has already had before into the other compartments to make for a more balanced meal.
4.Spoon.
When choosing a feeding spoon, something to keep in mind is that babies gnaw on everything, and with teething it intensifies. Spoons that are made of a soft silicone are more gentle on the gums and teeth. If you plan to start off spoon feeding your baby purees, then the First Essentials Rest Easy Spoons are a great choice. I also recommend having a small handled baby self feeding spoon that you give your baby to hold and experiment with for at least several minutes during the mealtime. Learning to self feed is an important developmental milestone, and there is no reason to put off giving your baby the opportunity to start learning the skill set from the beginning of the feeding process. And if you’re doing the baby led weaning approach, purees are still a texture and consistency that your baby should experience. With this approach you would be loading the puree, yogurt or baby cereal onto the spoon and your baby would be the one putting it in the mouth.
- The ezpz tiny spoon has a thick non-slip round handle that makes it easy for the baby to hold. It also has sensory bumps on the spoon bowl which serve to activate sensory awareness to decrease gagging.
- Another great option is the Olababy Soft Tip Training Spoon. It’s made of a flexible food grade silicone, and easy for the baby to hold. A feature that many parents like about this spoon is that it has a wide base, allowing the parent to preload the spoon with food and stand it upright for the baby to pick up and self feed.
5.Cup.
The fifth must have is an open cup. Did you know that the first type of cup you should introduce to your baby is an open cup? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies start drinking from a cup at 6 months of age. There are many benefits to teaching a baby to drink from an open cup. It facilitates the development of muscles in the baby’s mouth and oral motor skills that will help with forming sounds as your baby starts learning to speak. It also allows your baby to learn a more mature swallowing pattern.
The open cup that’s most suitable to use starting around 6 months is the Tiny Cup. It’s adorable, and was designed by a speech language pathologist to fit the baby’s mouth and little hands.