Early Eaters: Feeding Time Accessories
Piglet bowl set // Silicone animal plates // Spoons
Food containers // Baby food book // Food masher set
Cloth bibs & silicone bibs // Freezer tray // Meal station
Elle just started eating solids a few weeks ago, and it’s been a super fun time. I loved her infant months so much, but seeing her get a little older and doing new things (like eating!) is incredible to experience. The foods she’s tried so far are: rice cereal (she was not impressed, haha), sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, apples (with cinnamon), and avocado.
The rice cereal was recommended by our pediatrician as the first solid she should experience. We learned that there is essentially little-to-no benefit for a baby to eat rice cereal from a health standpoint (the nutrients are removed somehow when it’s processed..or something like that!), but it DOES help babies get used to chewing and swallowing food, so that’s typically why most doctors say it should be the “first food”. We were also told to give each new food to her for 3 days in a row, so that we have time to notice if she has an allergic reaction to anything. So far..so good!
As far as meal time goes, we have been using these spoons everyday. They’re made from a super soft plastic, so they don’t hurt Elle even if she chomps down pretty hard (which she does sometimes..the apples with cinnamon are too good)! The spoons are sold in a set with a few colors, and they’re under $10. They also have a little “lift” on them, so that when you place them on the countertop, the part that goes in the baby’s mouth isn’t touching the dirty counter (great idea). These piglet bowls and silicone animal shaped plates are also my go-to’s.
As for bibs, I like these cloth ones. Silicone bibs are great too, since you can wipe them down really easily to clean them. However, for a 6 month old baby, I find the cloth bibs to be better since they can be used to wipe the baby’s face..and you’ll need to do that a lot!
For leftovers, I’ve been using these containers and this freezer tray (both made by Oxo). The same company also makes a little food masher which I use all the time for mashing fruits. Definitely a must-have. For foods that need to be steamed (ie vegetables), I just bought one of these “meal stations” from Williams Sonoma. You can use it for a million different things – steaming, defrosting frozen containers, making purees, etc. There’s a good video on the website that shows you everything it can do. Also – this is a great book to use as a guide for which foods are best for your baby at this stage, and as they continue to grow. Lots of great little recipe ideas!
