Starting Solids Must Haves

My son, Jack, is 7 months old, and we have been having so much fun the last few months experimenting with starting solids. We’ve been doing a mix of purees and baby-led weaning, and there have been some items that have made the journey so much easier.

Gootensi l: These baby feeding spoons have made it so much easier for Jack to learn to feed himself. I load up the spoon and wave it in front of his hand – he’s caught on so quickly to get the food into his mouth, all on his own! The inner ridges make it easy for the food to stay on the spoon until it makes it to his mouth.

ezpz Oral Development Tools: Oral mapping is so important for babies when starting solids, and these oral development tools are great to just hand over as a teether to get them used to different textures in their mouth, or to dip into a food or puree and let them guide it into their mouth.

Haakaa Feeder & Silicone Nibble Tray: A teething lifesaver! I use this to freeze breastmilk cubes, or to freeze small portions of leftover homemade or pouch puree. Pull the cubes out as needed for a quick portion that you can microwave for a meal, or insert in the soothing teether.

Fluxy Oral Sensory Toy: Another great oral mapping chew toy, this one has been a hit. Each side mimics the texture of a food to stimulate the tongue, teeth, and gums – apple, strawberry, and raspberry. These also come in different “toughness” options, too, which is helpful if your kiddo is just starting out and wants to chew something a little softer. We like to dip these or just hand them over for a teether.

Suction Plate: This one’s a no brainer – what did we do before suction plates and bowls?! Baby throws enough food on their own, we don’t need the whole plate going down with it.

Souper Cubes: One of my most used items, this is so handy for stashing leftover purees or breastmilk.

Splat Mat: Sometimes I use this, sometimes I don’t, but really, I always regret it when I don’t. One time I was giving Jack a chicken drumstick for the first time, and he threw it on the ground before getting the hang of things (that he was supposed to eat it). Thankfully I had the splat mat down, and I could confidently pick up the chicken and give back to him, without worrying about hair, dust, or dirt being stuck to it. I love that this is washable, and has a non-slip bottom.

Keekaroo Height Right High Chair: This chair is awesome. It’s useable from baby to 250lbs – yes, you can use it as an adult. I like that this one is wooden and matches my decor, rather than looking like a plastic high chair. It’s easy to reconfigure to suit our needs. This one is nearly identical to the famous Tripp Trapp high chair, at a much more palatable price.