Starting solids with your baby is one of the most awaited milestones, a mixed bag of fun, mess, and stress, all at the same time. Discovering how your baby will respond to trying solid foods will be an interesting situation to say the least. I know it was for me. It definitely took time to feed my baby foods that she never ate normally and physically demonstrating how to eat solid foods for the first time. During my sister’s first pregnancy, she had this tendency to overanalyze every option, caught in a cycle of overthinking–from assessing the quality of feeding essentials to figuring out the right food to serve to have a list of do’s and don’ts— she could easily find herself stumped with the vast amount of details to mull over before making any decision.

And you might be going through the same predicament as she did. If you do, we’re here to lighten your load and ease your worries by answering your most pressing questions about solid food and the best feeding products to buy for your baby. 

Baby Feeding Essentials for Starting Solid Food

 

1. High Chair or Booster Seat

 

Getting the right high chair that suits your baby’s needs is tantamount to preventing him from becoming a fussy eater. If a child keeps fidgeting, shifting around every few seconds in his chair, there’s no way he’d learn to appreciate the food served at his table. Having a high chair or booster will make feeding your little one much easier since it holds them in place from shifting around. It also will seat your baby upright so you can better feed them in a more comfortable position. Another added benefit is the booster will teach your baby the proper postur of sitting and helps them get accustomed to sitting up to eat so they can digest food properly. I never knew the added benefit of high chairs until I did more research. I found that doctors recommend a high chair for feeding babies properly because it encourages proper digesting habits for your baby. 

BABELIO Portable Baby Booster Seat – Foldable Dining Chair with Adjustable Tray for 6-36 Months

To ensure we get to choose the right high chair for our little ones, here are features we need to consider when buying one:

Footrest

Babies can’t sit still for long periods like adults, so having a footrest for support is essential. Additionally, a footrest encourages active sitting, improves posture, and better body support, among other benefits.

Accommodate Your Growing Baby

Purchasing a high chair with a weight capacity of 110 kilograms is practical as there’s no need to get a replacement when your baby grows in size and weight.

Adjustable Footrest and Height

Ensure that the footrest and height of the chair can be adjusted to ensure that they always take on an ideal seating position, helping them develop a good posture for a healthier back and spine.

Harness

When seated on a high chair, it’s a given that babies should be supervised for safety reasons. Nonetheless, things can go south real quick when dealing with kids— we just can’t predict their next move. Having harness strap belts to keep them in their seat is crucial to deter them from falling off the chair.

 

2. Bibs and Splat Mat

 

With babies, it’s a never-ending battle to keep the messes at bay. Before you know it, their table is a messy mixture of spills and smudges. We can stay one step ahead by keeping bibs and mess mats handy to prevent those spills and sticky spots sneak through their clothes. If you opt to have a waterproof bib then you may only need one or two, however, if you would like a cloth bib, then I would suggest for you to have more than one. Cloth bibs stain easier so you will need to wash them more frequently than waterproof bibs. 

Kids treating their table as a playground, however, is something we must embrace as babies who play with food are less likely to be picky eaters. So, despite the mess, we couldn’t care less because messy eating in children turns them into adventurous eaters, munching almost anything you serve at the table.

To help you manage the mess and ease the stress, here’s a waterproof bib with a catch pocket to save the day, keeping your baby’s clothes clean and dry. As for the food crumbs dropping onto the floor, this Splat Mat placed under the high chair can catch every crumb and scrap of food, making cleanup a breeze.

 

3. Plates and Bowls

Introducing solids to babies can be stressful for most of us. But there’s a way to make it less of a hassle by using the right feeding product. Babies would not eat anything that stinks. Silicon-based plates or bowls may be safe and sturdy but they start to emit a foul smell after repeated use. Using bamboo plates and bowls for babies would be ideal as bamboo does not hold odor and is easy to clean. They also have suction bases that keep them in place –  something that comes in handy as kids can be quite clumsy, and prone to knocking things over.

 

4. Soft Baby Spoons

 

It is essential to get some baby spoons for your little one since using regular adult spoons hold too much food and are too wide for your baby’s mouth. Choosing baby spoons that are bright in color also entice babies and studies have shown that the bright colors can make them feel excited to eat. Using a spoon for the first time is not easy for our little ones. To make the smooth transition from picking up food from their fingers to using a spoon to feed themselves, providing them with a properly designed spoon that suits them well is vital.

First, let us specify some types of spoons to avoid:

Flexible Spoons– They tend to bend a lot which makes it harder for your baby not only to get the spoon into his mouth but also to scoop out the food from the plate–leaving him utterly frustrated 

Wide Bowled Spoon

Baby’s mouth is quite small, and giving him a spoon with wide bowls can be downright uncomfortable. The spoon’s large bowl also causes your baby to gag once it touches the gag reflex, which is located at the front of the tongue.

Spoons With Deep Bowls

Clearing the food off the spoon is one of the skills developed when a child starts eating solids. Should we give them spoons with deep bowls, it will be hard for them to slide the food into their mouth. A spoon with a narrow and shallow bowl, such as the Munchkin White Hot Safety Spoon is a great choice. Aside from ticking all the boxes, it also has a color-activated tip that’s triggered based on how hot the food is– a feature that’s nice to have to ensure your baby’s food is at a temperature he’s comfortable with.

 

5. Training Cups

 

Training cups can help your baby better transition off feeding from a bottle. This was a struggle for my little one at first since she always wanted her bottle. She always used to cry when I took it from her but I would give her both the bottle in the training cup to get her accustomed to holding it. Slowly but surely she eventually liked holding the double cup more than the bottle so I slowly starting giving her liquids in the training cup. There are different types of baby cups available on the market but straw and open cups are the most ideal. Not only are they spill-proof, but they’re also highly recommended for promoting your baby’s oral motor development. Using these cups compels your baby to move his lips, tongue, and cheek muscles. As a result, he will be adopting a more mature swallowing pattern, which helps in fast-tracking his speech development and eating skills.

6. Tools for Crafting Homemade Baby Food

This tool may not be essential for new mothers but will be something you might want to look into if you prefer healthier options for your baby. I have a blender with a food steamer to make all my baby food purees and they have been very beneficial. I often worry about all the ingredients in some of the store bought baby food and I would rather feed my baby something that I know is healthy and organic. There also options for a combined baby food maker if you want to get fancy but a good old blender should work fine.

7. Food Storage Containers

It is essential to have the proper storage containers for storing baby food in order to keep food fresh and contaminant-free. Storage containers that are stackable and BPA free are exactly what you need. They have been convenient for me since there isn’t much space in my fridge most of the time, thanks to my chef husband, lol. Stackable containers have helped me conserve space and have more room for storing baby bottles and such.

8. Self-feeding Utensils 

These type of utensils are helpful to introduce to your baby earlier on once they start eating solid foods because they help your baby’s motor skills. These utensils usually have short wide handles that are easy for babies to pick up. It may take your little one some time to get the movement right but eventually they will learn how to feed themself. It is better to start introducing these utensils to your baby once they can start picking things up with their hands. This will help you save time in the long run when you don’t have to sit and feed your baby.

Here are some valuable tips and recommendations that could help.

 

Most Commonly Asked Questions on Starting Solid Food

 

1. When Do Babies Start Eating Solid Food?

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies should be fed with solid food around 6 months old. And at 7-8 months old, parents can introduce a myriad of foods from different food groups. These edibles could include the following: cereals, grains, meat, and other sources of protein, fruits, vegetables, and more. Variety is the key because too much of anything is not good for your baby’s health.

 

When introducing food to your little one, start slowly and serve him one food at a time to figure out if he has an allergic reaction to certain food items. It’s advisable to wait three to five days before introducing new food to munch on so you can determine what is causing the allergies.

If you suspect your child is prone to allergies, please consult your doctor for further guidance and help.

 

Here are just some of the foods that trigger allergic reactions.

 

• Eggs
• Milk
• Sesame 
• Wheat
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Soy

 

2. What Are the First Solid Foods to Introduce to a 6 Month Old ?

 

Children between birth up until 3 years of age can rapidly achieve key milestones, such as early physical growth and development. My sister, upon the advice of her pediatrician, prioritized introducing nutrient-dense food to my nephew, such as iron-rich foods as breastfed babies are quite deficient in this mineral. Food rich in Vitamin C is also suggested as it can help increase iron absorption. Nonetheless, iron rich food must come from different sources, such as iron (Non-heme) and iron (Heme)

 

Non-heme Iron: Green leafy vegetables, tofu, legumes, and more

 

Iron (heme): Egg, fish, chicken liver, beef and lamb, etc.

 

Important: Food should be pureed or finely minced for easy digestion and consumption.

 

Safety Considerations When Introducing Solid Food

 

1. Never introduce honey in your baby’s diet under age one (1). Honey contains toxin producing bacteria that can adversely impact your baby’s intestine.

 

1. Be wary of food that triggers allergic reactions in children

 

1. Cow’s milk should not be given on its own to kids less than 12 months old. Other dairy-based milk is allowed for as long as they don’t have an allergic reaction to anything dairy.

 

1. Be mindful of potential choking hazards when introducing solid foods to babies.

 

1. Start slowly to ensure they’re ingesting just the right amount of food.