Solid Food Feeding Supplies
Page Updated on July 28, 2007
- Baby food (stock up) Make sure you buy the baby food appropriate for your baby's age. I started buying baby food even before my baby was old enough to eat it, so I could stock up during sales. (It's expensive!) I knew she would get it eventually, and it has a long shelf life. I highly recommend making your own baby food to save money, but you will need bottled baby food for eating out and emergencies.
- Homemade baby food cookbook (1) Homemade baby food is a great way to save money, and it really doesn't take that much time. Purchase a homemade baby food cookbook to get yourself started. Eventually you won't need the cookbook because you'll be able to just smoosh up the food that the rest of your family eats for dinner, but it's a must for first timers.
Mommy Made and Daddy Too: Home Cooking for a Healthy Baby and Toddler is my favorite cookbook out there when it comes to baby food. It has sound advice about the nutrition needs of children starting at birth through age three, how to introduce your child to solid foods, how to detect and deal with food allergies, and of course how to prepare baby food along with recipes.
- Food grinder / food mill (1) This is necessary if you plan on making your own baby food. It mashes the food up into that baby food consistency. Look around for one with features that fit your needs (e.g. electric or manual, twist or push to smoosh, etc.). Food mills seem to make a smoother texture, but grinders are often more portable. To save money, I bought a small, portable grinder, which works great for most foods (and it works as a citrus juicer too). Foods that didn't get smooth enough just got an extra grinding or were pushed through a mesh strainer (which was a bit of extra work, so I just saved those coarser foods until baby got a bit older and could handle them).
- Ice cube trays (2-4) If you make your own baby food, you can save time by making it in batches and freezing it in ice cube trays. Then you can thaw out as many cubes as you need when it's time for your baby to eat.
- High chair / booster seat (1) There are basic high chairs and high chairs that will double as something else, such as a swing. If you wish to purchase a high chair, look for the basics: easy to wash seat cover (fabric is better than cold, sticky plastic), easy to remove and wash tray, meets JPMA standards, and is easy to get your kid in and out of it. Highchairs usually require a lot of space (even the compact ones) and should not be placed near tables, counters, or walls which baby could push on, causing the highchair (baby and all) to fall over, so consider if you have the room and an adequate location for one before you buy one. There are also convertible booster seats seats that can sit on the floor and be used as an infant chair and can be strapped to a chair and be used as a high chair. Then later you can take the tray off and use it as a booster seat. They're less expensive than high chairs, and you'll get much more use out of them. Plus, you can easily travel with them. The only drawback is that they don't have very big trays, so your baby won't have the workspace he may want when he decides to create works of art with his food.
The First Years 4 Stage Feeding Seat® is great for infants. It's portable and versatile. You can use it as an infant seat or a feeding seat. Strap it onto a chair and junior can eat with the family at dinner. If you have a bit more room to work with and don't need the portability, try getting a quality high chair like Simplicity Plus Highchair® by Evenflo or the Trend Highchair® by Baby Trend.
- Washable bibs (4 per day) Many people like vinyl bibs because they are waterproof, keeping messes from leaking through to the baby's clothes. However, these types of bibs can crack and break apart over time. You can purchase washable cloth bibs with a waterproof backing that will do the same thing as the vinyl but won't break down as quickly. Plus, they're just more comfortable for baby. When it comes to bibs for feedings, bigger is better. If you're using a bib for drooling, stick with the smaller cloth ones.
- Plastic food dish (4) Eventually your little one will want to feed herself, so she'll need food dishes that she can't break (which is where the plastic comes in) and have steep edges to hold the food in place while she scoops it up, so a regular plastic plate won't do. You'll also need to consider food dishes when you're out and about. Many people feed their baby straight from the jar instead of using a food dish when traveling, but if you do this, your baby's saliva could contaminate the food so that leftovers can't be eaten later.
The folding bowl that comes with the Gerber On the Go Feeding Set® is my favorite. It has a compartment for baby food jars and utensils and a place to hold the food. When you're all finished, just fold it up and stick it in your diaper bag. Gerber also doesn't use PVC in any of it's products, so you can be sure that your baby's food dishes will be PVC free.
- Infant feeding utensils (4 sets) Adult sized utensils are just too big for babies to manipulate and get into their mouth. Make sure that there are no rough edged, and forks should not be sharp.
- Spill-proof cups (2-6) When it's time to transition from bottle to cup, you'll need to purchase cups that will allow your child to still use the tried-and-true sucking motions but learn how to hold and use a cup.
Avent's Magic Cup Trainers® are great for transitioning between bottles and cups. The tops can attach right onto the bottom of Avent bottles, so if you use Avent bottles, you'll instantly have lots of cups. They also attach to the Avent Isis Breast Pump, so you can pump breast milk directly into the cup, reducing opportunities for contamination. Plus, they're spill proof, and the handles can be removed with your baby is able to hold onto the cups without the handles. If you want to save money, skip buying the cups and just get the spouts and handles separately and attach them to your Avent bottles.
...by Feed