As a first-time mom, I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of researching everything marketed to me for baby meals. From blenders to training cups, do we really need all that to ensure successful mealtimes? Likely not. But they would definitely make our daily routines a bit easier.

Here are five categories of items I’d recommend getting to help you when you feed solids to your baby.

1. A high chair.

For safety reasons, a high chair is important as it comes with a harness to prevent your child from slipping or falling. We have the Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair (Complete Set) and love it! Not only is it highly recommended by feeding experts and pediatric therapists (posture + footrest), it’s also a chair for life as it converts to hold up to a 110 kg (242.5 lbs) adult.

One thing to note is that suction bowls don’t work on the tray, but this isn’t an issue for us. Babies will figure out how to peel off the suction bowls/plates eventually anyway, and we won’t be using the tray forever as the chair can tuck into a regular table.

2. Silicone bibs.

There are a ton of bibs on the market in various shapes and materials, but what’s been working best for us during mealtimes is the silicone bib with a “food catcher” (pocket). I’m sure most of the ones in the market are similar, but our favourite ones are from Loulou Lollipop. I recommend having three of these on rotation (one for each meal). We have the bibs in Mushroom, Terracotta, and Slate (use code JESSYTEN for $10 off $40 until July 28, 2021).

We like them for a variety of reasons:

• They’re super easy to clean (top rack dishwasher-safe, although we’ve only hand washed them).

• They don’t stain.

• They’re made of 100% food grade silicone and are BPA-free.

• They fold/roll up easily for storage without losing their shape.

• The pocket catches all of the food that baby drops, which you can pick up and place back into their bowl.

• The neck size is adjustable so it’s perfect for baby to grow with.

• We love Loulou Lollipop’s colour options. (This is not an ad!)

3. A variety of baby dishes.

We have a few plates/bowls and utensils on rotation. Most of them are made of silicone, which is great for the same reasons listed above.

For any of the well.ca items below, you can use the coupon code JESSYTEN for $10 off $40 (and free shipping over $35) until July 28, 2021.

Here’s a list of what we own and why we like them. I’d recommend getting at least one small bowl (from the “beginner” section below) and one divided plate (from the “advanced” section).

Depending on how you wish to feed your baby (baby-led feeding or purées) or how often you do your dishes, your family’s needs may be different. For reference, we do a mixed approach to feeding and we sometimes just use our regular bowls and plates for convenience.

• For beginner eaters:

  • Ezpz Tiny Set - We love this as a beginner set because it comes with a bowl, cup, and two spoons. The size of the spoon is perfect for little hands and mouths. We’ve been using this set since we started feeding Reese solids at four months old.

  • Bumkins Silicone First Feeding Set - We have this in grey, but I regret not getting the pretty marble set! I love the bowl because it has a little lip to prevent spillage when scooping food out. It also suctions very well onto our quartz countertop table. The bowl also comes with a lid that’s super convenient if you want to prepare food at home and take out to grandparents’ house, etc.
    Something to keep in mind: the scoop part of the spoon is a bit deep and hard for baby to eat food out of, but this won’t be an issue when baby is older. There’s also the flat side of the spoon for beginners.

• For advanced eaters (when increasing portions or adding more variety / textures / dips):

  • Ezpz Mini Feeding Set - I like that this set comes with a larger spoon and fork. The divided plate also allows us to incorporate dips / yogurts into her meals.

  • Ezpz Happy Bowl - This is just a larger bowl and while it’s not necessary to have, it’s useful if you want something to suction onto to your table. Great for cereals and oatmeals.

  • Sugarbooger by Ore Baby Otter Divided Suction Plate - This a full-sized plate made of a harder material, so I’d recommend waiting until your child is older to use it. The suction part is removable so you can continue using the plate after their toddler years.

4. Drinkware.

If you have small unbreakable cups, I think you can make do with those. We sometimes use a (non-glass) shot glass with our daughter because it’s the perfect size for her hands, but be careful as babies can get too excited and suddenly bash the cup onto their lips, teeth, or gums. We always supervise our daughter when using a shot glass.

If you’d like to give your child their own cup(s), read below to see what we’re using!

• Ezpz Tiny Cup from the set listed above (can also be purchased individually) - It’s small, weighted at the bottom, and great for small hands. The soft silicone is also gentle on baby’s gums or teeth.

• Ezpz Straw Training System - This didn’t really work in helping us train our daughter on straw usage, but we trust that she’ll love it once she knows how to suck from a straw. Currently, she uses this as an open cup.

• Anpei’s Comotomo Baby Cup Converter - This was gifted to us by Anpei, but we truly enjoy using it. It’s great way to reuse our Comotomo Baby Bottles! If you have a Comotomo Baby Bottle, I highly recommend getting one of these converters! Unfortunately, it’s out of stock on Amazon right now and I can only find them at Nordstrom, Target, and Walmart US.
  I had a hard time training Reese on using a straw because all she did was bite or try to eat it. Feeding experts recommend starting off with a squeezable cup/bottle with straw if possible. The trick is to squeeze the bottle gently when baby puts their lips around the straw. That way, they can associate the straw with the water and eventually learn to suck through it.

5. Cookware.

This one’s completely optional and depends on how stress-free you want your meal prep experience to be. While I was open to steaming food for my daughter and then blending it separately, I definitely found it a lot more convenient to use a baby blender. We use the Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker. It can steam and purée all in the same appliance in 15-20 minutes.

Pros:

• Saves time from boiling or steaming on your stove. 100%!

• It’s multi-use. You can steam, blend, defrost, and reheat with it.

• Saves on your energy bills since you won’t need to use your stove and blender.

• Doesn’t use as much water as boiling or steaming on your stove.

• Although it looks small, you can actually create large portions for freezing.

Cons:

• At over $200 CAD for the one we have, it’s an added cost for many families.

• An extra appliance in the kitchen may take up valuable counter or cabinet space.

• Depending on how you use it, it may just be a short-term appliance for some families; although this can be used to create dips or steam veggies for yourselves.