Baby Led Weaning Essentials
I swear all I have done is blink and my tiny baby boy is now a whole six months old. He's growing like an absolute champ and has even got his first two teeth. To celebrate his six-month milestone we started out baby-led weaning journey and my word he loves his food! I've put together a list of my top 10 weaning essentials from our first month of weaning that have made my life considerably easier.
Ikea Antilop Highchair - You can spend absolutely hundreds on high chairs but for me there's nothing better than the Ikea Antilop. It's incredibly affordable at £15 and is everything you need. It's super easy to clean and has a big enough tray you can pop food on if the baby isn't keen on plates yet. You can also pimp it up with a cushion insert, silicone mats, and foot rests bought separately
BIBaDO Coverall Bib* - Little ones are guaranteed to make an absolute mess with anything they eat. Especially in the very early days when a lot of weaning is about sensory play and discovering new textures such as puree or messier food. Bibado coverall bibs help you protect your babies clothes from this mess. They attach to the high chair and have a clever catch all pocket for those little food scraps that escape their mouth. I can't imagine meal times without one of these they've really helped allow him to explore
Easytot Suction Plates* - A good quality plate and utensil set was essential for me when it came to weaning. The easytot range ticked all the boxes. They're created with BPA free silicone and are safe for the oven, microwave and dishwasher. They suction to your highchair mat and are a perfect fit for the Antilop. They also have handy lids for on the go eating and come in a whole range of cute designs. Max loves his dino plate and is getting used to the mini open cup
What Mummy Makes Book* - I was completely lost when we started weaning. Once I'd done the first tastes of veggies I wasn't sure where to go with the food he could have. The best thing about baby led weaning is that on the whole as long as the food is prepared correctly, baby can eat what you eat. This cookbook was invaluable for handy family and baby friendly recipes
Baby Spice Tin* - When cooking food that's baby-friendly there's this assumption that it needs to be plain which means if you're making food for everyone you all end up with food lacking in its usual flavour. However this baby spice tin is an absolute game-changer it contains 7 different spice blends that don't have salt, sugar or chilli within the blend making it perfectly safe for your little ones palate. Don't sacrifice the taste of your food and let your baby enjoy some great tasting food
Zyliss Stock Pot* - Cooking with a little one is hard work, they don't really work well with timings and can absolutely demand attention at the worst time. One thing that's saved us is batch cooking and making a nice large batch of meals and freezing them. It means we can cook great meals when we have time and then on weekdays its super easy to warm up without the stress of cooking from scratch. The Zyliss stock pot is amazing. It's non stick meaning we can cook with no oil or butter making it much healthier, and the clever handles mean there's no stray handle to be pulled at with little hands.
Sistema Microwave Steamer* - When I was doing veggie first tastes with Max I quickly realised just how long it takes to get veg to the right texture through boiling. I looked at steamers and food prep machines and came across this container. It's an absolute life saver I can steam the small amounts of veg for Max to try all in the microwave super fast with no waste
Munchkin Straw Cup* - I did quite a bit of reading about cups and decided against a sippy cup. I've gone straight to open cups and straw cups and really like the Munchkin cup. It click locks and has a weighted straw meaning it can be drunk no matter the angle your little one is holding their cup
Arsuk Glass Baby Food Storage* - I absolutely hate food waste and it's really hard to gauge with little ones just how much they want to eat and it's unusual to only create one portion of something so I wanted really high quality food storage containers. These glass ones mean I can decant excess food into the containers to freeze for a quick tea at a later date. I love that they're glass and it helps me see what is in each container
My tenth weaning essential is probably my biggest recommendation of all, especially if you're a first time mum or first time to baby led weaning. A baby first aid course is worth every penny for the peace of mind it gives you when weaning. I learnt so much on the course I attended and it really helped me learn the difference between gagging and choking and when I need to intervene. There have been instances Max has been gagging and I would have intervened but I now have the confidence of when to step in.
For further baby product recommendations check out my Bluebell monitor review
What weaning essentials would you recommend?
