Baby Led Weaning Essentials

January 12, 2014 by
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Baby Led Weaning has gone better for us than I could have imagined.  Even The Husband agrees that, “I was skeptical at first, but I am so glad we did this with him.”  –For the record I just want to say that I am ever so grateful that my sometimes skeptical husband will just smile, nod, and “whatever you want to do, sweetie” when I propose a “new” parenting method. 🙂 Our excellent baby led weaning essentials and gear have been a lifesaver in this different method of baby feeding.

One of the things that makes baby led weaning so wonderful is its simplicity.  A very intuitive way of feeding your baby solid foods, it really doesn’t require a lot of gear.  You aren’t going to need to stock up on special food storage containers, a baby food processor, or buy special baby foods.  And, while I’ve seen some websites with recipes for great finger foods for babies, you really don’t even have to go that far.  At our house, with just a few exceptions, Baby Z just eats what we eat.

There are just a few items or gear that I consider baby led weaning essentials…

Essential Gear for Less Mess Baby Led Weaning

An easy to wash high chair or booster seat is a must!  One of your more economical options as far as high chairs/booster seats go, the Baby Bud Booster Seat from Mamas & Papas is perfect for Baby Led Weaning because of its removable soft seat.  Let’s face it, BLW is MESSY–at first! Washing the entire high chair or booster every meal (or even daily) can be a pain.  It is such a relief to simply remove the molded soft seat and spray it down in the sink.

Hey, what’s up with the crooked spoon?  Believe it or not, this crooked spoon, when held by your baby or toddler will enter his mouth with much greater accuracy than a straight spoon.  Have you ever noticed that, when given a straight spoon or fork, a baby will always attempt to put it in their mouth side first, as opposed to tip first?  This is for the simple reason that babies and most toddlers have not yet developed the wrist dexterity needed get their utensil in their mouth wrist first.  These Sassy spoons come with an angled head and have small holes to keep food from sliding off.

Because baby led weaning is all about self-feeding, and because babies and young toddlers would typically rather chuck a plate than eat from it, babies will eat off the high chair tray at home.  When I’m out at a restaurant, instead of letting baby eat off a table laden with the germs of a hundred customers, I put down a clean Neat Solutions disposable place mat. The place mats stick to the table with a light adhesive and give baby a relatively germ-free place to eat.

We haven’t consistently started using bowls and utensils, but when we do I’ve received recommendations for the Boon Catch Bowl.  With just enough suction on the bottom of the bowl to give mom a free hand to catch the flying noodles, the bowl will also catch the majority of what falls off the spoon–which in the early days of spoon use will be almost everything.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Tommee Tippee Explora bibs! The bottom of the bib has a large “crumb catcher” that catches most of the food baby drops which, as I’ve said before, is a LOT.  Instead of all this food going to waste all over baby’s lap and the floor baby can go back for seconds–in their bib.  The thing that sets this apart from some other crumb catcher bibs is their flexibility. The bib flexes and stays put as baby reaches around, grabbing his food off the tray.  These are also perfect for travel as they can be rolled up and stored in your diaper bag.


Make sure you check out my other Baby Led Weaning posts!

What is Baby Led Weaning?

30 Baby Led Weaning First Foods

What are your favorite baby led weaning essentials?

 

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Filed Under: babies, Featured, Parenting
About Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom

Amy is mom to three, wife to one, and a sister and aunt to many. Her family is a former military family now settled in Lehi, Utah. Oh So Savvy Mom began as a way for Amy to share parenting and product advice with others. Just as she has evolved, Oh So Savvy Mom has evolved into a resource for Healthy Living for Families, Food, Parenting, and Family Travel.

Comments

  1. kristin says
    January 14, 2014 at 7:13 pm
    Great list, those catch bowls and toddler spoons are so helpful!
  2. alicia k says
    June 30, 2014 at 8:44 am
    i love the little booster seat. it looks very sturdy.
  3. shelly peterson says
    July 3, 2014 at 5:37 pm
    these are some great products you have shared. I want to get the Sassy spoons and the bowl for my grandson.
  4. Nicole Dz says
    August 24, 2014 at 2:10 am
    I need easy to wash high chair or booster seat. I also love Tommee Tippee brand. Great products here.