Just before Fallon turned 4 months old we started to notice that she was becoming interested in what we were eating. She would watch the fork go from the plate to the mouth and back again. During her 4 month check-up one of the first things we were asked is if this was the case. Apparently that's a big sign that baby is ready for food. Our pediatrician gave us the green light to start solids and we stopped for baby cereal on the way home. Silly me, I totally forgot we didn't have any baby spoons or bowls and no highchair either. But we were too excited to wait so Chris held her and I fed her rice cereal with a spreader out of a dip bowl. Parents of the year people. That's us. Hey, she didn't seem to mind.
Everyone warned us that she would spit the food back out at us. It would most likely take several tries to get her to eat and she probably wouldn't even like rice cereal. Wrong on all counts. Really it went something like this. I put the spreader with a little rice cereal mixed with pumped milk in her mouth and she immediately made a funny face. About 2 seconds later she closed her mouth, worked her gums and swallowed. And then she opened her mouth again ready for more. 2 months later we have real baby spoons and a highchair and we've tried pretty much every food she's been allowed to eat. So far the only thing she spit out was spoonful of sweet potatoes but she later decided they're awesome and she loves them. We now await the 6 month appointment to expand her choices.
We had discussed and would have liked to go the baby lead weaning route, giving her bits of what we eat as opposed to spoon feeding purees. But a 4 month old with no teeth who is clearly ready to ditch her all liquid diet doesn't have the option or (probably not) the motor skills. So after rice and oat cereal proved to be successful we moved onto mashed banana, avocado and sweet potato mixed with mama's milk. We've now been using squeeze packs for awhile since we often have to feed her on the go and I've also made my own purees. I'm clearly no expert and you might not even want to take advice from the mom who fed her baby with a spreader. Buuuttt just in case, here's a list of things to get you started.
Bibs - Although other materials are easier to clean, soft cloth is much more comfortable for baby and you can use it to wipe her face
Spoons - I ordered these the day we started solids, ya know, to replace the spreader (eek). The colored part turns white to indicate if a food is too hot!
Highchair - I researched highchairs until I was blue in the face and couldn't believe how many mamas were loving this $20 pick. The price cannot be matched, it's easy to put together, lightweight to move around (or drag outside) and the whole thing can be hosed down if need be. Plus it doesn't look super babyish, which is just my style.
Go Packs - We have tried several different brands and these seem to be best for Fally's tummy. They also taste the best in my opinion. Yes, I try them all.
Wipes - I wipe Fallon's face constantly while feeding her in attempt to contain the mess so when she's finished I need something else to clean her face and hands. These are gentle on the skin and do the trick real quick.
Trays - If you decide to make your own baby food there are tons of simple tutorials out there (Pinterest is your friend) or you can really just blend stuff up (like me). Either way, these trays are great to store it all in 1 oz portions. I realize they're intended for milk but I'm all about items that have multiple uses.
Happy cleaning, ahem, feeding!
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