So, you’re about to start your weaning journey. You’ve been following all these accounts on Instagram with pretty wooden plates and well styled meals. You’ve spoken to your friends and each one has their own weaning must haves. But which do you choose? The honest truth is, you’ll probably buy all of them and only use one or two of them religiously. Buying the kit is all part of the fun though isn’t it?
I was quite boring and only really had a few bits (less things to clean and store). However, after a couple of years working with or admiring feeding accessory brands, here’s my list of weaning must haves.
DISCLAIMER: you do not need all or any of these items. There will be zero judgement from me if you do buy them all though.
Highchairs
1. The IKEA highchair, is fantastic. The tray and fabric from the support cushion comes off for easy cleaning. It’s probably the easiest piece of IKEA furniture you’ll ever put together and it can be dismantled in minutes. The price is amazing too £12!
2. The Stokke Tripp Trapp. This is (quite a bit) more expensive than the IKEA chair. It grows with your little one, so it’s an investment piece. It is also designed to fit with your dining table, allowing your little one to be part of dining experience. Which is a great way to encourage them at meal times. Not having a tray also makes for easy cleaning.
Cups & Cutlery
Whether you are spoon feeding or BLW, you will need to introduce cutlery at some stage during weaning. Children’s hands are small and their fine motor skills make using cutlery difficult at the start.
Luckily Doddl Cutlery saves the day. These uniquely shaped pieces are made with little hands in mind and I cannot recommend them enough. They have metal ends, so for earlier weaning stage soft ended cutlery is better.
There are a few cups on the market designed for little ones. Cooled boiled water should be introduced from the start of weaning. My personal favourites are:
1. Baby Cup
2. Doidy Cup
3. 360 Miracle cup – for older children. Perfect for taking out and about.
4. EZ Sip Lid
Managing Mess
Weaning is messy. Feeding toddlers is messy. There’s no escaping it, but there are ways to manage it. A good bib, coverall and floor mat is definitely a must have.
1. Floor Mat
2. Bibetta Bibs
Bowls and Bags
Those fancy bowls and plates you see all over Instagram are mainly made by Bamboo Bamboo. They offer a wide range of designs and people rave about them. They definitely make a great picture.
When you’re out and about you’ll need a way to store food. My top choice is the pouches and snack bags from Nom Nom Kids. Our customers often use the pouches for purees when out and about. I religiously use the snack bags.
Another one of my personal favourites is the Yumbox Lunch Box. Perfect for children and adults.
If you have any questions or want to add a weaning must have to the list, just get in touch.
Keep checking the Weaning category for more tips and tricks.