I've teamed up with Dreft for this sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
When I introduced solids to my little guy at 6 months old, it didn't go over well. I use the term solids loosely because I was either steaming and pureeing my own baby food or purchasing jarred organic fruits and vegetables for him to try and it took him quite a while to get used to the consistency. He ended up wearing more than he ate and we must have gone through 5 or 6 outfit changes a day during those early months. Luckily, I had a good sense of humor about the whole thing and knew that eventually he'd come around, but I did learn some valuable lessons during that time. I'm excited to see how we do with baby #2 when she starts solids and I'll definitely be better prepared with some of the things I consider absolute must-haves for when baby starts taking solid food.
First and foremost, having an easy to clean highchair that works for your family and space is a must. The type that has really suited our needs well is easy to move on our tile floor thanks to the wheels (and locking mechanism when you want it to stay put), and is easy to wipe down after meals. If you're tight on space or if you travel a lot, a booster seat is a fantastic option since most will last from the time your baby is 6 months old up to 3 years old. Many are easy to attach to chairs, and are easy to carry and store.
BIBS.. and lots of them! You're going to want to protect all of that lovely layette so bibs are the way to go. I started out with soft terry cloth bibs but found that they stained easily and then looked dingy after a while. Eventually, I switched over to soft POLYelast TPE bibs and they are so easy to run under water and clean after meals.
For our next little one, I'm going to try baby-led weaning and I'm going to skip the majority of purees, but I will still offer her yogurt since it's one of my son's favorite foods. For this, I can't recommend suction bowls (that come with a spoon and lid) enough. They suction right to your child's highchair tray or to your table so they can't fling it around. They're also great for travel. I also love reusable food pouches for yogurt (or homemade purees or smoothies). We still use these almost every day and my son is almost 3.
Next on my list is microfiber towels. I've been preaching the merits of reusable microfiber towels for years now and I'm a firm believer in them! You'll save a lot of money on paper towels and they're soft and gentle on your baby's sweet face and hands after they're finished eating. I like to buy an assortment of colors and use one color for cleaning baby, one color for cleaning the kitchen, and one color for the bathrooms. Speaking of cleaning, we always keep a bottle of baby soap on our kitchen counter and after meals we dampen a microfiber towel, lather a little soap, then give our little one a quick wipe down.
Inevitably, your baby is going to make a BIG mess when they start solids. You're going to be doing lots of laundry and you might be dealing with tough stains. Luckily, Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby helps remove 99% of baby food stains. Formulated for active babies ages 6-12 months, Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby is tough on stains to help remove food, dirt and even grass stains for crawling babies. Like the Dreft Stage 1: Newborn Liquid Laundry Detergent that you may know so well, Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby has a baby fresh scent (oh how I LOVE the scent of Dreft). I only wish this was available when my little guy was a baby. I've been going through his 12 month and under layette to see what we can reuse for baby #2 and I've had to discard so many adorable pieces because they have stains.
I'm glad I'll be able to let Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby care for the messes, so I can be free to enjoy those precious moments of babyood. They go by so quickly don't they?!
I'd love to know, what are your must-haves for when baby starts taking solids?
Anything you'd add to my list?
Disclosure: I've teamed up with Dreft for this sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Images via booninc.com, us.mamasandpaps.com, nuby.com, zwipes.com, oxo.com, squooshi.com, interdesignusa.com, and dreft.com.
Hazel Hoffman says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dreft, I have used it from the moment I had my first child who is now a grown man, I still use it for the family laundry. Other products have caused allergic reactions in some family members, I never have to worry about that with Dreft.
Amber Ludwig says
Yes!! These are all fabulous and omgosh YES to the easy clean high chair!! Im not a big fan of ours... too many crevices for food and sticky stuff to hide!
Jennifer Williams says
Cleaning a high chair is the worst! If this is actually easy clean, I'm sold!
Jackie Oliva says
Love this! Easy clean highchair is a MUST!!
Jackie - asthestrollerturns.com
Cortney s says
I love the high chair... Easier to clean then having to wash the fabric all the time... My boy is way more messier then my daughter ever was.