Now that we have entered the wonderful world of solid foods I thought a "feeding favorites" blog was appropriate! Here are some of my favorite things that make the feeding adventure a little more fun. Enjoy! :]
1. Boogin Head Squeeze 'Ems. Reusable, dishwasher safe food pouches. You know the plethora of easy to-go food pouches for baby? These amazing pouches make it possible to create your own! I love making the majority of Camden's food from scratch. I like knowing exactly what goes in it and honestly, I think it's fun to make his food! If I anticipate an afternoon of errands or we're planning a road trip, I fill these pouches with homemade baby food and we're good to go! Plus, if any of you have seen the viral video going around Facebook of the Earth's Best food pouch that had maggots in it (EWWW!!!) you can appreciate making your own pouches to avoid such a disgusting surprise. I would highly recommend these to any parent who plans on making their own baby food!
2. Tommee Tippee catch-all bibs. These things rock! Camden LOVES to eat Cheerios and puffs and these bibs help to catch all the strays that don't quite make it to his mouth. It helps insure that the floor doesn't lay claim to nearly all of his finger foods. The pouch catches what is dropped and it's still good to put back on his tray for a second attempt at eating. Genius bibs. They look a little weird but they get the job done. And the rubber material is super easy to clean! Double win.
3. Gerber soft bite spoons. To me, these are classic for baby feeding. These small metal spoons have silicone covered tips so that baby's gums don't get hurt when they (inevitably) bite down. They're small, perfect for little mouths. And they're cute! I obviously have the "boy" colors and I love how vibrant they are. Also, the fact that the silicone coating resists stains makes me very happy! Otherwise I'm pretty sure they would all be orange by now thanks to my son's love of carrots ;]
4. Baby Bullet. Like I said, I enjoy making almost all of Camden's food from scratch. I love how easy the Baby Bullet makes it to do so! I also have the Turbo Steamer and together I can make a bunch of baby food in a short amount of time. The "bullet" part blends everything down so smoothly. The steamer cooks basically everything without a fuss. The little pods are the perfect size for storage and the freezer tray makes it even easier to store anything that won't be eaten right away! I use this for every food I make for Camden (besides applesauce, which gets cooked in he Crock Pot). I know there are a lot of different baby food makers on the market and this is the only one I've tried but I really like it and would recommend it!
5. Boon grass. This isn't exactly a feeding item but it is a very helpful accessory! This drying rack is super cute, doesn't look horribly tacky and ugly on the kitchen counter, and holds all the little bits and pieces that come along with the whole baby food adventure. This is the exact set I have- the grass, white flower, and white tree. Everything stays nicely organized while it dries. I also like that the grass part keeps things upright without warping and allows for airflow under item to prevent mold/mildew. I know the whole drying rack thing isn't really a big deal but I just like this piece a lot.
6. Gerber rest easy spoons. Apparently I have an affinity towards Gerber spoons, huh? Haha. These are the only spoons we use other than the soft bite ones. These are a bit bigger than the soft bite spoons, have a longer handle, and more of a rectangular shape. I find that the food slides off these spoons very easily and Camden gets bigger bites (we only recently started using them now that he's used to solids). The "rest easy" aspect is simply a built-in bump on the back of the spoon that keeps the tip of it from resting on the table when you put it down. If you're a slight germ-a-phobe like me, you'll appreciate this simple feature. Of course, the "rest easy" part does not help if your baby happens to grab hold of the spoon and violently throw it on the floor. Sorry, momma's ;]
And that's all I've got! The only other item worth mentioning was on my last "favorites" list: the Fisher-Price space saver highchair. Camden eats all of his meals from that seat and we love how it doesn't take up much space at all. But since I referenced it on my last post I figured there's no need to rewrite it onto this one. When I was getting ready to introduce solids to Camden, I have to admit, I was a little sad. Selfishly, I didn't want him to need/want/like foods other than breastmilk! I've so loved nursing my little guy, I was sad to see that whole dynamic change as solids were introduced. However, as I've ventured through the feeding process with Cam, I've found it to be so very fun! I enjoy making his foods. I enjoy feeding him everyday. I even enjoy plopping globs of food on his tray and letting him make a huge, sticky mess with them! He loves food. He's so willing to try anything and usually he eats all that I offer him. We've worked up to three "real" meals a day, plus nursing sessions in between (which I now treasure more than ever!). He's a great eater. And we're both having fun! I hope this list helps some of my momma friends who might be preparing for the solid food adventure with their own little ones! :]
