Baby-Led Weaning Part IV: Must Haves & Have Nots

Welcome back for our fourth installment of the BLW series! Today we are talking about what baby gear you need and why as well as what gear you really don’t.

1. High chair. The first item is of course a high chair and we have had many ask about other types of seats so let’s give you a brief description of what you need.

High chair sits up straight or you are able to cushion it to where baby sits up straight. We discovered on one of our high chairs the seat leans back...and is not adjustable (ugh!). This is not a design flaw. Many seats are like this because it is optimal for puree feeding where you want the baby’s head tilted back to spoon feed and chewing isn’t required so if it just slides on back it’s not a problem. However, with BLW this is not helpful and can lead to more gagging or even choking on the food.

The high chair has a foot holder. A highchair needs a foot rest because they will be better able to sit up straight and control their body this way.

Lastly you need a tray. We have went out to eat and we actually take our own high chair because attempting to use the restaurant high chairs without a tray is quite difficult for an early BLWer. Also having a tray helps your baby develop an understanding of their food space.

Noting all of these points a bumbo seat, pack and play, and adult chair/couch are not safe spaces for your baby to learn to eat.

2. Cup. One element to BLW is making sure that your baby has access to water during their meal. The book actually recommends an open cup the most, which most orthodontists will rave about as well as it is considered best for your baby’s development as well, but the big thing here is making sure it is something they will drink from. For our son we have a soft spout sippy cup that he drinks from and we have a 360 cup that he drinks from. He has also been known to drink straight from mommy or daddy’s open cups. He doesn’t have any issues with cups, but again do what is best for your child. If they don’t seem to want a 360 and will do the soft spout more easily use it for meals. Note that it is recommended for babies under the age of 12 months to receive no more than 2 to 4oz of water a day. It is also suggested that it be fluoride filtered water.

3. Spoons and forks. Do you need utensils to participate in BLW? No. They are technically not considered a necessity completely. However, how do you plan on letting them eat those mashed potatoes? Yogurt? See, a spoon would be nice. After buying 4 different types of spoons a key take away I have learned is make sure it is one that is SHORT. This is because they are self-feeding. You load that spoon up yourself if you want but they shove it all the way back to their tonsils themselves. So, a short spoon decreases the chances of them gagging on the spoon and not enjoying the food. One other key point with spoons is have more than one. As a combo feeder or puree only you could probably get away with one as you just keep dipping and serving the food but with BLW you aren’t supposed to take away food and prying that spoon out of their little death grip seems pretty impossible at times. So take it from me, have at least two so you can trade them during their meals! I would say forks are still not essential in any way to the meal and so I don’t have any for our little guy. If you are a fan know that one great option is to use a baby fork with a strawberry stabbed all the way in and they can suck on it and eat off of it (I have seen this done and wish our little guy wasn’t allergic to strawberries so I could do it too!).

4. Bibs. Having some form of a bib is essential for feeding a baby in general but personally the cotton bibs are a no go during food time, those are strictly drool use only. So what types of bibs should you use? There are so many kinds (like everything in the baby industry right!) so here are some ideas.

Sleeved: A perk of the sleeved is it will not get on their arms/sleeves underneath. We have one of these and almost never break it out because it is such a hassle to get it onto his arms and maybe just because he is such a foodie it was falling down the top onto his clothes or in his lap (think art smock) because the flap wasn’t catching it.

Silicone: We just got our first one of these and combined with it’s other feature (see next bullet point) we are pretty sure we have found the one. The only downside I can say to this is storage. If you need to roll up these bibs or have limited space they may not be for you.

Collared: Remember my negative on the sleeved bib? Well the collared bib saved the day. For the first time we fed our son a meal and it all landed into the silicone structured catcher and none of it fell in between the bib and his outfit because the collar went up around his neck! YES! I will take anything that makes my life easier.

Tack on Baby wipes under bibs: This is likely a given but definitely have some of these right beside your high chair at mealtime. We use the pure wipes that are mostly water for him but you could also use a wet washcloth if you prefer.

5. Plate: This is similar to spoons in that you can probably live without the plate because the high chair has a tray. I tend to make really cute plates for photos and then slowly give him the food off of the plate by sitting it on the tray in front of him. This is really just because it is easier for him to grab and doesn’t create another thing he may want to toss (especially an easy way to toss all the food on the floor in one movement). We have been looking into the silicone suction bamboo plates but until we feel he should have a plate we just don’t see an immediate need for one.

6. Floor mat: To some these mats are the most essential piece of equipment to others, well they have pets. Heehee. We fall into the category of the later where we have a nice retriever and lab clean up crew after each meal. However, we won a “splat mat” in a giveaway and decided to give it a go as well. It was nice. If you don’t have pets that you think will clean up every bit I do highly recommend it as it was so helpful in easing my clean up process when the dogs weren’t home.

7. I am going to throw these last three must haves together: Patience, Acceptance, and FUN! Baby-led weaning is all about fostering independence in eating, a healthy enjoyable relationship with food, and an overall sense of autonomy in your child.

Be patient if your child takes longer, doesn’t want a certain food (just try again a different day), doesn’t even want to sit in their high chair, or whatever else they decide they need or don’t need that day. It can be hard making a cute plate that you worked so hard on to be pinterest worthy (just me?) and your baby not even want to touch it but 3 minutes later they want your fries. However, being patient and understanding of your child is what will create the joy of food we are all hoping to see in our children.

Accept that your baby WILL make a mess. I have seen so many moms talk about how they stop the child when they see they are about to throw the food on the floor or the spoon but with BLW the goal is to let them do it. They want to see what happens to the food. They are learning so much about their environment and this is just part of their learning process. Know that it doesn’t last forever.

Lastly of course is have fun. I have days where being a BLW mom feels like such a chore. Really so many people say this is the easier road because I don’t have to make purees but purees come in a jar ready to whip out in seconds, I have to meal prep for my son. So for me to enjoy it more I started doing more themed meals (music, Harry Potter, Guess How Much I Love You book, etc.) which not only provide fun ways to make cute plates but help me in coming up with unique and creative play ideas or routines with our son as a stay at home mom.