As parents, David and I aim for moderation, so it’s no surprise that guided our plan when it came time to introduce solid food to Asher. He started reaching for what we were eating before five months, but we limited him to just a few tastes prior to six months according to his pediatrician’s advice. We originally planned to combination feed- some purées as well as adult food, safely served, but he quickly made his preference for eating the same thing we were known. So that’s what we’ve mostly fed him- honey-free, lower salt, and sometimes deconstructed versions of our own meals, heavy on the whole, fresh foods. We’ve referenced feeding littles for details and baby led weaning information- I’ve learned so much about healthy feeding just from following them on instagram– but have found it fairly intuitive.
The right feeding gear is key, though, so I wanted to share some of our faves with you.
We live in a tiny condo, with limited storage space, so I was insistent on a space saving high chair. We registered for the joovy nook and it has been the perfect choice for us- sturdy but slim profiled, easily cleanable. Asher is a MESS, so that’s a necessary consideration. We like these munchkin pouch bibs to help corral the fallout, and they rinse clean easily. We’ve discovered that he will turn every possible plate or bowl into a flying object, so we favor these ones that suction to his tray. And cutlery is still a work in progress, but we like this large pack for plenty of spares.
Now that he’s turned one, we’re trading in bottles for cups. We got a zillion reccs for these 360’ cups, and Asher’s adjusting well to them. I toss one in my bag for him when we’re on the move, and I’m frankly always amazed that they don’t leak in the bag considering mess he manages to make on himself. Other diaper bag mainstays include a bib and a placemat. We’ve been using these disposable ones, but I saw this silicone one and ordered it too. I’m always trying to make more environmentally friendly and sustainable choices for our family, so I think I’ll save the disposables for the serious mess situations. Both kinds are Parent’s Choice, Walmart’s in-house baby brand. They’re celebrating their 20th anniversary of providing quality baby and kid products at incredible price points, and they’ve become one of our trustworthy gotos over the last year.
Parent’s Choice also makes some of our favorite shelf-stable snacks for Asher. Puffy hearts are surprisingly crumble resistant and neat to eat, and he likes all the flavors we’ve tried on him. Yogurt melts are messier, but that’s probably because he crams them into his mouth by the handful, as illustrated. He also loves the veggie and cheddar crunchers– and honestly, I see why- I tried them and they are pretty much yummy healthier baby Cheetos. I love keeping these on hand to supplement our usual fruit and veggie snacks.
We don’t do tons of pouches, but I serve them as a side to a meal or with/after a snack to try and get a few more calories in him. We buy the Parent’s Choice of these too, which are shelf stable, so I always keep one in my diaper bag, another in the car bag- they’re fabulous for on the go. We tend to pass on the all-fruit flavors for a variety that has a superfood, or green veggie, like the blueberry-kale-rice, strawberry-carrot-quinoa, and root veggies and apple… Asher’s a fruititarian if left to his own devices, so I’m shamelessly pushing veggies, whole grains and proteins.
As far as eating organic, we do the best we can to avoid the conventional dirty dozen we can while not blowing the budget. I like that Parent’s Choice makes so many organic options available and accessible for us. They also make a whole array of GMO-free formula that I wish I’d known about while Asher still drank formula.
I’m not an expert, and am always learning, but I wanted to share what we’ve found that works for us! Let me know if you have any faves to suggest…
xx, Ravayna
This post was brought to you in partnership with Walmart in celebration of Parent’s Choice 20th birthday. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make LoveRavayna possible.
