Baby Led Weaning- How To Make It Easier!
Let’s talk baby led weening! As a mum of 3, I can 100% advocate for it! After making purées and assorted baby meals for my first two, it was a welcome change to just pull up the high chair at family meal times and give my youngest a deconstructed version of our meal (always ensuring they were soft and safe sizes for little hands and mouths). Yes it was messy, but he was exposed to so much more variety and mealtime was much less stressful.
Here’s some things you might need when embarking on this delightfully messy journey:
• A simple high chair without too many nooks and crannies to get food wedged in.
• A great suction dinnerware set is a must! Babies love to pick up plates and bowls and dump the contents out or throw them over the edge of the high chair. This helps minimise messes.
• Easy to grip utensils with a soft silicone mouth piece (we all know babies love to chew on anything they can get their hands on). Silicone is BPA free and non toxic.
• Divider or no divider? Well there’s a lot to be said to keep their first exposure to mealtimes the same as everyone else. Using a simple plate without a divider can also minimise issues they might later develop around different foods touching (😑) yes this is a thing.
• Look for plates and bowls with a bit of a lip or ledge on them. This makes it easier for your baby to pick up food because they can push the food up against the ledge and then pick it up more easily.
• Finally... go the Eco choice. One of the great features of bamboo is that it’s a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option. It’s also made without any chemical processing and is antimicrobial by nature! Having a food grade varnish means It’s fairly easy to clean, it’s our favourite among Baby led weaning options!
Let’s face it, introducing solids is always going to be messy. Embrace it. Good luck!