4 Baby-Led Weaning Essentials

My little family chose the baby-led weaning approach to start solid foods at six months old for a number of reasons, but mostly because I'm a bit of a control freak. It was scary to read about all of the heavy metals that are found in big-brand purees and it was overwhelming to track down clean options that wouldn't break the bank. So we went back to basics: Lewis gets to eat what we eat (with some modifications to keep him safe of course). My favorite resource for safe baby-led weaning is Solid Starts. Our pediatrician recommended this site to us and I quickly fell in love with the helpful resources on their website, app, and Instagram page. They make the learning curve of baby-led weaning less of a curve. 

Besides this beneficial online resource, here are my favorite baby-led weaning tools.

1. Haakaa Baby Fruit Food Feeder Pacifier 

We started using the Haakaa Baby Fruit Feeder Pacifier when Lewis was about 4 months old with frozen breastmilk cubes. This gadget was a game changer as teething started for him - the frozen milk cubes helped soothe his sore gums and he enjoyed using this tool to work on his hand-eye coordination. After he turned six months old, we started filling this pacifier with homemade smoothie cubes, frozen curry purees, and all sorts of other food options. 

2. ezpz Mini Mat 

Lewis really enjoys eating one food type at a time and the ezpz Mini Mat allows us to separate his food accordingly. It also helps us with providing appropriate portion sizes for his meals, making meal prep a breeze. As a huge bonus, it's dishwasher-safe! 

3. THEO'S Stick on Disposable Table Mats 

We use these compostable stick-on table mats whenever we go out to eat at any restaurant. I really like them for a number of reasons including providing a clean surface for Lewis to eat on (even though I wipe down the table before we sit down I still have trust issues) and because they make it so easy to clean up after he's done with his meal. This little grab-and-go pack is awesome for keeping in your car's diaper caddy.

4. Toogel Hook On Chair

The first time we saw this handy little travel high chair in action was at a Panera Bread. The family sitting one booth away was using it for their kiddo and I immediately added one to my Amazon shopping cart. It's genius! You can secure it to any wall-fastened or 4 leg table and the cover is machine washable. It comes with a bag to carry it in and folds flat so you can just grab it and run to lunch!