#3: Weaning Essentials: The Must-Have Tools for Starting Solids

Hello, welcome to episode three of Introducing Solids with Weanish. It's so good to be back. I'm Rennae, your host, a mum, children's nutritionist and founder of Weanish, the infant and toddler feeding marketplace. Today we're going to be doing some virtual shopping, Fun. Now that you have the basics of starting solids and you know the common weaning styles and if you don't be sure to check out episodes one and two it's time to get prepared with the right tools to set you and your baby up for success.

Weaning can be overwhelming, especially with so many products on the market. So with so many options out there, it can be hard to find out what you really need. Let's break it down and make things simple. Today, I'm sharing my top tools to make weaning easier, more enjoyable and, most importantly, stress-free. Notice how I didn't say mess-free because weaning is messy. Remember, these are the essentials, not the long list of nice-to-haves. Even if you start with the traditional weaning approach, eventually, you'll end up using some of the same products you'd use if you chose baby-led weaning.

Before we dive into my list of must-have products, I want to quickly share why I created Weanish. When I first started my weaning journey, I found myself bouncing between different websites so one for feeding products, another for advice and yet another for trying to find help. So I found it time consuming and confusing. I knew there had to be a better way, and so I created Weanish. Weanish, although it is a marketplace, is actually a community, a weaning hub for parents. It's a place to come when you reach that stage in your baby's life where you need all the essentials for weaning. You'll find products, educational content and, if you need expert help from medical professionals like OTs, speech pathologists or nutritionists, weanish brings all of these elements together in one location. So why am I telling you about Weanish? Well, because some of the products I'll be discussing today are available direct from the brands on the website, so you can go to weanish.com to check them out. I'll also link my favourite products in the show notes.

Let's get into those must-have products. First things first, the high chair. High chairs need to be easy to clean. Minimal cracks or crevices. You do not want anything that gets dirty in every little corner. Trust me, it will drive you mad. A good high chair should also provide a footrest or have the ability to attach one, as this gives your baby better support and makes sitting at mealtimes much more comfortable. My top recommendations include the Stokke TrippTrapp, which grows with baby, and the Ikea Antelope High Chair or the Kmart Prandium High Chair. These are a more budget-friendly option. Add a footrest, like the Woodsi from Nibble and Rest, and you're all set.

Next let's talk about bibs. You'll need a stash of easy-to-clean bibs, and I highly recommend long-sleeved smock bibs. We've already established that weaning is messy, and these bibs will save you from having to do extra laundry every day. I really like the Little Chomps brand, which you can get on Weanish.com. Silicone bibs with a catch pocket can also be a great addition for capturing any food that gets dropped. It can be a great idea to have your long-sleeved bib underneath a silicon catch bib to get all the extra food and manage the mess. You'll also need some baby-friendly utensils. Short-handled ones for self-feeding, like the Grabease utensils, and long-handled ones for parent-led feeding. Start with plastic or silicon, as they are softer on baby's gums, and then move to stainless steel.

Suction plates and bowls are a good idea, as babies love to explore, which often means tossing plates or bowls. So anything that suctions to the table or high chair will help reduce the mess. That includes suction mats. They are great. Look at the EasyMat one on the Weanish website. For drinking, I recommend starting with an open cup or a spoutless sippy cup. Grabease has a fantastic three-in-one option that works as an open cup, a spoutless sippy cup and a straw cup. It's perfect for helping your baby transition through the stages of open cup drinking, and it comes with a small training cup and a straw.

Now, if you're worried about the mess, which is totally understandable, a high chair food catcher or a splat mat or an all-over cover bib for high chair and baby is a lifesaver. These products help contain the mess, making cleanup much easier. Notice how I said manage the mess. It's still very important that your baby gets to handle the food and make a mess. These products are not here to stop the mess. They're here to make your life easier.

I remember when I started weaning. None of the products available now were available then, so I improvised and used a plastic table cloth underneath the high chair to catch the food. Cleanup was super simple, with a quick shake into the bin and a wipe down. Other items that are good to have on hand include face washers for wiping your baby's face and hands. I recommend just getting plain white ones that can be easily bleached when they get stained. Trust me, it's a lot more practical. Once you start weaning, you'll be surprised by which foods stain the most, and a quick heads up banana and apples are top on the list.

If you're planning to make purees, you'll want some storage containers or silicone trays for freezing portions. You don't need anything too fancy. Ice cube trays work really well, but if you prefer a silicone tray, Nibble and Rest have a great silicon storage tray for purees that's also available at weanish.com. If you're a fan of keeping things organised, you might also like a food tracker for the top 100 foods. It helps you keep track of what your baby has tried and when Nibble and Rest, makes a great one that you can put on your fridge and update as you go.

So just to recap, here's your weaning essentials checklist. One a high chair. Two a long sleeve smock bib. Three silicon bibs with a pocket. Four suction plates, bowls or suction mats. Five short-handled self cutlery. Six, if you're doing traditional weaning, long hand handled cutlery. Seven an open cup that converts to a spoutless sippy cup. Eight high chair food catcher or an all over bib and high chair cover. Nine storage containers for puree or trays. Ten face washers and then optionally, the food tracker for your top 100 foods.

These essentials will set you up for success and as you go along you can add more items depending on your needs. 100 foods these essentials will set you up for success and as you go along you can add more items depending on your needs and preferences. Less really is more at the beginning. You can always pick up extra tools once you understand your baby's feeding style. As a bonus for today, I have a downloadable essential weaning products checklist to get you organized. You can find the link in the show notes. Remember, the key is to keep it simple and find what works best for you and your baby. The most important purchase is definitely a good high chair, so make sure your little one is well supported and sitting comfortably.

Well, that's all for today's episode. I hope you found this helpful and feel more confident about starting solids with your little one. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. I'll be here every Weanish Wednesday. Please leave a review and share this podcast with friends. It really does help get the word out and I appreciate you so much. And if you're ready to get started, head over to weanish.com to shop all the weaning essentials we talked about today. 

Until next time, weanish and I remain your partner in feeding adventures. 

Happy weaning.