trust me. these are five (okay, six) essentials that will make baby led weaning, or any type of weaning, a little easier:
1. splat mats: your baby WILL drop food. he will throw food. he will somehow get it on the wall across the kitchen and make you wonder if you need to sign him up for little league STAT. these will at least save your floors.
2. baby wipes: possibly the most multi-tasking baby product i own, i use these for everything from diaper changes to wiping down restaurant tables before M tries to eat them. they are especially handy for post-meal baby clean-up, and they don't irritate baby skin like paper towels or dish cloths can. i have tried several brands but The Honest Company makes the best wipes, hands down.
3. silicone spoons: not only are these spoons BPA pthalate and PVC free, they are soft and gentle on sensitive gums. and eyeballs.
4. barrier balm: sometimes M gets a rash from certain foods like citrus so i like to slather this around her mouth/neck and on her forearms, anywhere where the food is most likely to touch. i use the same barrier balm i use for diaper cream because it works perfectly for this - it's basically a more natural version of aquaphor. and speaking of, you could also use baby aquaphor if you're not avoiding petrolatum, mineral oil or lanolin.
5. silicone placemats: ideal for babies, kids and messy eaters of any age - the silicone surface easily wipes clean making this perfect for the dinner table (unless you have a baby houdini who likes to pull the "tablecloth" out from under their food). also great for restaurant dining when table cleanliness is suspect. the circular cut out on the corner allows the placemats to be hung for convenient drying and storage. oh yeah, and these OYOY mats are pretty easy on the eyes, too.
6. bibs: i have found bibs to be quite necessary, even when M is eating in a state of undress. my top pick is a silicone bucket bib, for ease of care and for the fact that at least some of the food ends up in the bucket. these bibs are also great for leaving in the diaper bag and using at restaurants since you can wash them off in the bathroom before heading home. the make my day bib works best with our highchair at home while the Modern Twist bib works better with restaurant highchairs, so it's just something you will have to experiment with.
the Wee Drool bib is pricey but is completely worth the cost. sometimes i get lazy and don't feel like removing M's outfit. because it is long, goes on like a t-shirt and has a waterproof layer, this bamboo and organic cotton bib actually does a pretty good job of saving her clothes as long as i'm not serving red beet dip or chocolate avocado pudding.
the Aden and Anais burpy bib is another great option for restaurant dining. it is a burp cloth that circles the shoulders and snaps behind the neck so it covers a pretty good amount of baby (and since it's a burp cloth you can just keep a couple of these in the diaper bag for all your burp cloth-ing needs). seeing that you're probably not going to undress your baby at the local steakhouse, you don't have to worry too much about her outfit.
1. kamani designs and modern june splat mats // 2. honest company wipes // 3. beaba silicone spoons // 4. ogbaby barrier balm // 5. OYOY silicone placemats // 6. bibs: make my day, wee drool, modern twist & aden and anais