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When I was pregnant, I found the whole stuff element overwhelming. What did we really need to bring into our little apartment and what would end up just wasting space? As I navigated through those early months of parenthood, I started sharing any expectant friends on a document I kept up-to-date with recommended products and my two cents about things like pacifier usage and sleep training.
And then it came time to feed our baby solid food. Suddenly, it seemed, I had to shop all over again. We needed baby-sized plates and utensils, bibs, and a high chair. Did we also need a baby food maker? (No.) Did we also need a steamer basket? (Yes.) Going from feeding my child bottles to one, then two, and then finally three meals and two snacks a day felt like an absolute paradigm shift. Naturally, I made a whole new tracking document. And it was mostly stuff I had acquired via drive-up ordering from Target.
Whether you’re looking ahead to build your registry or you’re in the throes of starting solids right now (or if you’re looking for a gift for someone who is), just know that you can get basically everything you really need from one place. And if you want someone to talk about this stuff with, my Instagram DMs are open to you. (And maybe I’ll send you those docs, too, but they aren’t as tidy as this article.)
Gear
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Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair
- $269
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This is like the Cadillac of high chairs: well-designed, ergonomic, and generally endorsed by every feeding expert you’ll be following on Instagram. That said, it is expensive. And full disclosure, I don’t have one. (I went with the super-cheap Ikea Antilop.) But I do wish I had just registered for this, since it’s attractive and lasts from starting solids well into toddlerhood when it transforms into a chair.
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Chicco Caddy Portable High Chair
- $50
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Great for apartments and travel, this hook-on high chair is small and easy to use. I don’t use it as our main high chair (see above re: Ikea Antilop), but this is something we have at the ready and would be great if say, grandparents, don’t want to own a bulky high chair for visits.
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Bumkins Heart Pattern Bib
- $13
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Teaching babies how to eat is messy, and it will stay messy for like… years?? Long-sleeve bibs like this help protect clothing and skin, and can also double as art smocks.
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Cloud Island Silicone Bib with Decal
- $10
Prices taken at time of publishing.
While the smock-style bib above helps keep your child clean(er), a bucket bib like this helps keep your floor clean(er), and has the added bonus of reducing food waste a bit, since before offering seconds you can take food out of the bucket and put it back on the plate.
Cooking/Food Prep/Storage
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KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper
- $51
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Even if you’re skipping purees and starting right with table food, you’ll want a food processor to help you make quick mashes, spreads, finer-ground meat, and to help get your baby hooked early on kale pesto.
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Cuisinart 10.5 Stainless Steel Steamer Basket
- $13
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Steaming is a fast, easy way to get vegetables soft enough for a baby to chew or to mash in a food processor. I use this basket inside the Le Creuset pot I keep on my stove at all times.
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OXO Kitchen Shears
- $11
Prices taken at time of publishing.
When your baby’s pincer grasp develops around 9 months or so, you’ll start wanting to offer food in smaller pieces. Spare yourself the trouble of using a knife to cut a million meals into a million pieces and use kitchen shears instead.
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Rubbermaid 28-Piece Plastic Food Storage Containers
- $30
Prices taken at time of publishing.
I personally don’t excel at meal prep, but feeding a toddler means a bit more trying. I use these for storing washed and dried berries, cucumber slices (in water), as well as batches of grains like quinoa and farro, shredded chicken, and anything else I can manage to get into the fridge. I like that these are BPA-free and designed for the microwave.
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Stasher Sandwich and Snack Storage Containers
- $24
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Toddlers don’t always eat a lot at a single serving, but they eat five times a day (wtf?!?!?), so stashing leftovers is a critical part of not having to cook so damn much. I save everything: a quarter of unserved omelet from today’s breakfast can make a good afternoon snack tomorrow; likewise a single scoop of pasta still in the pot or whatever. Plus, getting reusable bags means not burning through Ziplocks.
Serving
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Ezpz First Food Set
- $37
Prices taken at time of publishing.
A great starting place for the solids journey, this set has a tiny open cup, a combination placemat-and-bowl that will take a baby at least a few months to figure out how to flip over, and a spoon.
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Cloud Island Panda-Shaped Plate
- $6
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This is a nice big, open plate, too — but the ears are separate and perfectly sized for dips or sauces. Note that this plate does not have any suction so it will be better for older toddlers who are actively learning to leave plates on the table. (I actually have the rabbit version, but purchased this one during the course of writing this article because it’s so cute.)
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Munchkin Toddler Fork & Spoon Set
- $4
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Babies are babies, not dummies. Mine quickly realized our forks and spoons were metal and hers were not, and once we started using metal utensils like these, her interest in practicing with them skyrocketed.
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Munchkin Any Angle Click Lock Weighted Straw Cup
- $13
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Skip sippy cups and head straight to teaching straw cup usage to cut down on the amount of products you’ll buy with ultra-short shelf lives. Here’s the catch: They aren’t totally leak proof. No baby product that says it’s leak proof is — but these are pretty clean in the grand scheme of things.
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BooginHead SippiGrip Silicone Strap
- $10
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Use this to attach a straw cup, like the one above, to the stroller so that when your baby inevitably tosses the cup it doesn’t get lost.
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Munchkin Snack Catcher
- $6
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The case for getting a thing designed to hold Cheerios while slowing down the rate of spillage is self-evident. Pro tip: Use these clips, designed for pacifiers, to attach the snack holder to the stroller strap so it can’t get tossed overboard.
Food
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Lil Mixins Early Allergen Introduction Tree Nut Powder and Peanut Powder
- $25
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Research suggests that babies should be exposed early and often to allergens like nuts (talk to your pediatrician, obviously). Whole nuts, however, are choking hazards. You do not need to buy powders like this, but I find them so much more convenient than pulverizing my own. Blend into yogurt, applesauce, and generally sprinkle at will.
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Bamba Peanut Butter Puffs Family Pack
- $10
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Related to the above, Bamba kills two birds with one stone: allergy exposure plus crunchy food biting and chewing practice. Bamba is delicious for grownups, too. Stash the little baggies in your diaper bag for snack emergencies.
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Banza Chickpea Rigatoni
- $4
Prices taken at time of publishing.
A nutritious alternative to flour pasta, Banza are on heavy rotation in my household. I like the Rigatoni shape because my toddler enjoys trying to stick her finger in it and it’s a good size for a baby to grip with their palm.
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Plum Organics Stage 1 Just Prunes Baby Food
- $1
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Not to get too into it here on Eater.com, but the time will come when you’ll be grateful to have these prune pouches in your cabinet. Given how sweet they are, I can’t imagine many babies would reject them, and if offering pouches isn’t your style, I also recommend mixing into applesauce or yogurt, or using as a spread on toast.
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Organic Frozen Vegetables
- $5
Prices taken at time of publishing.
If I leave you with only one takeaway, let it be this: Frozen vegetables are cost-effective, nutritious, easy, and you shouldn’t hesitate to feed them to your baby. Frozen peas sing when sauteed with butter, cooked frozen broccoli tossed in olive oil and your favorite seasoning is an easy side dish, and microwaved frozen chopped spinach makes a great omelette filling.
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