Mealtime Essentials for 8-12 Month Olds

I’ve been blessed that my little one has been a good eater ever since we introduced solid foods to him at the age of five months. When deciding on what age to introduce solids, I was split on whether it should be at four or six months, as different articles I read suggested the pros and cons of either. I eventually decided on going with five months since it was the middle of the two.

The first food we introduced him to was rice cereal but after further research, I learned that rice contains arsenic and was not the best first food option. Anyways, he really enjoyed the rice cereal and we followed if by a variety of fruits and veggies, including, apple, bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli and more.

Now that he’s gotten older and has transitioned from eating purees to finger foods, I’ve had to purchase a number of different feeding tools, some of which I like and others which I could have done without. As new parents, there are so many options that can be daunting, so I thought I’d pass along the knowledge I’ve gained from this process and hopefully help other mothers from making the same purchasing mistakes as me.

Here are my top five favorite mealtime essentials as well as the items I would have passed up on had I been wiser:

Bibs

All bibs are NOT created equally!

Bibs are an essential item when feeding both babies and toddlers. When my son first began eating solids, I would use the same fabric bibs I had been using for his drool and spit-ups. I, however, realized that these were not suited for mealtime. The problem with those was that they would absorb the puree or whatever food I was feeding him. On a trip to Target, I found this adorable bib set from Neat Solutions Bib set and thought they would be perfect. I was so excited to use them and they did a fairly decent job protecting his clothes from getting food all over but the problem came when I needed to wash them. These bibs were not machine washable and since they were lined with a fabric-like material they were harder to wash and took longer to dry. I was really not satisfied with these and began researching alternatives until I came across the Bumkins Sleeved Bib. I absolutely love this bib and am so glad I got it!

This bib is made out of a waterproof, washable, stain and odor resistant material and comes in a variety of patterns. I love how it’s full sleeves like a shirt which covers my little one’s outfit completely, so now I don’t have to worry about any messy foods dirtying his adorable outfits and the other great thing about this is that its machine washable! I can throw it into the washer and dryer and it comes out completely fresh and ready to tackle the next big mess.

Like: Bumkins Sleeved Bib – Score: 10/10
Dislike: Neat Solutions Bib Set – Score: 5/10

Bowls/Plates

Before introducing solids to my son, it was important for me to have the proper utensils, which meant that I needed to get him a set of plates/bowls. I knew I wanted something that had suction cups and could stick to his highchair tray to prevent him from flipping over the food and getting it all over himself, the chair, and the ground. I decided to purchase the Munchkin Stay Put Suction Bowl which came in a set of three bowls in three different sizes. Overall, the bowls were fine and did what they were meant to do, until about a month or two ago, when my son learned how to pry the bowl off his tray and dump the contents out. At this point, I realized that I needed something else, especially now since he was older. I wanted his meals to be more balanced and I started looking for a plate that had sections so I could give him a couple of different food items, such as an entree, side dish, and dessert. After doing a quick search on Amazon, I came across the Silicone Baby Placemat. This was the perfect solution to what I was looking for. This placemat contained three different sections, came in a cute elephant design and had suction cups, so it would be difficult for him to remove. It’s now been a couple of weeks since we’ve been using this placemat and I absolutely love it! It helps me plan out a more balanced meal for my son and because of its size and the suction cups, he is unable to pry it off. I would definitely recommend this product to other mothers since it has been so useful to me.

Like: Silicone Baby Placemat – Score: 9.5/10
Dislike: Munchkin Stay Put Suction Bowl – Score: 6.5/10

Spoon

I lucked out when it comes to spoons since the Munchkin Gentle Silicone Spoons I had purchased when I first introduced solids to my son were so great that I haven’t had to get any others. What I like about these spoons are that due to the transparent color they don’t seem to stain and/or not as obvious as a white colored spoon would be. I also like the flexible silicone material since it gentle enough for my son to use and bite without being afraid of hurting himself. I had seen other spoon sets online that come in a pack of five to seven spoons, but I really don’t think you need that many. These came in a set of two and since I tend to wash mine after each use, I really don’t feel the need of having more.

Like: Munchkin Gentle Silicone Spoon – Score: 8/10

Cups

Prior to purchasing a sippy cup for my son, I did a lot of research to find him the best and highly rated one. I finally purchased the Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup since this cup had a ton of great reviews on Amazon. What makes it so great is that it is leakproof and is recommended by dentists since it is spoutless. When I tried introducing it to my son, the issue we faced was that he didn’t know how to use it! Since it was spoutless you can drink water from any side, but it needs to be sucked but I didn’t know how to teach him to suck the water. After this realization, I decided that I need to get something else, this time with a spout which would be easier for him to use. I opted for the First Years Soft Spout Trainer Cups which I found at Target. These have been great apart from the fact that if the cap isn’t screwed on properly the water tends to leaks out. These were easy for my son to use and I love the colors and patterns they offer.

Going back to the Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup, I wouldn’t say that I dislike them but instead would recommend them for children 12 months or older since they are more likely to know how to drink from it by that age.

Like: The First Years Soft Spout Trainer Cups – Score: 8/10
Recommended for older children: Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup

Fresh Food Feeder

I was so excited to use a fresh food feeder to introduce berries and other fruits to my son but unfortunately, he didn’t seem to enjoy the experience. I had originally purchased the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder but quickly noticed that each time I tried using it with my son, he did not like the mesh net used to contain the fruit. Instead, he would chew the handle and the other plastic parts of the feeder and not the fruit as I hoped. After talking to a fellow mother about it, she suggested trying to use a silicone feeder instead. It made sense as my son was used to the silicone material since both his pacifier and spoon were made of silicone. I then purchased the Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder and am so glad that I did. I was so excited to see my son use it and actually enjoy the experience of eating mangoes or strawberries from his feeder. My only regret is that I didn’t purchase it earlier!

Like: Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder – Score: 9/10
Dislike: Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder – Score: 3/10

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope the information was helpful to you. If you have any questions or recommendations of your own, please feel to comment them below 🙂

Take care.

Sincerely,
Sana