*This post is in partnership with buybuy BABY, a company that both Elle and I love. As always, all opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting brands that make GCG possible!

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Good morning friends! I touched on this topic a bit in this post and this post, but today I wanted to share everything I have learned about feeding my baby solids and some products that have really helped us out along the way.

So let’s start from the beginning. I started feeding my daughter pureed fruits and vegetables starting at 6 months. We introduced one type of vegetable or fruit at a time and fed her the same thing 3 days in a row so we could watch for food allergies. Some people start with rice cereal, but I skipped that part and went straight to the fruits and vegetables. Some easy starter ones include: sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, banana, apples, and pears.

I first tried creating my own purees using a food processor similar to this one as well as these containers for storage. Babies don’t eat too much in the beginning so being able to freeze small amounts at a time was extremely helpful. When making baby food, I was told that the key to the most nutrients is steaming the fruit or vegetable first and then blending it with the leftover liquid from steaming. Adding some water really helps with the consistency.

The baby food making just wasn’t for me so I became a huge fan of the pureed jars from the brand Earth’s Best. They were real lifesavers in the beginning when I didn’t feel like making my own. The jars can be found in stores, but they also make pouches online and can be found here.

I also tried out two food delivery services: Little Spoon and Little Harvest {see more info on this one in this post}. Both are extremely helpful for parents who want fresh organic options, but aren’t into making it themselves.

At around 7.5 months I introduced these teething wafers. They were especially great when we took Elle out to restaurants because they were able to occupy her for long periods of time. She also loves the idea of feeding herself.

We also like these puffs. Puffs were great because they helped Elle learn how to pick up small pieces of food on her own and chew without gagging. Once she masted these new skills, we then incorporated lots of soft foods that she could easily pick up on her own.

With all of Elle’s meals we also always give her water in these sippy cups. They are easy for babies to hold and are a great learner cup. Since she is now about to be one {oh my!}, we were told to integrate cups with straws similar to these and these.

Elle is currently 11 months old and basically eats almost everything except honey and shellfish. We were told by our pediatrician that she is not allowed to have honey until she is one. I try to make family dinners that are easy to prepare and include items she would enjoy. Elle is a huge fan of cheeseburger night and especially loves her sweet potato fries. Also salmon, chicken, and pastas are great for babies too.

My favorite grocery stores are Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. They both have lots of easy goto items available that make mealtime more manageable. I am a huge fan of organic, but if it isn’t an option I don’t get too stressed out about it. Below is a breakdown of easy ideas of what we like to feed Elle when mealtime comes around.

BREAKFAST:

Fresh cut up fruit {strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mango}, homemade banana + egg pancakes, scrambled eggs, hard boiled egg, banana bread, oatmeal, Kite Hill almond milk yogurt {found at Whole Foods}, organic silver dollar pancakes, pumpkin muffins {both found at Trader Joe’s}.

LUNCH:

Cut up avocados, shredded cheese, string cheese, soft whole wheat bread, fresh cut up fruit, slices of turkey broken up, also some items we love from Trader Joe’s: PB&J bars, spinach tortellini, and jared peaches.

DINNER:

Steamed vegetables {peas, corn, carrots, and green beans are her favorite}, cut up hamburgers, sweet potato fries, tater tots, buttered noodles {penne noodles are great!}, turkey meatballs, salmon, rotisserie chicken, and rice. From Trader Joe’s we like their vegetable radiatore pasta and their chicken potstickers. From Whole Foods we like to get Dr. Praeger’s Broccoli and Spinach Littles.

I think the earlier you introduce food, the less picky of an eater your kid will be. I always try to let Elle eat and try what I am eating so she is able to have a wide variety of flavors and we can see what she likes and dislikes. I would say her current favorite foods include bread, pancakes and french fries {this girl loves her carbs!}, but we still try to incorporate a fruit or vegetable option at every meal.

Now let’s move onto some helpful products that we have been using since the beginning:

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HIGH CHAIR

There are a lot of different brands out there so we had a hard time deciding, but in the end went with the Boon Flair Pneumatic Pedestal High Chair. What we like about this one is the modern sleek style as well as the fact that we can wheel Elle around easily from the dinning room to the kitchen. Also it is easy to wipe clean and has dishwasher safe components. Some other popular ones include this one and this one.

BIBS

We love using these bibs because they are super easy to wipe and wash. They have a soft, food-safe pocket that is wide enough to catch virtually any stray pieces of food. Also these are great for special occasions or when going out to dinner. They cover the entire outfit so if your baby has something nice on then it won’t get ruined.

SIPPY CUP

We are currently huge fans of the NUK Learner Cups. They help ease the transition from bottle to cup and are spill-proof with lots of fun designs. They also are easy to clean and pack up in your diaper bag for when you are dinning out or on the go.

DISHES & UTENSILS

Elle is really into using her hands at the moment, but we have slowly started teaching her to use spoons. In the beginning we used these spoons and really love this one for when eating out at restaurants. For plates we like the Mini Happy Mat Placemat because it sticks to Elle’s tray. We also like these bowls for the same reason. Lastly RePlay has great stuff, but is probably better for the toddler stage. You can see my full post on it here.

TEETHING FEEDER

These are great and there are a few different brands that make them, but this specific one is really easy to wash and clean. We used this a lot in the beginning when introducing new foods and textures to Elle. We would put frozen fruit inside {our favorites include mango, strawberries, and blueberries} for Elle to chew on. It allows self-feeding and keeps babies very occupied during mealtime. Lastly, it helps with teething as well.

DISPOSABLE TABLE TOPPERS

These are perfect to bring out to restaurants. They protect kids from germs on table tops and other public surfaces. They also have fun patterns and keep them entertained. We keep a pack in our diaper bag at all times and are happy to report that they are BPA and PVC free.

WAFERS AND PUFFS

Happy Baby has been another one of our favorite baby food brands. I talked a bit about it in this post, and Elle especially loves their wafers and puffs. I can’t say enough great things about these organic teething wafers. They dissolve easily and Elle jumps up and down when she sees me pulling them out. I also thought their puffs were helpful in teach Elle how to pick up food and chew. Both are great snack options too!

So this is all I have learned about feeding my baby solids. I suggest having fun with it and get ready for it to be messy. If I am missing any great mealtime ideas feel free to share them in the comments below. Also, for all you moms out there looking for other educational posts make sure to check out my sleep training post here and my childproofing post here.

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Lastly, I have some exciting news to share from buybuy BABY. This holiday season they are offering Picture People Studios in some of their store locations. You can see the full list of participating locations as well as more information about it here.

*This post is in partnership with buybuy BABY, a company that both Elle and I love. As always, all opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting brands that make GCG possible!