As baby was approaching the 6 month mark, I, like many parents, had started to think about what we were going to feed baby and how we were going to feed baby. I was well aware of propping baby on my lap for some feeds, but when it came to baby-led weaning, I wanted to have a set up for baby so she’s comfortable whilst eating, and understands that it’s time to eat.

Initially, I’d bought baby a feeding set (Pippeta Ultimate Weaning Set) which I loved as it came with soft silicone forks and spoons, a suction bowl and divided dish, a sippy cup and an adjustable bib, all made from food-safe, BPA free silicone, and they also come in really cute neutral colours. I opted for “Sea Salt” which is their grey. But I noticed when it came to feeding baby, even with the bib it came with, the puréed carrots and sweet potato, for example, I prepared for baby was getting on her clothing and it was a chore to get the stains out when it came to doing the laundry. Orange coloured beta-carotene is the enemy on laundry day! I was aware that these long

sleeved, waterproof bibs existed, but I hesitated buying any because I’d seen them come in the most garish designs, until I found the Blumie Baby Bib (Long Sleeve Bib) on Amazon, which was inexpensive for a long sleeve bib, coming in at £12.99 and it came in a plain design and was free from the noisey patterns I’d just described. Additionally, some of these bibs I don’t really like are double the price and are hideous. I opted for the beige version as it matches my decor, (yes I’m that kind of person), but some of the other colours were also a win for me, namely the darker shade of grey and even the lighter grey. I like to stay away from pinks and blues just in case we have a boy in the future. I think sticking to neutral colours as much as possible for baby items is a cost-effective approach long time, think future-proofing. I may purchase these other colours I mentioned (the greys) also should I need another one in the future.

This long bib coupled with the silicone bib is a win-win, as feeding time which is guaranteed to be messy is just that little bit less messy now. And as you know as a mum on the go, everything little helps when it comes to saving time and saving the time it takes to get out a stain out before a wash, if that makes sense. What I mean is, I still have to have my wet wipes to hand and clean baby’s face and hands and high chair while I’m feeding, but at least her clothing underneath will be stain free!

As an extra tip, I would fold over a small napkin over baby’s collar of her clothing, then put the long sleeve bib on, then the adjustable bib on as sometimes I’ve found that baby’s food can slide down her face and under her chin area and onto the collar of her clothing. Even though both bibs to help with protecting baby’s clothing underneath, I find that after feeding, when I take her bibs off, there will be a millimetre of food residue on her hem of her top where the bib naturally can’t cover.

Also, I came across a more extreme baby-bib-barrier that I was tempted to buy, but didn’t, The Tidy Tot Weaning Tray Kit, where the bib extends over the high chair tray and hopefully stops the baby from catapulting their food over board, tossing the food past the point of no return. As mentioned I’ve not tried it yet, although I’m still tempted as baby gets older, but if you’ve used this, please let me know how well it works, or whether it’s excessive!

Highchair

As for her highchair, after months of google searches and deliberating what would work for us in our space. We opted for the Ergobaby 3-in-1 Evolve High Chair. What I’ve linked is the 2-in-1 version. We got the dark wood version as I think it looks more luxe and it also matches our dark wood flooring. We chose this chair for its multipurpose capabilities. While she’s still young, 6 months+, we will use it as a high chair with the straps to buckle her in and with the detachable tray for baby led weaning. We can also bring the high chair to a dining table and when she’s older we will take the high chair

attachment off and put on the back rest attachment, to it’ll just become a chair for when she’s about 3 years of age, and then lastly, the third configuration for this chair is the toddler tower or “kitchen helper” as Ergobaby have named it, which can be used from ages 2-7 years.

I love the chair also because it folds away when not in use if you don’t have the space. Some really good highchairs that I scoped didn’t have this feature and would have to be a permanent fixture in the room, whether that be the living, dining room or kitchen. Even though it looks nice in the dark wood colour way, I didn’t still want the chair I chose to take up more space than it needs to.

Again this chair for all three stages comes in at £329.00, and the two stages comes in at £274.00, for some this is dear, but again, its all about future-proofing. For me the fact that baby will potentially be able to use the chair for about 7 years is great! And the fact that its made from wood, means to me its natural and hard-wearing, and will have a long life in our family home and can be used and enjoyed by subsequent children.

Afia 💜