About to start weaning - what's the basic equipment I need? Before I go out and bankrupt me and DH...

[BettyFriedan]

Head spinning from looking on Mothercare, kiddicare and Annabel Karmel. What do I actually need to start off with??? And what can I live without??????? Please help before DH takes credit card away from me

If you do BLW then there is no cost at all...one of the many advatages!!

Are you planning to puree and if so are you planning to make your own purees?

If you do make your own then just a blender, food pots, spoons, bibs, cup for water.

Highchair from IKEA, about £15 (with tray, £10 without). Plastic tablecloth to protect the floor, we have carpets in dining room and no room to eat in the kitchen. Few long sleeved bibs. A basic tommy tippee sippy cup.

If you want to do the puree thing, then a stick blender is fine.

Ooh yes, Ikea antilop highchair, we've got that it's fab.

Have a highchair bought in sale from mothercare - yay!....Was thinking of doing puree stuff (PFB ) but am being dense what is a stick blender? I've just got an old bog standard one.
how many food pots and spoons shd you get?

Stick blender - little hand held thingy. I was given one eons ago that has blender attachment as well as balloon whisk. Good for small quantities of stuff.

But BLW is so much easier y'know (tempts over to the dark side )

If you are going to do lots of batch cooking and freezing (which I highly recommend) then you'll need a ton of little pots with lids.

I found the Annabel Karmel ice cube trays to be really useful for freezing tiny portions of puree in the early days and I still use them now for freezing portions of soup or sauce. I'd fill them up, freeze them, then pop the cubes out into a freezer bag so I could re-use the tray.

Even if you do purees you need remarkably little stuff really. Ignore the catalogues!

We've got tons of little food pots as I tend to make a batch of 8 meat, 8 fish and 8 poultry dishes a week (well I did, but DD is just on our food chopped up now). I found the tommee tippee ones pretty good.

highchair you can hose down - if you have a big padded recliney one with bells and whistles return it immediately while still unused and get either the ANtilop or a Tripp Trapp

if highchair has no tray, plastic tablecloth

bibs with sleeves

flannels for wiping face/hands (better than babywipes)

if you have precious floor, something to protect it (cheapy shower curtain v good)

spoons

apart from that, nothing you haven't got in the kitchen already

and don't buy anything branded if you canj help it - basic Tesco tupperware is just as good as speical baby weaning food pots

I have always used muslins rather than bibs, just roll DD's sleeves up and tie them round her neck and they cover all of her then go straight in the wash. I found that cheaper than having tons of the sleeved bibs.

(also use the muslin to wipe her chops and hands afterwards).

GAL my DS tries to rip bibs off - a tied muslin would be no match!!

Yeah it's funny that's why I started using muslins because she ripped the bibs off. She doesn't mimd a muslin at all, I think because I don't do it very tightly, but I double knot it at the back to she can't remove it if she does try.. Any kind of bib though she will remove.

RhinestoneCowgirl re the dark side, I am very tempted by BLW - like the idea of feeding herself - but it all seems really scary and if it doesnt work that i've traumatised her in some way

MrsBadger i got a reduced Chicco highchair which is meant to be plasticy and wipe clean. Is unopened. Tell me should I be returning it????

GAL I have TONS of muslins - hurrah - that sounds a good idea.

Vanish

Taking T shirts (and trousers) off is much easier than fighting over bibs.

Betty BLW won't traumatise her - if she doesn't take to it then nothing lost. Besides, most people do a bit of both, depending on how their baby likes to eat. And some things need spoons - weetabix, yogurt etc.

Even with BLW you'll need some kit - a couple of spoons, something to hold sticks of food when you're out and about and probably a plastic bowl/plate for later on. So you can get your 'new kit' fix and not feel too guilty.

If you're interested in BLW get the Baby Led Weaning book from the library or Amazon and give it a read - very inspiring and practical I found.

antilop highchair

kiddy cutlery

food

baby

tHERE NIS A MIDDLE ROAD WHERE YOU DO (sorry caps on) purees and finger foods. Personally this worked for me as mine were both hungry so BLW on its own didnt get enough into them and they just got grouchy and frustrated. So i would give them things to hold and chew whilst feeding them a bit too.

Also some foods jsut are better with a spoon...weetabix for instance!

Look in your local poundshop for spoons, pots, bowls, bibs etc. Way way cheaper than the big stores...

Wipe-clean bibs with turn-up crumb-catchers (mothercare) are great as you don't have to wait for the washing machine before you can get them clean and they catch loads before it goes on the floor (including liquids).

Freezer bags (and pen to label with) to dump your ice-cubes of food into, to free up your ice trays for the next batch.

Hand-held blender (that you can just stick into a bowl) - don't buy the annabel karmel ones, they are twice the price just to have her name on!! Just go to argos or tesco and get one for about £5!

Would also recommend a dog, for floor cleaning duty

A baby.

Sorry - a 6 month old baby.

Ikea is the place for all your weaning needs. No need for bankruptcy at all!

Antilop high chair with tray

Fleece blanket for under high chair if you have carpet

Bibs with sleeves

Plastic plates, bowls and cutlery

Pack of 10 flannels

Food

Job done

If you are being PFB about it you could splash out and get a pack of soft tipped spoons and the Ikea ('deluxe') first plate, bowl, cup combo kit

Oh god yeah, forgot the dog, the dog is absolutely mandatory IMO.

seen wonderful ikea stuff but they won't let you shop online for it

am distraught!

also need to find a dog