Having the right tools makes a huge difference in the way we do things. Feeding your baby can be such an exciting milestone. So having the right feeding tools for your baby at the right stage is essential.
Kids are a huge market for products. Some of those products are amazing, some are decent, and some are complete garbage. Make sure you’re checking ratings and reviews before buying anything!
This is a basic list I’ve compiled of some of my favorite mom-approved products and tools for feeding our children within the baby and toddler stages.
Side Tip: Quality is always better than Quantity. You will not be using these things forever so you don’t want them taking up all the space in our house. For example, plates and utensils can take up a whole drawer or cabinet in your kitchen.
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This modern highchair has it all, simplicity, functionality, sturdiness, and comfort. Best of all its easy to clean!
With a rubber seat and plastic table (both removable and dishwasher safe) all you really need to clean is a wet paper towel or rag.
The design of this chair is very lightweight yet sturdy. The legs can be removed and dissembled into smaller pieces for easy portability or storage.
It is ideal for babies who are still getting the hang of sitting down because the high backing on the seat helps with support. But it is also suitable for toddlers.
We chose upgrade our kids out of the highchair around 2 years old, even though it was still functioning well for their size.
There are several great booster seats for dining chairs out there, this is one of them.
It has adjustable straps that buckle around the back and bottom of the dining chair to keep firm and secure. It also has a 3-point harness buckle to keep your child from falling off.
Like most booster seats, it is very easily portable because it is small but it is extremely lightweight as well.
The height of the seat is ideal. Personally I had another one that left my kids with no leg room up against the thick table top.
Cleaning is a breeze with this seat, hence the “SmartClean.” The rubber seat clicks into place and can be lifted off for an easy wipe clean.
Bibs are hit or miss.
So many bibs have been designed and placed on the market. But some of them just don’t work well. I’ve struggled with bibs with weak velcro so trying to feed my baby puree while they rip off the bib left me with not enough hands and plenty of mess.
My entire family fell so in love with these bibs that the kids never eat without them (which is rare after the age of 2).
The OXO Tot Silicone Roll Up Bibs are everything in its name. They are simple and extremely functional.
With silicone is only at the bottom portion to reduce the amount of weight of the bib, but it is insanely easy to clean and catches everything. I never have to clean food stains off my kids clothes.
With their compact roll-up capability, they’re for perfect portability and storage.
Although part of their Tot collection, the velcro area is wide enough for size adjustment which makes the bib ideal for both babies and toddlers.
I’ve developed a couple of mom hacks with the ingenuity of these bibs:
- Carry a utensil or two inside the bib pocket
- Omit a plate or dirty restaurant surface by serving straight into the bib pocket
The Munchkin Spoons have a white hot system, meaning the spoon turns white when food is too hot to serve to a baby. And it works pretty well, no more sticking fingers in your child’s food for temperature testing.
Intended for babies, the spoons are meant for tiny mouths but are great for transitioning to self-eating.
With long necks, these spoons are easier to control. The babies love to hold them and munch on them.
Cleaning is easy but they’re also dishwasher safe. The product says top rack only but I’ve had no issues washing in the cutlery rack.
Gerber’s Bowls Set is such a simple product with great functionality.
They’re perfect for serving your baby‘s first food purees or for serving a toddler a snack.
Having lids makes it easier to deal with leftovers or carrying food or snacks on the go.
The whole set is microwave and dishwasher safe.
Another pro is that they’re stackable, so they won’t take up too much storage space.
Boon’s Grass Drying Rack is one of the greatest things ever.
As a grown adult, I am probably too excited by this product but it is part of my kitchen and it makes our clean dishes look so much neater.
Basically, its a cuter version of a regular drying rack but it’s also ingenious because it comes with accessories intended for baby bottle parts.
Personally, I’m going to keep using this. My kids don’t use bottles anymore but the drying rack works for anything in my kitchen. Definitely better than other drying racks I’ve seen and it has a cute visual appeal.
The grass shape is perfect for drying knives between the grass “blades.” Cups, bowls, and jars are dry really well on the grass.
Yet another ingenious invention! The ez-pz mats are absolutely amazing.
They come in various shapes and sizes with bright and fun colors.
I was hesitant and skeptical about a plate and mat combo because of the cleaning but these things make my life easier and they’re amazingly easy to clean.
The price tag on these bad boys seem a little steep but, again, quality not quantity. They’re worth the cost!
They stick so well to a surface that your child will not be flipping their plates off the table, reducing the frustration for parents constantly cleaning up.
Cleaning is really easy because of the silicone material. Sometimes a wet paper towel is enough to clean them. Good news though, they’re dishwasher safe and are super durable.
Another side benefit, it makes eating and plating a little more fun!
You’ve probably seen these quite a bit because they’re very popular. If you haven’t they’re worth checking out!
It might take your child a little time to learn how to use these but they’re perfect because they’re real cups, except better because they’re child-proof.
My son figured out how to use it around 7 months old with only a couple attempts. My daughter, who nursed longer, got the hang of it a little later around 13 months with months of struggle.
They’re so efficient because they’re sippy cups but to drink from them you sip just like you do a regular cup, anywhere around the edge (hence 360), and it doesn’t spill!
If you throw it down hard, a little will spill out but it will not break easily. If you hold it up and flip it around, nothing will spill out unless its defective or not closed properly.
This 360 cup is not only dentist approved, as opposed to cups with spouts or straws, but once your child reaches an age that they can control an open cup on their own the transition will be much easier.
As a new mom I was concerned about all the recalls and reports of baby bottles and sippy cups due to mold build-up within the tiny pieces. But the Miracle 360 Cups are so simple and without all those tiny pieces that they don’t build up mold. They’re so easy to disassemble and, because there’s no spout, its very easy to clean without the concern of mold.
They’re also dishwasher safe so if you’re like me and don’t always have the time to be hand washing after every use, get a couple extra ones and put them in the dishwasher!
The only down side to these cups is their popularity, you might get them mixed up when around other kids.
Good Toddler Utensils are hard to find, and sometimes depend on the child. I’ve wasted money on spoons, for example, that were just too wide for a child’s mouth and forks that couldn’t fork food.
Gerber’s Graduate Cutlery is perfect because they are the perfect shape for toddlers learning to eat.
It’s handle is soft and perfect for those toddler hands. With a “rest easy support” on the back of the handle, when rested on the table, the metal of the utensils don’t touch the surface of the table.
The forks actually grab things but aren’t too sharp or dangerous, and the spoons will actually fit into a toddler’s mouth.
This copycat version is identical!
IKEA’s set of toddler plates, bowls, & cups is probably one of the easiest buy’s for Toddlers.
Unlike a lot of other Feeding Products for Babies and Toddlers out on the market that either cost a ton of money for just one piece, are difficult to clean, are not dishwasher or microwave safe, break easily… etc. these are the total opposite.
They’re so cheap, already come in a bundle, they’re dishwasher and microwave safe, come in a variety of colors, and they’re durable!
What more do you need?
It’s really that simple with these guys. I know some IKEA products are hit or miss, these are definitely a hit.
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My name is Paula and I’m a mom of two scrumptious cuties. Thanks Mommy Blog became a project for me to help guide other new moms and current moms through any of my own personal experiences and struggles. My hobbies include singing, doing jigsaw puzzles, baking, designing and trying to stay creative.
My boys have/had every product mentioned so I second this blog. It amazes me how many infant/toddler items there are out there. My last boy when from the bottle straight to his 360 cups. I love that cup for on the go.
The Gerber bowls and boon drying rack are our favorites too!
I love this list. Lots of great suggestions. We love to use the utensils you listed and I absolutely love the drying rack and 360 cup! Unfortunately I purchased a lot of things that didn’t work for us and in turn wasted a lot of money. A list like this… Read more »
These items are great! Affordable and awesome products to make mom life a little easier.