Baby Feeding Essentials for Starting Solids: What You Actually Need

Starting solids can feel like one of those baby milestones that suddenly requires an entirely new category of stuff. High chair, plates, bowls, spoons, cups, bibs, baby food makers, storage containers, floor mats. The list goes on.

After starting solids with two babies, I really don't think you need that much. You don't need to make homemade purées, you don't have to jump straight into baby led weaning, and you definitely don't need an entire cabinet of feeding supplies before your baby's first bite.

I started solids with my first baby at around four months. With my second, I waited until six months, although because she was born prematurely, her adjusted age was closer to four months. Both times, I paid attention to their development and talked with our pediatrician about when they were ready.

The biggest thing I've learned is that there isn't one perfect way to start solids. If watching a six month old gnaw on a piece of chicken makes you incredibly nervous, you don't have to start there. Start where you're comfortable and let both of you figure it out together.

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Before You Start Solids

Before introducing solids, talk with your pediatrician about whether your baby is developmentally ready. With both of my babies, one of the things I paid attention to was their head and neck control. During tummy time, I wanted to see that they could control their heads rather than having their heads just fall toward the ground.

Readiness involves more than age alone, so this is definitely something to discuss at your baby's checkup, especially if your baby was born prematurely. Once you get the go ahead, remember that starting solids is a learning process.

In the beginning, your baby is experiencing new tastes, textures, smells, and the entire concept of putting food into their mouth. Don't stress about how much actually gets eaten. Formula or breast milk is still doing most of the nutritional heavy lifting at this stage.

A High Chair That Is Easy to Clean

This is probably the biggest actual purchase you need. The high chair I currently use is no longer available, so I don't have a specific one that I think everyone needs to buy.

I've heard great things about the Stokke high chair, particularly because it provides foot support and can be adjusted as your baby grows. Having somewhere for their feet to rest wasn't something I realized was important when I was shopping for my first high chair, but it's something I would pay attention to now.

If I were buying a high chair today, I'd focus on whether it's supportive, whether there's somewhere for the baby's feet to rest, and most importantly, whether it's easy to clean. Your high chair is going to get gnarly. Food gets into every little crevice, so I would choose something practical over something that simply looks pretty in your kitchen.

Two Silicone Bibs

You absolutely do not need a drawer full of bibs. I like silicone bibs with a pocket at the bottom that catches food. The pocket catches some of what your baby drops and helps prevent quite as much food from ending up directly in their lap.

I think two silicone bibs are plenty because you can wash one while you're using the other. They're also incredibly easy to rinse off after a meal, which is why they're usually my first choice.

Two Feeding Smocks

Smocks are another nice option, especially when you're serving something particularly messy or you're trying to protect an outfit. I don't think you need a bunch of these either, and two feeding smocks is more than enough for us.

Honestly, sometimes the easiest solution is simply taking the baby's clothes off before a particularly messy meal and accepting that everyone is going to need a cleanup afterward. Starting solids is messy no matter how many products you buy to try to contain it.

Suction Plates and Bowls

Once babies figure out that they can pick up their plate and throw it, they will. That's why I definitely recommend suction plates and bowls.

I also like divided plates. As babies get older and preferences start developing, I like being able to put a few different foods on the plate while making sure there is at least one familiar food that I know they'll eat. Some kids also don't love having different foods touching each other, so the divided sections can become especially helpful as they get older.

One thing I learned the hard way is that silicone isn't always my favorite material. We had silicone plates that went through the dishwasher and eventually started smelling and even tasting like dishwasher soap.

If I were buying new feeding gear now, I'd look for stainless steel plates or bowls with suction bottoms. You don't need six of them either. A couple of plates and bowls is plenty.

A Few Baby Spoons and Forks

You don't need an entire collection of baby utensils. We use Elk and Friends forks and spoons, and I've also used softer silicone spoons when my babies were younger and didn't have teeth yet.

I don't know that the fully silicone utensils are absolutely necessary, but I liked having something soft when they were first learning. Two sets of utensils should be plenty to get started, and you can always buy more later if you find yourself constantly running out.

A Honey Bear Straw Cup

The honey bear straw cup is one feeding product I really like. It helps babies learn how to drink through a straw because you can gently squeeze the bottle to bring liquid up through the straw, helping them understand what they're supposed to do.

From there, I transitioned to other cups as they got older. I introduced sippy cups and eventually open cups closer to one year. I also introduced small amounts of water when appropriate and sometimes used formula while they were practicing with a new cup.

You don't need to buy every cup on the market before your baby takes their first bite of avocado. Start with one and add other styles as you actually need them.

You Don't Need to Make Homemade Baby Food

I wish I could tell you I was the mom making beautiful homemade purées every Sunday, but I'm not. I have a Baby Brezza baby food maker that can steam and blend vegetables, and I think it's a great product if making your own baby food is something you're genuinely interested in doing.

For me, it wasn't something I had the time or desire to do consistently, and that's okay. You can steam vegetables using what you already have in your kitchen, mash soft foods with a fork, serve appropriately prepared whole foods, or buy prepared baby food.

We've used Little Spoon, and I also really like Cerebelly and Once Upon a Farm pouches. You don't need to choose between being a homemade purée mom and a strict baby led weaning mom. You can do a combination, which is what worked best for me.

Baby Led Weaning Doesn't Have to Be All or Nothing

If you've spent five minutes looking at starting solids content online, you've probably seen videos of six month olds casually eating foods that make you nervous just watching them. If that doesn't bother you, great. If it terrifies you, you don't have to start there.

I did some baby led weaning, especially with very soft foods. Avocado was an easy one. I could put an appropriately prepared piece on the tray and let my baby explore it, pick it up, squish it, taste it, and eventually figure out how to eat it. But I also used purées and pouches.

With my first baby, I was pretty nervous about progressing to more solid foods. Daycare ended up giving me a lot of confidence because they started serving him different foods there. Once I saw that he could handle them, I became much more comfortable offering them at home.

Do the process that works best for you. Starting with purées because you're nervous doesn't mean you can't introduce finger foods later, and starting with baby led weaning doesn't mean you can never hand your baby a pouch.

My Favorite Resource for Learning How to Serve Food

One resource I found incredibly helpful when starting solids was Solid Starts. If I wasn't sure how to serve a particular food, I could look it up and see how it should be prepared based on my baby's age.

Even their free resources are incredibly helpful, and they also have an app if you want additional features. It made me feel like I actually knew what I was doing, especially when I was nervous about moving beyond purées.

There are so many moments when you're holding a random piece of food wondering, "Can my baby eat this, and how am I supposed to cut it?" Being able to quickly look up the food and see how to prepare it made a huge difference for me.

Accept That Starting Solids Is Messy

I don't have a magical product that makes starting solids clean. Your baby is going to get messy, your high chair is going to get messy, and your floor is going to get messy.

You can buy a mat to put underneath the high chair, and plenty of parents swear by them. I've never felt like it was an absolute necessity. I usually use wipes or a wet paper towel for cleanup, and for particularly messy meals, sometimes removing an outfit beforehand is easier than trying to protect it.

This is one of those stages where accepting the mess makes everything easier. Your baby is supposed to touch the food, squish it, drop it, and figure out what it feels like.

Baby Feeding Essentials You Actually Need

If my best friend were starting solids tomorrow and asked me which baby feeding essentials to buy, I’d keep the list very short. I’d get a supportive and easy to clean high chair with a footrest, two silicone bibs with food catching pockets, two feeding smocks, a couple of suction plates or bowls, two sets of baby utensils, and a honey bear straw cup.

That's really it. Everything else can be added later once you know what your baby likes and what actually makes feeding easier for your family.

What You Don't Need Right Away

You don't need an entire cabinet of feeding supplies before your baby's first meal. I wouldn't buy a huge collection of plates, bowls, spoons, forks, straw cups, sippy cups, and open cups all at once. You have plenty of time to figure out which products you actually like.

You also don't need a dedicated baby food maker unless you actually want to make baby food. If you know you're going to buy purées or serve appropriately prepared versions of whatever your family is already eating, skip it. The same goes for elaborate baby food freezer trays and storage systems if you aren't planning to batch prep homemade food.

I also wouldn't stock up on toddler snack supplies yet. Snack cups, pouches, little containers, and other feeding products became useful for us later. I've even reused one of my formula containers to carry snacks, but starting solids and entering the constant toddler snack era are two very different things.

You Don't Have to Do Starting Solids Perfectly

There is so much pressure around feeding babies now. Make everything homemade, do baby led weaning, introduce every texture, serve elaborate plates, and use the perfect cup. It can make something that's supposed to be exciting feel incredibly intimidating.

I think the most important thing is finding an approach that makes you comfortable enough to actually enjoy introducing your baby to food. If you're comfortable with baby led weaning, do it. If you're nervous about choking and feel much better starting with purées, start with purées. If you want to do both, do both.

Your baby has plenty of time to learn how to eat. Starting solids is really just the beginning.

FAQs About Starting Solids

What feeding supplies do I actually need to start solids?

I would start with a supportive high chair, a couple of bibs, a couple of smocks, suction plates or bowls, a few baby utensils, and a beginner straw cup. You can buy additional feeding products as you figure out what works for your baby instead of trying to anticipate everything you'll eventually need.

Do I need a baby food maker?

No. A baby food maker can be convenient if you plan to make a lot of homemade purées, but it isn't necessary. You can steam or cook foods using what you already have in your kitchen, mash soft foods with a fork, serve appropriately prepared foods, or purchase prepared baby food.

Are silicone plates good for babies?

Silicone plates are popular because they're soft and many come with suction bottoms. However, I've had silicone feeding products retain a dishwasher soap smell and taste over time. If I were buying again, I'd consider stainless steel options with suction.

Do babies need divided plates?

They're not necessary, but I like them. As babies become toddlers, divided plates make it easy to offer several foods while keeping them separate. I also like including at least one familiar food that I know my child is comfortable eating.

Do I need both bibs and feeding smocks?

No, but I like having both. Silicone bibs are my everyday choice because they're easy to rinse off and the pocket catches dropped food. Smocks are helpful for particularly messy meals or when you want to protect your baby's clothes.

Do I need to choose between purées and baby led weaning?

No. I used a combination, and I think you should start with whatever makes you most comfortable. You can gradually introduce different textures and appropriately prepared foods as both you and your baby become more experienced and confident.

What cup should I use when starting solids?

I liked starting with a honey bear straw cup because it helped teach my babies how to use a straw. You don't need to purchase every type of baby cup immediately. You can introduce other cups gradually as your baby gets older.

Final Thoughts

Starting solids feels like a huge milestone because it is, but it doesn't need to come with a huge shopping list. Buy a few feeding essentials, choose foods you're comfortable serving, find a reliable resource for figuring out how to prepare them, and let your baby explore.

Some days they'll eat a surprising amount, while other days they'll throw almost everything on the floor or spend the entire meal playing with it. That's all part of learning, and you have plenty of time to figure out what works for both of you.

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