Mealtimes are among the best times to spend with your children. Whether you feed them or they are starting to learn by themselves, seeing them try new flavors is such a joyous moment. If you want your kids to enjoy food and encourage them to eat for their proper growth and development, get them baby feeding sets.
These feeding gadgets will encourage self-feeding and make them feel included during family mealtimes. In this blog post, we’ll share with you what you should be looking for in baby feeding sets for your baby.
Baby Feeding Set: Shopping Guide for First-Time Parents
When buying baby essentials, ensure they are baby-safe and worth your money. When it comes to baby feeding sets, there are a number of things to look for to make feeding time easier and less messy for your kids.
Here are some common mistakes parents make when baby shopping and suggestions to help you shop for your baby essentials.
Mistake #1: Cute Baby Bowls
Nobody can deny how eye-catching and tempting cute little bowls are with designs. While most parents buy things because they are pretty without considering their function, cute bowls won’t cut the job for meal time. If you serve food to your kids on regular plates and bowls, they’ll likely make a mess. What to Look for: Baby bowls are ergonomically designed to hold your kid’s food so they can eat without wasting too much. Food-grade silicone bowls are best suitable for kids because they are lightweight and shatter-proof. You can also consider wooden baby bowls. Your kids can use them for a very long time because they are durable and non-toxic. ,[
But the best baby bowls are the ones with suction bases. A strong suction base will ensure that your kid’s food will not spill or tip over. There are also food bowls with lids. This is useful when you want to store leftovers or prepare mashed fruits and vegetables for your kids to eat.
Mistake #2: Regular Metal Spoons
One common mindset of parents is that little kids will outgrow their baby stuff, so why not just go for regular things for them to use? True, but baby stuff are specifically designed to make things easy for kids. For example, regular adult spoons are a big no-no for your kids. These metal spoons are heavy, hard, and huge for their little mouths.
What to Look for: Instead of regular metal spoons, buy your kids the appropriate infant spoons for them. Like food bowls, silicone is the best choice for infant spoons. Kids can easily grip it, and it won’t harm them when they swing them around. Furthermore, silicone spoons are dishwasher safe, so it’s easy to clean and maintain them.
You can also consider wooden spoons. There are softwood materials that are suitable for baby spoons. It can also double as a teether to soothe their sore gums. As for forks, little kids generally don’t need them yet. But you can have forks with rounded edges for safety purposes.
Mistake #3: Not Getting a Pacifier Feeder
There are risks involved when transitioning your kids to solid food. Many parents think giving them little chunks of food on spoons is safe. But it can still be a potential hazard. Get feeding tools that will actually help transition your kids to solid food.
What to Look for: Pacifier feeders are best when you want to start your kids on solid foods. Since giving them chunks can still be a choking hazard, putting them in a pacifier feeder will make consumption safer and more convenient. These are available in latex, silicones, and mesh tips. Silicones and latex make the food smaller, which makes it safer for younger babies.
Mesh tips allow for bigger chunks of food to pass through. You can put a whole slice, and your kids can munch on them, so they can really experience eating solid food.
Mistake #4: Buying Hard Plastic Cups
Again, cute cups won’t save you from cleaning after your kid’s mess. Little hard plastic cups may be the perfect size for your kids, and you can even find them with cute designs. But there’s more chance they will toss their cups instead of drinking them.
What to Look for: Look for sippy cups with non-spill lids to keep liquid inside the glass no matter how much your kids shake their cups. It also helps to get them drinking cups with handles. It will practice their grip so they can easily learn how to hold proper cups.
Some of these cups also have suction bases for parents who want to prevent spills.
Mistake #5: Only One Type of Baby Bibs
Generally, there’s nothing wrong with getting your kids baby bibs. It’s just a common mistake to get one type of bib. Different bib materials have different uses; make sure to use the correct one in specific situations.
What to Look for: Feeding baby gear is not complete with baby bibs. It is the best way to keep your kids clean. During meals, use silicone bibs so the food will not penetrate through and spoil your kid’s clothes. Furthermore, it is easy to clean, lightweight, and won’t irritate your kid’s skin.
There are several sorts of bibs available. For example, there are silicone bibs with food catchers on the edge of the bib so food crumbs won’t fall into the floor. As a parent, choose the option best suited to your child’s needs.
Helpful Tips When Buying Baby Products
One of the exciting parts of being a parent is shopping for baby essentials. But decide carefully before spending a lot of money on premium baby goods. A high price does not always mean it’s high quality. Here are some tips when shopping for baby products.
Material Type
So many companies offer baby products that are guaranteed non-toxic, baby safety, and pass safety standards. When buying products, make sure the material is BPA-free, especially ones your kids will put in their mouths. These dangerous chemicals can impair your children’s health and development if they consume them.
If you want to be sure you get the safest gear for your kids, look for the Juvenile Products Manufacturer Association (JPMA) sticker. This organization tests every baby product to see if they are really kid-friendly.
Kid’s Age
It’s difficult to determine the right product size for your kids because they can be too big or too small, even with feeding tools. Good thing baby products are usually labeled with an age range. As a general rule, always buy and use essentials where your kids fall in so you can guarantee their safety.
Take Note of Your Kid’s Allergies
Kids are highly sensitive. Everything can trigger their allergic reactions—even latex nipples of feeding bottles. Ensure to take note of the kid’s allergies before buying any product. If you’re unsure, you can take your kids to a pediatrician to determine their allergies.
Complete Your Baby Feeding Set with Ashtonbee’s Toddler High Chair
Of course, to complete your feeding gadgets, a reliable high chair is a must-have. So we’ve narrowed down your choices to one reliable and affordable brand. Ashtonbee offers a premium wooden high chair for babies and toddlers. Here are some of its amazing features.
- The chair’s legs are crafted from beech wood that can take impact and hold significant weight.
- The seat and the detachable tray are composed of durable, non-toxic food-grade silicone.
- The high chair has included straps to ensure your kid’s safety while using the product.
- The high chair has an adjustable footrest, so it grows with your kids and is designed for easy maintenance and cleaning.
Final Thoughts
In your child’s growing up years, mealtime is the most fun but also the most important. Your children receive the vital vitamins and nutrients from food to support their growth and health. Develop your kid’s healthy eating habits by giving them their first feeding set.
Additionally, if you’re looking for premium quality baby products, Ashtonbee has a wide collection to choose from. We have everything from night lights, tongue cleaners, teethers, baby pillows, safety accessories, baby bikes, knee pads, and more. Browse our collection and shop with us today.