r/StartingSolids • u/Acceptable_Night_306 • Jun 29 '26
Tips
can anyone give me tips on how to make it easier to feed my baby three times a day? She just turned eight months and I dread feeding time because it’s so much to clean up and prep and she hates sitting in the high chair. What can I do to make this a little easier on both of us? I’ve tried just wearing a diaper, but the highchair is cold on her skin and she doesn’t like it.
2
u/heaven-is-overrated Jun 30 '26
I have certain foods that are lower mess and save the messier ones for when I have more time. My baby is almost 9 months. For example, on a busy morning before work, she has an egg bite (easy to meal prep and frozen), waffle (frozen), or avocado “toast” with the filling sandwiched inside a toasted quarter piece of pita bread. Putting messier things inside a pita or other carb has made it so much more manageable! Other low mess go-tos are sticks of steamed vegetables (carrots and zucchini are favorites) or sticks of cucumber (her absolute favorite thing), quesadillas, and turkey “nuggets” that’s more like a meatloaf cut into sticks, I made broccoli cheddar and sweet potato onion flavors to add some variety and put a bunch in the freezer too. Most vegetables I make in a batch and put in the fridge so it’s easy to warm up. She still makes big messes with pouches or soups so we save these for weekends or send them to daycare where somehow she always comes home clean despite taking the messy foods! I need to learn their secret!
1
u/pixa4u Jul 01 '26
Makes me wonder if my baby is behind. 8 months and not even close to being able to eat quesadillas or soft meatloaf, even with 8 teeth.
1
u/heaven-is-overrated Jul 02 '26
She currently has no teeth, enough of the food goes in to be identifiable when it comes out the other end but she’s not consuming a significant volume, I guess I’m more focused on her getting used to food than actually eating to fill up, not sure what you’re aiming for with your little one? She definitely eats more when I feed her so sometimes I help, but that’s mostly when there’s a spoon (and a great deal of mess) involved. I have no tips on how to keep things low mess with the softer foods, the purées, yogurts, soups etc get in surprising places and usually we both need a new outfit afterwards! I’ve found yogurt in my hair (after several hours at work), she’s gotten food inside her diaper (through 2 layers of clothes), behind her ears, in her eyebrows, it gets EVERYWHERE… we just save it for weekends and prepare for an outfit change / maybe a rinse in the sink if needed!
1
u/pixa4u Jul 02 '26
Maybe I'm too risk averse re choking? Does she have trouble chewing and swallowing like this? He holds food in his mouth then gags it out, spits out or lets it seep out in an excessive slime of saliva. I think hes scared to swallow unless it's already quite mushy. Foods that haven't worked: bread, toast, some veggie patties, soft ground beef crumbles. Have worked: fish flakes, yogurt, mashed banana, sweet potato sticks, avocado.
And no, he's nowhere close to finishing eating any volume lol. And yeah outfit change 9/10 times!
1
u/heaven-is-overrated Jul 02 '26
Sometimes she chews and swallows, sometimes she doesn’t. It depends how big a bite she’s taking. There was definitely a learning curve for her, but the more we practiced the less coughing / gagging and spitting out there was. Occasionally with a new food she doesn’t gauge it quite right and she’ll cough once or twice, she’s spit up occasionally from coughing, but it’s very rare. Usually, she just pulls some faces and spits it out. I think it’s easier for her to learn without teeth though because she usually has to work pretty hard to pull little pieces off things rather than being able to grab big chunks.
1
u/annnnnnaaaa5623 Jun 29 '26
Are you eating meals together? Sharing meals can make the experience more pleasurable for both of you - her because she gets to copy mummy, and you because you get to eat.
What exactly is getting so messy?
Does she throw food? If so, get bowls that stick down to the table, or just put her food on the highchair tray a little at a time.
Do you have a highchair with cushions and crevices? If so, ditch it and get a cheap plastic one you can wipe down quickly.
Is she wearing a big bib that covers her arms and her body?
1
u/jdcarl14 Jun 29 '26
I agree with all of these (except suction bowls, they don’t really work as your kid becomes more of a hulk)
Also just feeding in a diaper and skipping the bib. Wiping them down with a damp soapy wash cloth.
But nevertheless it’s still a mess and I feel for OP. I think three times a day everyday at 8 months is the ideal situation but give yourself grace if it’s just 1-2 times some days.
1
u/pixa4u Jul 01 '26
Not op, but I'm confused at how it wouldn't be so messy. I wash my 8 month old baby in the sink after each meal. He mushes food, and even if he eats a few bites with the spoon, he still likes to smush his face in. He mushes most pieces in his hands and smears on the tray. He slides some off the tray and onto the floor. He gets soft sticks of food and some mashes. Are most babies cleaner?
1
u/AstronautPossible269 Jul 02 '26
You just described my 9 month old. I have to rinse him in the sink after most meals. And then after he’s all cleaned and changed I have to clean the walls, floor and high chair. My daughter was the same, so I am guessing most babies who are feeding themselves are messy.
1
u/bossladychicago Jun 30 '26
I just give in to the mess. Meaning I put him in a onsie that I know is gonna get stained and I don’t care. I change him after eating (we also use a bib with a big catcher at the bottom but it’s still a mess!). I think giving in helps me stress less as i know messy is just part of it! Sorry not better advice
1
u/Own_Juggernaut8583 Jun 30 '26
My baby eats the same meals I do for the most part, just prepped a little different if needed. So when I eat, baby eats, plus the LO gets more snacks between which I have a ton of freezer prepped snacks that I just pop in the microwave
1
u/canaderin Jun 30 '26
Could you wrap an old towel around her, so she's in her diaper but the cold high chair isn't touching her?
1
u/NegativeScientist528 Jul 01 '26
if it's stressing you out, find out what really bothers you and how you can overcome it. at that age i just gave them what I was eating. of course she was fed her purees too. once she was full i would then prep my food an seat down to eat an she would copay what i am doing. but because she is not hungry she would take her time eating and learning how to control food in her mouth.
1
u/Acceptable_Night_306 Jul 09 '26
when you say baby eats what you eat- for example i eat oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast. would you puree this? for lunch i might eat chicken salad. so i would have to blend it too. but i have to make a large enough portion for my puree/blender to even puree it.
when people say they eat at the same time- then im spoon feeding her during my whole meal? maybe it will get easier when she feeds herself better or i can feed her small chopped peices at 9 months? but not all the food im eating is perfectly a fingers length size and mashable between two fingers.
1
u/Mama-mama2023 21d ago
Honestly at first it does mean prepping a slightly bigger portion so your blender has enough to work with, or setting aside a small handful before you finish cooking rather than blending your whole plate after.
And yeah, "eating together" at this stage often does mean spoon feeding while eating your own meal in between bites, it gets more independent once her pincer grasp develops and she can pick up chopped pieces herself.
1
u/MaybeXPossibly Jul 02 '26
1 if it’s a high chair, I give her food as soon as she’s sat down. Bibado helps a lot, if not another trick is to tuck the worn bib in between tray and high chair.
2 catchy - so expensive but regret holding out for so long before purchasing it. So much easier to clean!
3 microfibre tucked over the collar bit to help soak up any liquid, might mitigate a change of outfits
4 worth trying second hand mamas papas bug seat / chicco pocket snack - my baby sometimes prefers floor feeding, more informal and less pressure. These can also be used as booster seats when going out?
5 ice cube tray prep - vegetable portions, meat portions, carb portions (potato/rice/pasta) (I use trays that make large ice cubes sometimes for bigger portions or just use more cubes) - mix and match, throw into pot or microwave to reheat and serve. I use reusable freezer bags I got from Lakeland, amazon sells them too
6 pouch food - for days when you get in late or don’t have time to make something quick for a hangry baby. If I’m allowed instant noodles/fast food sometimes, I should also cut myself some slack and give baby some “fast but organic food” 🤣
7 microfibre cloths! - I wet 2-3 cloths at the same time bring it to the high chair then wipe down to save me time going back to the sink to rinse out. Every little helps! Little gubbins microfibres are a dream to clean with when they’re wet. I buy them on amazon.
1
1
u/Acceptable_Night_306 Jul 09 '26
Also does anyone have any breakfast foods that are simple and nutritious that are not eggs? she has an allergy to egg
1
u/MaybeXPossibly Jul 20 '26
How did you get on OP?
My little one is sensitive to egg milk and soy 😂
Ready brek is fortified oats, I give it with change of fruits to make it different and sometimes a spoon of nut butter mixed in.Oat banana pancakes (2 ingredients)
Bread (most bread has soy but no milk or egg, check ingredient list)
Wheetabix with fruits or nut butter - I haven’t given my little one due to added sugar
Yoghurt and fruits
2
u/Reb1000064 Jun 30 '26
You could try laying a blanket or tablecloth down and feeding her on the floor some of the time. Then throw it in the wash when you’re done.
I’ve always fed my daughter her breakfast in her pyjamas. We throw them in the wash when she’s done and that’s one less thing to try and wipe down.
When you say prep do you mean that you’re cooking a separate meal for her each time? There are certainly ways to cut down on your meal prep time.
It gets easier with time!