Buying guide
What you need for weaning
A soft spoon, a suction bowl, an open cup and a pocket bib. What to buy for the first meals, what you do not need, and what to check for safety.
In short
- Weaning starts around 6 months; you settle the timing with your paediatrician. Until then you buy nothing.
- You need little – a good high chair, a few soft spoons, a bowl that does not slide, a small cup and bibs.
- The special baby food maker is a convenience. A hand blender and a fork do the same job.
- Your baby always eats sitting upright, supervised, with no whole hard, round or small foods.
The first spoonful of purée is a moment you will film. What follows is less photogenic: food on the floor, on the wall and in the hair, three times a day. The right utensils do not make your baby eat better, but they make the cleaning up easier and the meals safer. The list is short.
This guide is about objects. When to start, which foods to give and in what order, you settle with your paediatrician.
What you need
| What | How many | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| High chair | 1 | With a footrest; see the high chair guide |
| Soft spoons, silicone or plastic | 3–4 | Small, flat, with a long handle for you |
| Suction bowl or plate | 2 | The suction only holds on smooth surfaces |
| Small open cup or one with a straw | 1–2 | Water is offered from a cup, not a bottle |
| Bibs | 3–4 | Silicone with a pocket, or long-sleeved painter’s ones |
| Small freezer containers | a few | Ice cube trays with a lid work very well |
| Hand blender | 1 | You probably have one already |
What you check
- Small, flat spoons, in soft silicone or BPA-free plastic, which your baby can hold too later on.
- Bowls and plates that can go in the dishwasher and do not break.
- The cup. A small open cup, held by you at first, or one with a straw. Hard-spout sippy cups are not necessary.
- Bibs that wash easily. The silicone ones with a pocket catch a lot; the long-sleeved ones save clothes.
- No salt, sugar or honey in the first year. Honey is not given under one year because of the risk of botulism.
A children’s first aid course, with the choking manoeuvres, is one of the best investments before weaning. Many organisations run such courses, lasting a few hours.
What you do not need
- The special baby food maker. Convenient, but a steamer basket and a blender do the same, and after a few months you no longer purée.
- Fruit feeders (the mesh ones). They can be useful for teething (see our guide on first teeth, brush and toothpaste), but they do not help you find out how your baby eats pieces and they are hard to clean (see what not to buy for a baby).
- The food warmer. A microwave or a bath of warm water, with the food stirred well.
- Big sets of themed tableware. Two bowls and four spoons are enough.
- The bottle with cereal. Cereals are given with a spoon, not in a bottle.
Purées or pieces?
You can start with purées given on a spoon, with soft pieces your baby picks up themselves, or with a mix of both. The utensils above work for all the options. What matters is that, around 8–10 months, your baby gets more and more textures. Discuss the right approach with your paediatrician.
Our recommendation
When the paediatrician tells you it is time (see the timeline in what to buy in the first year): the high chair, four soft spoons, two suction bowls, a small cup and three bibs. Plus a hand blender and a few freezer trays. You will see about the rest as you go, and the money you do not spend on a food maker is better spent on a first aid course.
Frequently asked questions
When does weaning start?
Usually around 6 months, not before 4 months, when your baby sits with minimal support, holds their head up well, shows interest in food and no longer automatically pushes the spoon out with their tongue. You settle the timing and the order of foods with your paediatrician.
Do I need a special machine for my baby’s food?
No. A machine that steams and purées is convenient, but a steamer basket set on a pan and a hand blender do the same job. As your baby grows, the food is puréed less and less, and after a few months the machine goes unused.
Which foods are a choking risk for babies?
Small, round, hard foods – whole grapes, cherry tomatoes or olives, whole nuts and peanuts, popcorn, sweets, hard pieces of raw carrot or apple, sausages cut into rounds. Grapes and tomatoes are cut lengthways into quarters, vegetables are cooked until they squash between your fingers, and nuts are only given ground or as a paste.
Think it could help someone else?
Send the guide to your partner or to a friend who is expecting a baby.