Favorite Baby/Toddler Feeding Items

      So there's only a few items that I really feel are necessary to keep in the kitchen when feeding a baby. First, and the most obvious one, would be a high chair. There are a million on the market, and they range from very basic to super fancy. I had an awesome Graco Reclining High Chair (almost that exact one but a different color) and I loved it. The thing about high chairs, they take up a ton of room, and most of the time when you first start feeding your little one baby food, it is really is just easier to hold them in your lap so you can pin down their arms and prevent them from smearing food EVERYWHERE. I liked my high chair because even when I wasn't feeding the baby, I could put them in it and wheel them to whatever room I was in and know they were safe and buckled in (and they would be to high for the other kids to get to them). Then I would give them little toys or noisemakers and they would be so comfortable with the chair reclined that they would take naps in it. When space is a bigger issue or if you really want something that will work for any situation this Graco convertible chair is awesome!! It goes from high chair to booster, which is great if your heading to a family or friend's house for the day and want lunch time to be easy at someone else's house. I gave up having a high chair and have gone straight from lap to booster seat . I like that it sits right at my table, saving me room, and if I want to put it away, it folds up small and tucks away. It is also great for taking to family members houses when we visit.
      Second most important thing is the food. Duh. There are a million different baby foods out there, and usually you can find a good sale and stock up, but I like making my own. No, I am not an over achiever, just cheap and I make a pretty good attempt at feeding the kids as healthy as possible. Actually, Making baby food saves tons of time, money, and panic attacks (lots of baby food recalls). I usually can use one or all of the same ingredients that I am using to make everyone else's food that day. Last year my husband surprised me with an awesome Cuisinart food processor that I can just throw food into and pulverize it into baby food. I use it for a million other things too, but the different sized work bowls make it easy to do a small batch without a big mess. I have also made baby food in my Vitamix which works just as good. Again, a great piece of equipment that I pretty much use at least once a day. Anything from fresh fruit, cooked veggies, cooked pastas, and even beans are easy enough to just throw in, mix up, and you have baby food. Anything you would buy in a jar, you can make for cheap and it's healthier, very easily.
        The third thing that really helps, especially if your making you own baby food, is containers to store it all. One of my favorite things is the Yummi Pouch . These things are do-it-yourself fruit mash-ups. If you haven't seen those, they are basically applesauce in a squeezable pouch. Works great for 7 months old all the way up to.....well, my age. I have put everything from unsweetened applesauce out of a jar to homemade baby food, to smoothies, right into the pouches and you seal up the top, and its easy, non messy, food for the go. You can fill them up, throw them in the fridge for later that day, or the freezer for later that week. They go in the top rack of the dishwasher and clean up easy. The really great thing for little ones is that they now have spoons that attach right to the pouch so you are squeezing food right onto the spoon while they are eating and it saves you from the huge mess with open containers. Fantastic!! My baby prefers to just suck it right out of the pouch. Another way to store baby food in the freezer is with these freezer containers. I love that they are already portioned out for you.
    The last thing that you are really going to NEED is bibs. This is again, an obvious thing, but bibs are important. They get worn several times a day and sometimes, when you have a teething slobbering baby, they get worn all day. The best on the go option is clip-on bibs. You just grab a napkin, wash rag, or hand towel and you have a bib! Brilliant. The best bib for catching all that food that is just bound to go everywhere but in the kid's mouth is BABYBJORN. It works great for feeding time, but you wouldn't leave it on the little one all day long.These waterproof bibs are awesome for teething, feeding, and basic drooling time. They are waterproofed on the back side to help keep baby's clothes dry and clean.
    All these things can be found at Amazon and if you don't already, get an Amazon Prime account. It saves you so much time and money from running to different stores, and the prices are great. Best membership for any parent.