Baby Yi just turned 1 year old last December! He's been a curious eater, wanting to explore table food as young as 8 months old. Unlike his elder brother, he did not like blended food and instead showed a lot of interest in things in our plates. Therefore, we practise baby led weaning this time- this means that we let Yi try whatever food he wants and he thinks he can handle.
What type of food is suitable for baby led weaning? Almost anything edible! We usually prepare a portion of table food without salt and sugar because kidneys younger than 1 year old cannot handle these additives. Other things like honey (potentially containing harmful germs) and fresh cow's milk (difficult to digest, not enough iron content) are also not suitable.
There's no strict rules about eggs and nuts, but we tend to avoid nuts and seeds due to choking risk. Try to offer fresh fruits, veggies and meat instead of processed food or fried snacks. The key is to introduce new food at least after 2-3 days so we can detect allergy easily. And to supervise baby Yi closely in case he runs into trouble.
Weaning can be messy. As baby Yi is familiarising himself with utensils, it's important to get those of good quality and designed for weaning. Edison Mama is a famous Japanese brand that produces durable and practical baby products. We love their utensils!
Edison Mama Baby Straw Cup
Baby Yi loves to drink water and soup. Or rather, he really enjoys making a mess with the fluids to our dismay! But Edison Mama Baby Straw Cup comes with an easily sealed lid to minimise spillage. This is especially useful while traveling in car to avoid soiling his car seat. In the early stages, it's preferable to use it with the silicone straw. Later on, it can be easily converted into a cup with lids! Importantly, the cup is made to withstand boiling water. So we can sterilize his cup and make hot beverage.
The cup is suitable for infant aged 6 months and above.
Edison Mama Scoop Plate with Suction
The initial stage of weaning involves exploring finger food. Every baby including baby Yi goes through the stage of throwing things off the high chair. It's a normal developmental I think many parents will agree with me picking up the bowl every minute during meal time can become fairly exhausting. This is why the brilliant creation of a bowl or plate with suction cups comes by handy. Baby Yi stopped trying to throw his bowl (he tends to do that when he could not reach his food). It's also much easier to gather and scoop food from a lopsided plate with a sloped bottom which can contain soup as well.
Edison Mama Fork & Spoon
This is the top seller in Japan for good reasons. Over a million sets are sold annually. The fork is grooved to make gripping onto noodles an effortless task. The spoon, on the other hand, has a flat edge so scooping becomes much easier. Besides that, the curved handle offers a much stable grip. The set comes with a plastic casing so we can bring them out on the go. Just like other Edison Mama's products, the utensils can be sterilized in boiling water.
Even though baby Yi is only expected to use utensils beyond 18 months old, it's always good to let him try and familiarise himself with them.
I strongly recommend parents who have young children to go onto Mamaland website and grab a few of these useful products because they are real good and practical investments!
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