Top 5 Baby Items: Kitchen Edition

Last month, I wrote about my favorite kitchen essentials, which you can read here. Today, I’m writing about my favorite baby items in the kitchen. I have three children, who are ages 7, 3 and 9 months, and over the years, I’ve gathered a lot of useful items I’d love to share.

We’re a busy household—between school and extracurricular activities, we seem to always be on the move (virtually or in person). In general, I purchase baby-related items on Amazon or through Target, so I’d recommend checking those retailers first. Lately, I like to keep things simple by ordering delivery or drive-up!

Here are my top five kitchen essentials for babies:

1. Food Pouch Tops

Originally, I intended to encourage baby-led weaning for James. I chopped, diced, and steamed a lot of his food. However, I wasn’t happy with the outcome. He’d often choke on some foods and outright refuse to eat others. But, I noticed that he seemed to like feeding himself and grabbing the food. I thought I could find something that would meet both of our needs. The food pouch tops allow him to feed himself while giving me peace of mind. It works by blocking the food from coming out of the pouch until the baby bites down on the tip of the nozzle. This prevents him from squeezing pouches and spraying food everywhere, allows him to control the pace of the feeding, and reduces the likelihood of choking.

2. Bibs

I don’t know if bibs are technically considered kitchen items, but I have two favorites. The first is bandana bibs, which I like to use for teething babies (The Little Unicorn brand is a great one). The cloth bibs are absorbent, adjustable, and come in adorable prints. The second type of bibs that I like are wipeable polyester bibs. We went on a trip to Disney a few years ago and I forgot to bring bibs. The Disney gift shop rode to the rescue! I purchased a pack of the cutest Minnie Mouse printed bibs by the brand Bumkins. When I had James, my really good friend gifted me the same brand in a cute Nautical print. These bibs are awesome at keeping clothes dry and preventing extremely stained outfits, while remaining easy to clean.

3. Bottle Brush Set

The bottle brush set is a recent addition to our kitchen. I was looking for something all-in-one to accommodate the bottles, sippy cups, and straws I clean daily. The brushes allow me to tackle all of the tiny baby gear easily. I keep my cactus set out by the sink because its cute design brings a smile to my face. My older kids appreciate the beautiful “plant” also. Once a week, I take the set apart to wash, disinfect, and allow it to air dry. After that, it’s ready for another week of tackling tiny baby utensils!

4. Grass Bottle Rack

We opted for the white/clear “grass,” and we keep it on the counter. This durable bottle drying rack is uniquely designed and a breeze to keep clean. The long “blades” of grass prop items up high, which allows the air to easily get into them to dry them out. The bottom tray collects the water and is easy to empty and dry. We often find ourselves using the rack to dry knifes, glass cups, and even our Swedish dishcloths. To add additional drying real estate, we purchased the branch. It holds bottle nipples and pacifiers like a champ!

5. Self-Feeding/Baby-Led Weaning Utensils

We have two sets of the Grabease Baby Utensils. These anti-choke baby spoon and fork sets are travel friendly, durable, and easy to clean. Having a set of toddler silverware for baby-led weaning has proven to be essential for how I teach my children to use utensils. The utensils ends are short and nubby, perfect for small hands, and allow babies the freedom to learn to feed themselves without the parental fear of them choking from inserting them too far.

It’s easy for me to want all of the new baby gear. It’s so cute and I love trying what’s new on the market. While I was writing this article, my husband threw out one of my food pouch tops, so I’m on the hunt for a new set! I’m looking forward to seeing the new fall colors.

I hope you find these top-five items useful! Please comment if you have any questions.