As I'm sure it's well known at this point, I breastfed Samma for the first 6-7 months of her life. It went well, until I had to go back to work and begin pumping. Thankfully, my office was very flexible, and I was able to utilize the Medela Pump-In-Style I borrowed from my friend for as long as my body would let me. And don't worry, nay-sayers... with replacement tubing and parts there's truly no reason to have to go out and purchase your own $300.00 pumping system.
When we were working on our baby registry, we used the Baby Bargains Handbook like it was our bible, and per their suggestion we chose to use Dr. Brown's bottles for Samma. I know some friends of mine had problems with them leaking, and I can see how that could be possible with the multiple pieces involved for these bottles to work properly. Other than the sterilizing/cleaning of the bottles (we rarely put them in the dishwasher) we had not problems, thankfully.
When we were moving away from breastmilk and onto formula, we needed someway to transport it so as not to have to pack a whole canister whenever Sam went anywhere. With containers like this, we were able to portion out her feeding amounts so that her caretaker, whether it be daycare or my mother, would know exactly how much she needed to eat at a time. The only downside, is sometimes with enough jostling, formula would shift from side to side. This varied by brand of container, but we were generally happy with them overall.
As Sam began to eat solids, we wouldn't want to feed her directly out of
the baby food jars for fear of cross-contamination, so we purchased
simple bowls like these. They were deep enough, and are dishwasher
safe, and have lasted us through now where we still use them for snacks
and the like.
Along the same lines, when Sam started using plates, we didn't want to
spend too much money, so we bought these from IKEA for $0.99 and still
use them today!
Of course, Sam couldn't eat with only one set of silverware to her name, so we became fond of the Gerber Graduates silverware sets... in fact, we have eat color posted above. The one thing I don't understand is the need for the knife, but I guess if you're going to teach a toddler the proper way to use all their silverware, you need to start with something, right?
Around 1 year, we moved away from formula and started whole milk. One rule we made was that Sam wasn't going to drink milk from a bottle so we transitioned, and easily, to the Munchkin sippy cups. They were ok for a bit, but the more they were used and washed, the more the tops started to shift, separate, and leak, so we were replacing them more than we wanted to.
Inevitably we needed to upgrade the sippy cups, so we are now using Munchkin's Click Lock insulated sippy cups, which are still working very well. I've read complaints about having to clean them, but if you take the stopper out and put it all in the dishwasher separately, they clean up fine as far as I'm concerned.
We've tried various straw cups, but all they do is leak. Sam can use a straw just fine, we know this, so we're really selective when we give these to her. Generally, the straw sippy cups are our last resort when dishes need to be washed. Or if we're going to be right there with her while she's drinking. Giving her the straw cups in the car is a huge no-no because she's just going to play with it and it's going to end up all over her, whatever she's drinking. I'd just rather steer clear of them for the moment, if I can.
I bought Samma this Oxo training cup on a whim because I saw it at BuyBuy Baby and thought it was ingenious. The top is sectioned off to rather than being open, there are little holes around the rim to slow the fluid from coming out, just enough for a toddler to learn when to drink slower. I should probably get this one out of the cabinet, especially as Sam is currently quite p[leased with herself for being able to drink out of a Poland Spring water bottle all by herself.
And we can't forget about snack time. These Snack Traps (or Snack Catchers, if you're Munchkin-brand) have been the best thing ever, especially if we're taking a trip in the car and she needs to munch on something STAT. The only downside is if they get overused, the flaps become less effective, and more Cheerios tend to fall out with each grasp than would be ideal. Overall, though, the perfect snack transportation device!
So that's all I have for now. I'll update with anything new I can think of, and of course, if anyone has any to add, please feel free to do so!
