When my son was about 5 months old, we started talking to our pediatrician about starting solids. She excitedly shared the benefits of my little guy developing motor skills, having the opportunity to autonomously explore his meals, and getting a broad range of nutrients from real, whole foods. But while she was celebrating, I was sweating: I felt nervous about choking risk, allergies, and — whether or not I wanted to admit it — mess.
Luckily, those first two fears I worked through pretty quickly. Emory quickly got better at chewing and swallowing his food, and we introduced new foods purposefully to assess for allergic reactions. But the mess fear didn’t go away on its own. I truly wanted to let Em explore, but I cringed as I watched him finger-paint yogurt across his chest or smear avocado onto his lap. Even with a long-sleeve bib at some meals, juices and bits would still drench his neckline and sleeves. I’d wipe him down as best I could when he was finished, but even if he looked relatively clean, he’d stink within an hour.
That’s when I started using my husband’s odor-resistant hiking shirt as a wildly oversized bib. I’d put it over Emory’s head at mealtime, and give it a good sniff later that day: no stench! And better yet, I found that the shirts washed out cleaner than all of Em’s cotton onesies.
This experience was a huge part of my inspiration in starting First Peak. All our clothes are blended with silver, as natural bacteria-fighter that destroys stink, mildew, and grime. They're ideal for meals at home, but also perfect for eating out, travel, and outings.
There are enough stresses that come with starting solids; get the mess off that list, and start enjoying the finger-painting.