jenna August 13, 2025

The feeding journey for your baby is between you and your baby.

**Some links in this post are affiliate links and I do make commissions off your purchase at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your support! 

In the first year of having a baby, there are so many changes and developments, it feels like everything happens in the blink of an eye. Before giving birth, I set a personal goal: if I was able to, I’d like to breastfeed for the first year of my son’s life. The key phrase there was “if I was able to.” I knew I shouldn’t put any kind of pressure on myself for that, because there may have been circumstances beyond my control. At the end of the day to me, the most important thing is that my baby is fed.

Every mom and baby has a different feeding journey. That might look like breastfeeding for a year and beyond, exclusively pumping, or using formula from the start. It’s a deeply personal journey and there are so many variables that make it overwhelming at times. But hear this, mama: you are not alone in your choices, and you are not wrong in your choices. The best thing you can do is feed your baby in the way that works best for both of you.

Now that I’m the mom of a two-year-old, I can reflect on what that feeding journey looked like for me. I was able to provide breastmilk for my son for about 13 months. I breastfed and pumped during that time since I returned to the office after maternity leave. Around 9 or 10 months postpartum, I started supplementing with formula because my milk supply wasn’t quite keeping up with his growing appetite and that was totally okay!

When he was about six months old, we began introducing solid foods using the baby-led weaning method (I have linked books I used later in this post). By the time he turned one, he was eating more solids and drinking whole milk. From 12 to now 24 months, he is offered three meals a day with a couple of snacks. But here’s the truth: he doesn’t always eat everything. Sometimes he’s picky, sometimes he’s uninterested, and sometimes he just throws food. 😅

For a while, I was anxious about every bite he didn’t take, worrying whether he was getting enough iron, protein, or nutrients, oh my! After talking with a counselor, the pediatrician, and some trusted mom friends, I started to embrace two truths:

  1. Toddlers/kids are surprisingly intuitive about their needs – they’ll get what they need, just watch their energy levels.
  2. My only job is to provide the food, not to force it.

From 6 months to about 16 months, I was pretty hard on myself. I’ve learned to give myself grace, and on tough days when the anxiety creeps in, I remind myself that I’m a loving, attentive mom doing her best to nourish her son.

However your feeding journey looks, I want to help you feel supported and prepared. Below is a guide to the essentials I recommend adding to your baby registry, whether you’re breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or starting solids.

📝 How This Guide Works

I’ve organized the foundational items for feeding: general feeding gear, bottle-feeding, breastfeeding, and starting solids.

  • Look for the ⭐ for my must-have favorites.
  • A 👍 means it’s nice-to-have, but not necessarily essential right away—it might be something you borrow or wait to purchase later.

🛒 For a quick glance at all these items – check out this Amazon Idea List so you can easily add them to your registry!

👶 GENERAL FEEDING ESSENTIALS

These are basic items that are helpful whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding:

⭐ Rolling Organization Cart

Hear me out – this Rolling 3-Tier Organizational Cart was a life saver for keeping EVERYTHING organized, within reach, and portable during that first year. I kept all the breastfeeding equipment, bottles, burp clothes, snacks, and more on it. 

⭐ Burp Cloths

No joke, you’ll want a bunch! I had to cycle these through the wash every day, so I just loaded up instead. We had a ton of these Muslin Burp Cloths – super soft and absorbent! 

👍 Dishwasher Basket

The Munchkin® High Capacity Dishwasher Basket holds all the tiny bottle and pump pieces. Even after the newborn stage, we still use it for straws and small items.

👍 Drying Rack

A vertical rack saves space and helps avoid mold buildup underneath. I still use the OXO Space Saving Drying Rack for water bottle parts and snack containers.

👍 Nursing Pillow

I tried the My Brest Friend Pillow, but found the Boppy pillow much more comfortable for both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding.

👍 Pacifiers/Pacifier Clips

My son ended up hating pacifiers. We had several different kinds that we tried. Your baby might be the same way and need to test out a lot of options!

👍 Teether Toys

Teethers are great because babies explore so much of their surroundings by bringing things to their mouth. 🙈 Here are a few teethers we rotated out that he loved to play with whether or not he was actually teething:

👶 BREASTFEEDING GEAR

⭐ Breast Pump

If you’re planning to breast feed, I’d loved my wearable pump most of all. And to be completely real, the big ones scared me. I used it a couple of times and found that I liked the ease and mobility of a wearable pump instead. These were the two pumps I had:

⭐ Milk Catcher

The Haakaa Ladybug Milk Collector Wearable Milk Collector saved so much milk from letdown! Especially handy in those early weeks when leakage is constant and your body is still adjusting.

⭐ Breastmilk Storage Bags

I used the Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags. They worked really well for me and never busted in the freezer. My friend used these Reusable Breast Milk Storage Bags and they worked great too! 

⭐ Mason Jar with Pourable Lid

I could write a whole separate post about my breastfeeding experience and what worked for me, but doing the “pitcher method” for storing pumped milk for the day was a GAME CHANGER. Each day, whatever I pumped, I put into this Mason Jar with a Pourable Lid. I’d then divide out the milk into storage bags to prepare for the next day or freeze. This helped me mentally not think about how much milk I pumped each time. I have two of these, but now we can use it for all sorts of other things – salad dressings, tea, juice, smoothies, etc. 

⭐ Breast Care Items

You’ll test out lots of items to help care for your body during your breastfeeding/pumping journey. These are three items I couldn’t have made it through without:

👍 Nursing Bras

While not completely necessary, Nursing Bras make it a little easier to quickly breastfeed or hold a pump in place. There are also pumping specific bras as well. I had to try out a few different brands before finding ones that were comfortable. Two of my favorites were from Kindred Bravely Nursing Bras and Target. 

👍 Nursing cover

I had an Amma Nursing Cover. I liked it and definitely used it for more than nursing – which I only used for nursing like twice when I was in a situation where I couldn’t go somewhere privately. But it’s great to use as a blanket for the car seat or I draped it over the car seat on one side to block the sun. It’s super soft, really breathable and lightweight. 

🍼 BOTTLE-FEEDING ESSENTIALS

⭐ Bottles

If you’re combo feeding or transitioning from breastfeeding, it may take some trial and error.

👍 Bottle Cooler/Travel Pack

A cooler bag was essential for storing pumped milk at work or bringing bottles on outings. We used this Breastmilk Cooler Bag with Ice Pack regularly.

👍 Baby Brezza Formula Dispenser 

If you’re going to be using formula, go ahead and register for the Baby Brezza, because it’ll just make prepping bottles so much easier and faster and you can program different settings on them. If you’re not sure what route you’ll take, warm water and manual mixing works just fine.

🍎 STARTING SOLIDS

⭐ High-Chair

Definitely your preference here, BUT I absolutely recommend these two options as a starting seat then to transition to a bigger high chair that grows with your kiddo. 

  • Inglesina Fast Table Chair (Or here’s the Chair and Tray combo we have) – This is PERFECT to use at home or at restaurants when space is tight. We used this at restaurants for a long while until he’s got too big.
  • Mockingbird High Chair – Obsessed is an understatement. It grows with your child, and it’s super easy to clean. I LOVE that now he’s just in the chair mode, we scoot it right up to the table so he feels more a part of mealtimes. 

⭐ Bibs

For the newborn stage to about 10 months, I had these soft Muslin Baby Bibs and other cotton bibs. Great for catching drool, spit up, or milk dribbles when we were bottle feeding. When he started solids, I got a few of these Waterproof Silicone Baby Bibs to catch crumbs, spills, and splashes and I could easily hand-wash or put them in the top rack of the dishwasher! 

👍 Kids Tableware

Tableware is going to be a great thing to put on birthday and/or Christmas lists for your little one. Here are some tableware items we’ve used consistently and love! 

👍 Kids Water Bottles

Water bottles will be like cups, and you’ll just accumulate them all the time. I, personally, have liked the HYDRO FLASK Kids Water Bottle best so far. It’s small enough to hold and not too heavy. It doesn’t leak when closed, and he can open and close it on his own now with ease. 

👍 Helper Tower/Ladder

This is going to be great when they are standing/walking and can start participating in the kitchen with you! We have the Mini Chef Convertible Helper Tower from Piccalio. I like that it converts to a little table, which we honestly use in that mode more often. I like Boon Pivot Toddler Tower Kids Kitchen Step Stool too since it folds up! 

👍 Baby-Led Weaning Books

I’m a big book fan in general and a cook book fan. Here are the three baby/toddler cookbooks I constantly reference:

🏆 My Top 5 Must-Have Feeding Essentials

As a new mom, these items I believe are the most important to have on deck for their feeding journey:  

  1. ⭐ Mockingbird High Chair – Great for babies to kids! 
  2. ⭐ Wearable Breast Pump and/or Bottles – no matter your journey, both are great!
  3. ⭐ Haakaa Ladybug Milk Collector Wearable Milk Collector – to save everything you can! 
  4. ⭐ Mason Jar with a Pourable Lid – Convenient way to collect milk
  5. ⭐ Rolling Organization Cart – my best friend always by my side

Food is Fuel! 

The feeding journey for both mom and baby is full of ups and downs, happiness and anxieties. I understand the weight of thinking things like, 

“I don’t want my baby to starve,” 

“He only drank X ounces today instead of the usual X,” or

 “Is his brain going to develop properly if he only ate cookies for dinner?” 

Just remember whether you’re breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or introducing solids, know that your baby’s needs will change, and that’s okay. Stay flexible, give yourself grace, and remember: you are doing amazing, mama.

I’m still in the thick of my toddler’s food journey, and I still take it one day at a time. Check out Part 5: Ultimate Baby Registry Guide & Advice series where I share my top recommendations for diapering and baby care.

Go be Loyal & Limitless, my friends!