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So your pediatrician has given you the go ahead!  Just know this ... I know a lot of mothers who breast feed until their baby is at least a year old. It saves money and really is great for the kid.  So don't rush it if you don't have to.  Now for some tips to make feeding a cinch.

The Best Time of Day for the Very First Meal

1. Choose a time when your baby is not tired, fussy, or cranky, such as after his morning nap.

2. Do it in the morning or early afternoon. Sometimes babies can have allergic reactions to foods. If you feed them in the evening, and they have a reaction, it will probably occur right in the middle of the night when you'd rather be sleeping.

3. Here is a sleep saving tip. Always introduce any new food to your baby at breakfast or lunch, never supper. If he has an allergic reaction, it's a lot less likely to happen at three o'clock in the morning.

Don't do it when they are too hungry!

They should be hungry enough to want to eat, but not ravenous. A too-hungry baby urgently wanting to eat may become frustrated during this new unfamiliar eating method, with this strange contraption called a spoon. Feed them their very first meal after they have had a partial breast or bottle feeding. Give them half a feeding, then introduce that first solid food, and then finish the feeding. Giving them a partial feeding will also help to maintain their milk intake. Or you can give them their first solid food halfway through the time between two breast or bottle feedings, when they're just a little hungry.

 

HIGH CHAIRS SAFETY!

WARNING: Never leave your baby alone in a high chair. They may try auditioning for The Cirque De Soleil while seated in them.

I will hopefully be able to review a couple of high chairs if I can get a few of the companies to send me samples to test. Until then, here are a few guidelines for getting a good high chair.

Make sure that the chair you buy is certified safe by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). Safety should be your first criterion in choosing a high chair. Pick one with a wide base for stability. Before buying a chair, shake it and push it sideways to see just how much it takes to tip it over.

The Eddie Bauer is a piece of junk!  That I know from just examining it at the store. 
WARNING: Don't allow your older children to play in baby's high chair. Their weight may tip the chair over, causing injury.

A Crotch Strap. The high chair should also have a crotch strap to prevent your baby from sliding out the bottom. Some babies love to slither down slowly until they are under the tray, while others prefer a rapid chute. If you've inherited a chair without a crotch strap, place a flat piece of foam under him or glue non-stick bathtub appliqués onto the seat.

The Tray. Choose a high chair with a removable tray, so that you can take it to the sink and give it a good washing. If you can remove the tray with only one hand, all the better. The tray should have a raised lip around the edge to stop inevitable spills from getting to the floor or baby's lap. The lip may also help prevent baby from pushing food pieces and dishes off the tray and onto the floor, although I wouldn't count on it. The tray also should be removable so that the chair can move to the family table when your baby gets older. Make sure the instructions say that the chair is safe at a full-sized adult table without its tray.

WARNING: After your baby is seated, always make sure that the tray is securely locked into position. An unlocked tray is a danger to your baby. I always give the tray a good forward yank to verify that it's locked in place.

REMEMBER: Get into the habit of knowing where tiny fingers are before you slide the tray onto the high chair so that you don't accidentally pinch them. Always give a quick look before you close anything: high chair trays, car doors, house doors, cabinets, chair recliners, lawn chairs, etc. Odds are that this quick check habit, which takes only a second, will eventually save your child pain and injury.

Plan on spending some time in the store when you shop for a high chair. Remove each high chair's tray and see which feels easiest and best to you. You shouldn't have to peer under the tray to find the catch to remove it--it should be easily found by touch.

Comfort. If you have your baby with you, and she is willing, test her in your favorite chair before you buy it. She'll let you know if she doesn't like it!

If your baby looks uncomfortable in a high chair, as is common with babies younger than 6 or 7 months, place him in your lap in an upright position to feed him his first meals. Move him to the high chair when he gets a little older and is sitting well without support.

MONEY SAVER: Some high chairs recline to an infant seat-type angle, an expensive option that is useful for a very short time. If he's uncomfortable in a high chair and your lap, why not just use your infant seat until he's older? Remember to always strap him in securely and never place the seat on a chair or table because it can fall off and cause your baby serious injury. Place the infant seat on the floor and sit on the floor next to him to feed him. He can't fall off the floor!

WARNING: Your baby should be seated in an upright position, whether it be in the high chair, an infant seat, or your lap, in order to prevent choking during eating. Don't let an older baby crawl around with a cracker or other food, as she may lie facing upward and choke.

Cleanability. Avoid high chairs with intricate carvings, which only serve to gather hardened glop. Your baby's high chair will eventually become a modern art piece of crusty layers of dried food. To clean it, take it in the bathtub (place rags under the legs to prevent scratches in the tub) and give it a shower massage with an old vegetable brush or toothbrush. Or use the hose outside on a nice warm sunny day, or take it to the carwash and blast it with the pressure hose. First cover any cracks in the cushioned seat with duct tape, so that the inside foam doesn't become a water-logged sponge.

TIP: For those really dried on food splatters, lay a wet towel or sponge on them for an hour or so, and they'll wipe right off. If food is dried around the arms of the chair or in corner crevices, take a dripping wet rag and drape it or tie it around the hard to reach dried food. Let it sit for a few hours and then use an old toothbrush to scrub out the softened food.

WARNING: Make sure that wall mountings, electrical outlets, and objects on counter tops are out of baby's reach from the high chair. Also, your baby should not be able to grab something and use it for leverage to tip the chair over.

Other Feeding Chairs

There are other types of chairs for the purpose of feeding babies--feeding tables, legless hook-on-table chairs, and booster seats. Let's get booster seats out of the running immediately. I don't recommend them for toddlers (and they are not made for babies) because most of these seats don't attach to the chair onto which they are placed. Children can easily fall off the chair, with or without the booster seat.

If you want to purchase only one feeding chair, a high chair is probably your best bet and most economical choice because of its long lifetime. A high chair can be used for years if you move it to the family table when your child gets older, which cannot be done with a feeding table. One advantage, however, of feeding tables is the fact that they are safer than high chairs because they will probably never tip over. But, it it is more difficult to maneuver your child in and out of them.

Hook-on-table seats are also second to high chairs in maneuverability, and, more importantly, you cannot sit directly in front of your baby for face-to-face interaction during mealtime. These seats must be clipped onto a firm, strong table. Never attach the seat to table's extension leaf. And make sure your child's feet cannot reach a table leg--he may be able to kick and loosen the seat from the table.

WARNING: If you are going to use a hook-on-table seat, never place an adult chair under it to "give it a safety net." This practice actually causes accidents! Your baby may push on the adult chair, which decreases her weight on the hook-on seat. Your baby's weight is part of the cantilever system of the hook-on seat and is necessary to keep the seat firmly clipped to the table.

REMEMBER: If you have any question about the safety of a feeding chair or just about any product--from vinyl mini-blinds to portable cribs--remember that you can call the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at 1-800-638-2772. You can also call that number to report an unsafe product.