Weaning with baby white!

In our family we are big food fans and fresh and home-made is not only a money saver when it comes to Baby weaning, but it’s also much better for them nutritionally and it really needn’t be hard work.

In all honesty I guess I am one of the lucky ones who has been brought up to enjoy and experience new foods & flavours from different cultures (whether i liked them or not! It does not matter and taste buds change over time). It is only now as an adult with my own family, that I can look back and appreciate those who taught me to cook from a young age including my mother, grand mother and teachers at school. Most of us have fond memories of baking fairy cakes, licking the wooden spoon & bowl I’m sure! This is a value in life that I see as being most important. I want my children to know where food comes from, how precious food can be, learn how to cook and enjoy food and to experience and try new tastes when we travel with them or even when they eventually fly the nest and make their own way in life.

Sadly we do live in a world of convenience with fast foods, take-aways & shops at every corner and I know that even for some families with babies and young children, its all too easy to give them the wrong foods without really thinking about it. However as parents we are responsible for encouraging healthy eating, healthy growing bodies, and hopefully less illnesses or medical conditions later on in life. Not only is healthy eating for the benefit of your children, but this applies to us all as adults aswell so I hope this blog post may inspire a few out there to make changes and try more.

Now re-winding the clock back 6 years ago! Baby Jackson’s big brother Brody has always been a brilliant, non-fussy eater I’m not going to beat around the bush here! So if you find a way that works for you why change it? Yes all babies are different so you may have to adapt and tweak recipes and textures from time to time, however for me personally ‘preparing fresh meals & snacks’ for my baby was a really exciting time as a first time mum and here we are on this journey again.

With my first son we started with a mix of BLW and spoon feeding just before the 6 month mark and he took to eating straight away as a hungry and very intrigued little boy. I followed a simple Cow & Gate Step by Step guide to which food types, textures etc were suitable for each month as they grow and followed some recipes in the Annabel Karmel baby weaning book. She is fabulous by the way!

This time around I started weaning in the same way, but using my go to online food inspiration that is ‘Pinterest’ for recipe ideas, Annabel Karmel’s website and so on and testing out what baby enjoys and doesn’t, whilst keeping track in a little note book just to kick start things. When you first start weaning you only need very little basic equipment inc: A highchair, bibs (with food pockets ideally), bowls, weaning spoons and definitely ‘baby wipes!’ One of the best inventions ever in my opinion! Although having always thought this way since having children… I am more concerned about the massive volume of waste and landfill that is being caused by a lot of families around the world more than I’ve ever been now that we are doing the baby days all over! So I must tell you that we predominately use super soft! highly absorbent and re-washable bamboo wipes these days for little hands and faces at home and when we are out and about too. I absolutely love them and its so so easy to do! We have a wet bag with dry wipes we wet as you go attached to our highchair & pop a few in the changing bag for going out with. Even if cloth nappies aren’t your thing (which by the way you will never know unless you’ve tried them!) Switching to cloth wipes alone is still better and can make a massive impact to the environment, is more natural on delicate young skin and kinder to your pocket aswell! Lastly products I couldn’t of managed without are a steamer pan set, hand blender, large masher and a smaller masher & bowl (or you can sometimes use a fork), little tubs will do just fine.

Starting out with a few spoons of baby porridge, fruit & veg purees is so quick and easy to do and then progressing onto more lumpy textures, finger foods etc is really good.

One tip I have found along the way is to have just a few snacks in your fridge/cupboard like baby biscuits, crackers, a few yogurts or fruit pouches/pots (keeping it as organic and sugar, salt, oil free as possible. Not only will they taste nicer but its healthier for your baby too). The selection of baby food brands in shops now is incredible. The main reason I mention this is because they are so handy to grab and go whilst meals are being made up or for family and friends that may be looking after your little one. Now these can be expensive but if you shop around you’ll be amazed what little bargain’s you’ll find in places like Aldi, Asda, Poundland to name but a few.

We like to buy fresh and cheap produce for making up baby and family meals where possible. There is always a green grocer near most people and some deliver very cheaply so it’s a good thing to do each week and helps to support local business! A little fruit and veg also goes a very long way so make sure you buy lots of ‘mixed size’ tubs or ‘re-fillable’ pouches to fill with all that yummy healthy goodness and stock up your fridge and freezer to your hearts content. Having ‘ready to go’ baby meals can be a real life saver in the short and long term as there may be days you are unwell or too busy to cook family meals from scratch, so all eating the same thing may not always be the case at home. At times its definitely easier and more convenient to give baby their own separate meal.

We have tried some new things out with baby no.2 like:

Using re-fillable pouches aswell as tubs
A baby self feeding net (great for fruit etc) and no risk of choking
A suction bowl to avoid lots of tipping & throwing is useful and it encourages self feeding
Using more eco friendly and sustainable bowls, plates made from bamboo which we love!

I thought it may help to share a simple run down of foods we have tried and tested at each stage of weaning in the last year! This includes a photo gallery as well as a list of brands that we have and continue to enjoy using. SCROLL DOWN

I’d recommend keeping track of their likes & dislikes along the way to make cooking and eating meals together more enjoyable for all. Plus you get to look back in years to come and remember what sort of first foods children had and liked or disliked.

Useful Product List

Pouches: https://nomnomkids.co.uk/

https://doddlebags.com/

https://infantino.com/products/squeeze-station

https://easytots.com/

https://www.bamboobamboo.co/

https://www.bickiepegs.com/bickiepegs-healthcare-brands/doidy-cup/

https://www.closeparent.com/shop-now/feeding/bibs/pop-in-coverall-bib-stage-4-18-36-months-new

https://tiddlersandnippers.com/

https://www.monkeylovestom.com/

http://muslinz.com/

https://www.jane-uk.com/en/gb/Jane-Mila-Leatherette/m-3098.aspx