It still amazes me that for the first 6 months(or thereabouts) of a baby's life, they thrive on nothing but milk. Florence has grown from a tiny, skinny little thing into a real chunk with rolls and an extra chin! We're now entering a new and exciting phase- weaning! As with most things, ways to wean evolve and certain ways are more popular than others.
When I had Isabella, puree was the way most went. There were rumours of this baby led business but it was mostly perceived as all a bit 'hippy-ish'. The creation of pouches had also come into being, a suitable balance of organic goodness, with the ease of a jar but without the added sugar and other ingredients you can't pronounce. 'Natural' was becoming the way to go, and rightly so!
Today, baby led weaning is far from a swear word and is actively encouraged by health visitors. The benefits of weaning this way include:
- Eating what you eat- exploring new tastes
- Feeling new textures- a sensory experience
- Joining in with family meals
In a lot of cases, baby led weaning results in less fussy eaters- so they say!
Approaching 6 months, we started to consider how we would wean Florence. We chose to wait to wean following national guidelines but other babies may be weaned earlier for various reasons including reflux and dietary issues. We decided that we will be weaning with both purees and finger food.
Vegetable Led Weaning
After doing some research, I came across Babease, a relatively new baby food company using premium organic produce following their pledge to create 'food for babies, not baby food'.
Developed by a chef and nutritionist, Babease create handy food pouches and use a variety of vegetable combinations that introduce a whole range of flavours to a brand new palate. From 7 months, a variety of mild herbs and spices are added to expand a baby's taste experience further.
"Studies have shown that babies who eat a wide variety of vegetables during complementary feeding go on to eat more vegetables in later childhood (up to 7 years) than those that don’t" Babease
Whilst I have begun to make a number of purees myself (carrot, sweet potato and spinach, parsnip and broccoli) as well as offering softened fingers of veg, food pouches are incredibly convenient when on the go or when a quick meal is needed. Babease were kind enough to send us a few different ones to try. Our favourite so far is butternut squash, carrot and broccoli. Unlike other pouches we've previously tried that have had a watery consistency, Babease puree (for 6 months) is smooth but firm, providing a food tasting experience as opposed to a drink! Having tasted these myself also, the combinations are delicious and the addition of grains, pulses and seeds provides a satisfying, digestible meal for babies.
What we're using
Although not much is needed for the baby led weaning part, except perhaps an open mind and learning to recognise the difference between gagging and choking, I have stocked up on a few bits to help with the process.- A highchair
Luckily, we kept our highchair that Isabella previously used so have not needed to purchase a new one. We have the Chicco Happy Snack Highchair which I love for its reclining seat and chuck in the washing machine, removable padded seat and back.
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| Mmm avocado |
- Bowls and Spoons
Supermarkets stock a range of spoons and fancy bowls with sections and compartments. I actually found some great Nuby storage pots, spoons and a travel bowl and spoon set in a local pound shop which saved me quite a bit of money. The benefit of a brand such as Nuby or Tommee Tippee is the reassurance of BPA free products that are steriliser safe.
- Blender
Although specialist sets can be purchased with a built in steamer (fancy!), we have a Breville Active Blender from the protein shake days that does exactly what we need.
- Ice cube tray
Perfect for freezing and subsequently storing purees in handy portions, we have this one. The bottom is silicone to make it easier to push out the cubes into freezer bags.
- Bibs
Dribble bibs can be great initially but long term, something more heavy duty is required. We'll be using long sleeved bibs such as these to keep clothes stain free as well as a food catcher one to minimise mess!
- Floor mat
A floor mat is definitely useful for catching the inevitable food dropping from little hands. These aren't essential and can be expensive. A pack of disposable toddler bed mats are just as good.
The next step
We've just begun weaning with Florence and we're excited about following vegetable led weaning in the hope it will benefit her in the future. We'll also be introducing meat, starting with fish such as salmon in the hope she won't be as fussy as her big sister. Watch this space!
* Babease food pouches are available to purchase from a number of stores. We were provided a number of pouches to try, free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.
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