Weaning is a hot topic for parents and it seems everyone is interested in how and when you're going to be doing it. We made the decision on how we were going to be weaning while I was pregnant and stuck to it when the time came. We started weaning at four and a half months due to his milk allergy and him trying to nab food off our own plates. It was the right time for all of us, he seemed ready and he took to it really well. It is recommended to start weaning from six months but you know your own baby, just do as much research as you can to make the best informed decision for you as a family.
We've kept to traditional weaning as it works for us, our lifestyle and Joshua. Baby led weaning didn't appeal at all, although Joshua does have the odd finger food that's as far as we go. I think the most important thing is that it works for each individual family. It can be a bit of a minefield so I thought I'd share five things that have been absolute essentials for us on our new journey.
We love Cosatto and the Easi Peasi changing table was one of our favourite big baby items so we looked straight to them when it came to highchairs. We chose the Superfoods Noodle Supa highchair for Joshua because it was adjustable, easy to clean and compact which was important for us as we're short on space. The highchair has six heights which saves my back, a three point seat recline so Joshua can look positively chill after eating as well as calf support which also adjusts. The two part tray makes dinner time a breeze and it hooks on the back of the highchair for easy storage and comes a part for even easier cleaning just like the cover which comes straight off. I also love the five point harness so that he can't slip down or escape. It's a really great product and one we'll being using for quite some time.
Bibs a bib right? Well that's what I thought but this is hands down the best bib ever and worth every penny. We obviously have the penguin one but they come in sixteen different designs. They're made from food grade silicone, are dishwasher safe, fold right up for easy storage and have an adjustable strap plus a crumb catcher. They're just really bloody fab.
We have a collection of different shaped spoons to feed Joshua with but the ones I like the most are the white hot safety ones which I picked up in the Asda baby event. The spoon tip turns white when baby's food is too hot which I find really helpful for purees, I still double check everything myself just in case but I do think these are a handy tool to have too.
We love the pouches you can buy from Ella's Kitchen and they've become a big staple in our cupboards for feeding time. I do make up my own purees for Joshua but we do also love the ease of the pouches for at home or when we're out plus they're always on offer in supermarkets. I find there's a lot of judgement if you don't make absolutely everything for your baby but as long as you check all the ingredients and know what is in them, what's the harm? Sweet potato is a big hit in our house!
I mentioned above that I do make some of my own purees and I use the Flavour Led Weaning book by Zainab Jagot Ahmed. We started Joshua on vegetables but as we also wanted to start introducing how we like to eat, this was a great place to start. The book offers 100s of different recipes that are created by using baby-friendly herbs and spices. The book talks about testing for allergies as well as having a handy chart to show you what herbs and spices are okay from what age.
We're currently using stage two in the book which is mixed ingredient purees as we've not long moved on from just single-ingredient purees. Favourites so far include sweet potato, carrot and parsnip but peas were a big no from Joshua. There are also meal plans included in the book which are really helpful. The book goes from four months right through to having grown up meals and it has quickly become my weaning bible. It's colourful, easy to follow and not at all patronising or forceful in what to do, it's just a really fab book. I'm so glad I finally found one that works for us.
Our weaning essentials have made our lives so much easier as well as making weaning fun. Everyone is different so what has worked for us may not work for you but I hope you've found something helpful in this post.
