After months of getting used to and, hopefully, finally feeling like you've gotten the hang of the milk feeds, it can be daunting when it's time to begin Stage 1 of weaning. I admit to enjoying the familiar routine and worrying about the next stage. We're securely at Stage 2, so I feel now is a safe time to write about it without jinxing myself!
Whether you're looking to make your own food or buy ready-mades (I do both and don't think there's any shame in that), this week's series of posts is all about weaning and the different routes you can take. So, if you don't want to miss them, follow me on Instagram or twitter for reminders when the next instalment goes live on the blog. First up, home-cooked food.
If you're going to cook your own, you can't go far wrong with the Annabel Karmel app for your phone or tablet. There are lots of recipes to choose from (just check the methods to make sure you have all the equipment), you can save items directly to a shopping list (essential as you're whizzing round the supermarket) and, despite how daunting it may seem, the delivery of the recipes is straight-forward. As an added bonus, I've turned some of the recipes into soups for my own lunch!
Our little one enjoys his food (he takes after hubs and me there!), but there have been times when I feel like the time spent cooking hasn't always paid off! Currently pregnant with baby no.2, I mulled over what I'll do differently when we get to this stage with them next year before writing this post. I guess the main thing is to keep to recipes that have something sweet in them; sweet potato, tomatoes, butternut squash, peppers and carrots have all been firm favourites from day one. I always add, at least, one of them to my shopping list so I'm stocked up at home.
I've also become much better at making up sauces with whatever's left in the fridge and popping them in the freezer so that I can either cook them up with some fish or meat when it suits. That way it keeps dinner covered for us and Charlie (just whizz theirs in the blender when at Stage 1).
If you are making your own, batch-cooking is the way to go. You don't need lots of kit, but I'd definitely hop online and order yourself a Beába Stage 1 weaning tray and Brother Max Stage 2 weaning pots. Beába's tray is perfect for the small portions your baby will need in Stage 1 and, with 7 compartments, you're sorted for the week. Just pop each cube out like an ice-tray. The Brother Max weaning pots are great for Stage 2 and they come with handy markers to write the details and date of the contents. We wasted food with their Stage 1 pots as we could't get it all out. I wrote a post about their weaning sets as part of my holidaying with baby feature this summer.
If you're going to cook your own, you can't go far wrong with the Annabel Karmel app for your phone or tablet. There are lots of recipes to choose from (just check the methods to make sure you have all the equipment), you can save items directly to a shopping list (essential as you're whizzing round the supermarket) and, despite how daunting it may seem, the delivery of the recipes is straight-forward. As an added bonus, I've turned some of the recipes into soups for my own lunch!
Our little one enjoys his food (he takes after hubs and me there!), but there have been times when I feel like the time spent cooking hasn't always paid off! Currently pregnant with baby no.2, I mulled over what I'll do differently when we get to this stage with them next year before writing this post. I guess the main thing is to keep to recipes that have something sweet in them; sweet potato, tomatoes, butternut squash, peppers and carrots have all been firm favourites from day one. I always add, at least, one of them to my shopping list so I'm stocked up at home.
I've also become much better at making up sauces with whatever's left in the fridge and popping them in the freezer so that I can either cook them up with some fish or meat when it suits. That way it keeps dinner covered for us and Charlie (just whizz theirs in the blender when at Stage 1).
If you are making your own, batch-cooking is the way to go. You don't need lots of kit, but I'd definitely hop online and order yourself a Beába Stage 1 weaning tray and Brother Max Stage 2 weaning pots. Beába's tray is perfect for the small portions your baby will need in Stage 1 and, with 7 compartments, you're sorted for the week. Just pop each cube out like an ice-tray. The Brother Max weaning pots are great for Stage 2 and they come with handy markers to write the details and date of the contents. We wasted food with their Stage 1 pots as we could't get it all out. I wrote a post about their weaning sets as part of my holidaying with baby feature this summer.
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