Are You Ready To Wean Your Baby?

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As a mum of two I have been through the weaning process twice and I found it such a tricky time, especially the first time around. It would appear I am not alone either, a recent survey conducted by WaterWipes reveals that 67% of parents feel overwhelmed by conflicting weaning advice.

When I began weaning there were two main options puree's or baby led weaning and since I was so confused about which was best I opted to do a combination of both. The first food James ever ate was baby rice which he loved. Evelyn on the other hand hated it and we quickly discovered baby led weaning would be the way forward for Evelyn.

WaterWipes survery also revealed that Over a fifth of millennial babies have a sophisticated palette and enjoy a variety of on-trend ‘staple’ foods including avocados, quinoa and houmous. But the traditional dishes are still standing their ground when it comes to weaning!  Traditional dishes such as toad in the hole (41%) and chicken korma (46%) are also highly favoured amongst dinky diners, toad in the whole is still a big hit for both my little ones who are now aged 9 and 4 too! 

There really is no manual when it comes to weaning and whilst it can be a stressful time we must remember that when we first begin weaning babies are still getting so much from the milk they have. Milk should still be their main source of food and nutrients, weaning really is more about trying new things and exploring new tastes for baby. 

The research marks the launch of new WaterWipes with Soapberry, a wipe designed for growing babies who are starting to try new foods and experience the world around them for the first time. The wipes are made with 99.9% water, plus a drop of fruit and Soapberry extract, providing the same purity parents rely on from WaterWipes, whilst harnessing the natural cleaning properties of Soapberry. 

To celebrate the launch, WaterWipes also teamed up with with parenting influencer and recipe expert Natasha Corrett, who shared a few tips for parents during the weaning stage. 

Natasha suggests to "Let them explore and love food. I started letting Rudy feed himself with finger food’s such as Beetroot Pinwheels after starting purées and he loved exploring the touch, smells and sounds of the food as well as the taste! He is a brilliant eater now because of it. Allowing them to feed themselves teaches them all sorts of developmental skills no matter how much ends up in their mouths." 

A health visitor once said to me "food is fun until they are one" and that really stuck in my mind. Weaning shouldn't be stressful for you or your baby. It’s all about having fun with food, the textures and the tastes. Have fun allowing your baby to try new things, seeing what they like and don't like is a learning curve for all involved. 

Natasha also recommends slowly introducing stronger flavours once baby is getting used to basic food to get them used to different flavours - "Give them different textures and flavours including strong tasting foods such as Teriyaki Chicken and Turmeric Mash, after they have tried the basics, to make sure their senses continue to develop. This also ensures that they get used to the taste of new and more ‘adult’ food and then it becomes easier for cooking for the whole family"

I think the above is great advice, as I mentioned above Evelyn wasn't a big fan of baby rice or many of the plain foods and much preferred "our food". It meant we naturally progressed into a more baby led approach and Evelyn was soon eating meals with us. It did make it much easier and quicker at meal times and meant she got to try lots of different tastes and textures every meal time.

A good time saying tip I took full advantage of was batch cooking and freezing! When your a busy mum it can sometimes feel impossible to find the time to prep and cook. I used to often just make a little extra when making our evening meals and freeze several extra portions for those busy days. It meant I always had something to reach for when I just didn't have time to cook.

You can read more about the new WaterWipes with Soapberry here: https://www.waterwipes.com/soapberry/ 

Did you enjoy the weaning stage with your baby? What foods did they like or dislike the most? 

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*The percentages and facts given within this post are taken from a survey conducted by WaterWipes. This is a paid collaboration however all words and opinions are my own. I retain full control of this post.*