Apologies in advance for this post which is essentially more questions than it is actual useful experiences. We’ve recently started weaning and I think maybe I’ve actually had too much information on the whole thing, if that makes sense! I seem to have ended up with a list as long as my arm of kitchen items I now “need” when (as I’ve mentioned) I’m trying to de-clutter my life, not fill it with yet more bumpf.
I have a very complicated food processor. It does the job but it’s sodding annoying – to put together, to take apart….to clean. I am very much in the market to buy a new one, it an ideal world it would be good for me and general cooking/baking requirements AND for quickly making up Mabel’s meals. Most of my NCT friends have suggested a hand blender is easier for the small people’s requirements but then I’ve also heard that the Avent Babyfood steamer and Blender is super duper. Not sure it would be very useful for whipping up a storm in the general kitchen though?
In every magazine I read (which is um…all of them) I hear about this Vitamix doo dah over and over again, it seems to be the choice of healthy eating types the world over to create the perfect soup/fruity shake with… kale. It looks like a regular smoothie maker to me but yet it’s £450 (!) and the one I’ve linked to, which is £150 more, must literally make you stuff from scratch via remote control and put it into a dish for you itself or something…. £600?! for a blender?!
On a serious note, if it really is THAT spectacular and I’m going to use it most days for the next 7 years (it boasts that length of guarantee) then I would consider it. Price per use/worthwhile investment and all that.
Do you have a vitamix? Know anyone that does? Are they worth it?
As many Mama’s do, I’m planning on batch cooking Mabel’s meals for the week and freezing them. I’m told the silicone muffin cases are great for this portion size wise? So far I just have a couple of pink pots with lids and matching spoons as we’ve only just started the weaning process but I do need to buy some other bits and bobs fairly sharpish.
In terms of convenience for trips out I’m assuming Ella’s Kitchen are hard to beat? perhaps as I’m new to this entire world I’ve been ridiculously impressed that you can essentially purchase completely organic pouches with no preservatives or nasties. I’m not planning on using them frequently – it would work out expensive for a start, but Mabel is very fond of the pear…. Do you folk use Ella’s Kitchen? are there any other brands you would recommend?
Thanks so much for all of your highchair recommendations, I have bought the Ikea Antilop for Mabel’s grandparents house and we are currently considering whether to buy another one for us or the Bjorn model , I’m thinking the latter as it does appear to be that bit more sturdy.
Anything else I should know and you would like to share please do so in the comments box below, you don’t know just how amazingly helpful these posts are in terms of feedback – James reads all the advice whilst at work and then goes off to have a butchers at everything!
Hi Charlotte.
As with anything baby related – there is a flashy expensive gizmo recommended, you can end up spending a fortune 🙂 Personally we just cooked everything up in a saucepan (for steaming we had a silicone jobbie that sat on top of the boiling water that we put the veg on, worked a treat). I then used a hand blender to whiz it all up. I bought loads of Tomme Tippee weaning pots and still use them now out and about with my toddler for snacks of raisins etc. The pureed weaning stage doesn’t last all that long in hindsight, before you start making it lumpier and lumpier, and mashing up the food. Those blenders are a large investment for a relatively short period of time.
For out and about and convenience, the Ella’s kitchen pouches are brilliant. All of the brands are pretty much of a muchness. I tasted a few of the early ones (the fruity veg ones) and I was surprised at how nice some of them tasted!
x
Hi LJ
All these things seem so appealing don’t they! what hand blender did you use? x
I’d love a Vitamix only because everyone says they are so good – I don’t actually know anyone that owns one! I really wouldn’t bother with a baby blender – I didn’t puree anything, as I did the baby led thing, but do understand why you might want to for weaning, but that stage won’t last very long at all -it will be a matter of months. Likewise the highchair stage doesn’t last long either, personally I would buy the Ikea highchair, its as good as any other and if you want to spend more money get a Stokke Trip trap and buy the baby adjustment bit. They look great, but more importantly children can use them for years – my son is 3 and sits at the table on his. I struggled to get him in to a proper highchair past 2. Ellas Kitchen are great! the fruit pouches in particular – are very handy, as are baby rice cakes.
I don’t know anyone with a Vitamix either! I know what you mean about the highchair thing, she’s still a bit small for the IKEA one anyway (we’ve tried bolstering it up a bit but she seems not to like it at all!) which is why I’ve got a bit of time to figure out what to buy.
I have to say, the Ella’s Kitchen looks a lot tastier that any adult pre-packaged food! x
If you have a Bumbo or equivalent, maybe just stick to that for the time being?
Hi Charlotte hope you had a lovely holiday? We are currently at the second stage of weaning and things and getting more lumpy so find I use my blender less and less. I just used a hand blender in the beginning and the chopper section now for more textured food, i.e meats. As a rule I cook everything and freeze it, however I always have some pouches in as you never know when you might be short of time. We have just used them while on holiday, it was quite an expense but at least I knew she was getting good stuff in her. We use Ella’s a lot but the plum range is also tasty. Xx
Hi Louise! Yes I had a lovely holiday thank you, missed Mabel like crazy but we did catch up on some much needed sleep and “us” time. What do you use to freeze food in? x
Ahh bliss, I bet they were the best cuddles ever!! I use some green baby freezing pots from tesco, really useful, and now she is eating more I use the small Tommy tippee pots. X
Cool thanks Louise, someone else mentioned Tesco, I’ll take a look! x
Hi Charlotte, I think our babies are almost identical in age so we’re going through exactly the same adventures in weaning. We started just before we went on holiday to Cornwall so to keep it easy we stuck to Ella’s Kitchen which Billy loves. I’ve also dappled with “Plum” which are equally brilliant but I think have just stopped trading in the UK. I then read something about babies getting fixated on the look of Ella’s pouches and then refusing to eat anything else, so in a panic I’ve started stock piling home cooked cubes. I do have a normal food processor which I love but I’m struggling at the moment juggling lack of time with house renovations, our own healthy meals, housework etc etc So, I took the plunge and got the Philips Avent gadget at the weekend (Amazon Prime, currently reduced – yipppee!). I just needed something easy (though was slightly nervous as our kitchen is weeny and I’ve already got a bulky new spiraliser lounging around homeless, cluttering up the work top. Uh oh). So far so good. It’s like a small upright food processor in size. It’s really quick and easy and it’s very easy to batch cook. On the down side, you’d probably only use it for Mabel’s food and it doesn’t make vast quantities. But it is easy and if you don’t have a separate steamer already it makes the cooking part really simple.
On the high chair front we deliberated about the Baby Bjorn & Oxo Tot which my sister has and LOVES but went for the IKEA Antilop on the basis that if it was a disaster, it wouldn’t be a huge loss of money. So far we’ve been really impressed and that’s after trying various others on holiday, in cafes etc. I’m really pleased for now but I suspect as he gets bigger we may need something more long term. It’s such an exciting phase (if you can ignore the incredibly loud ‘chatting’ (another phase apparently) that also seems to have arrived in our house!). x
Hi Sarah! thanks for the feedback on the Avent (and the discount info!), It’s a lot to spend on something we’ll use for only a few months but then if we do have another one…… 🙂
I hadn’t heard the fixation on Ella’s pouches phenomenon?! As I write Mabel is currently very much enjoying some more of the “pear pear pear” (!) and chattering away in-between mouthfuls (or um…..shouting actually!) x
If it’s any consolation I’m still using the avent steam/blender thing to make things like homemade pesto, mashed potato, etc for Annie. It’s super easy to clean and I just find it easy to use really!
That’s good to know Rachie, I was wondering on the longevity etc x
Hey Charlotte, my daughter turns one this week. My main question is why blend at all? We loosely did baby led weaning (but still spoon fed yoghurts and cereals etc) which meant we didn’t blend anything. Her first foods were steamed parsnips, soft sticks of broccoli and steam squash. She was chomping on steak by the second week. From day one she has eaten what we eat which makes planning meals way easier? Plus all your clean eating food are excellent for her. Some people are Obsessed with weaning the ‘right way’ but if I’m honest, a blend of different methods is best. My little one eats so much better than her peers and is using cutlery so much quicker than those who were spoon fed.
Worth a though?
Hi Sami, That’s really interesting to hear, what I can’t get my head around is the different apparent “professional” advice where they advise they shouldn’t have meat/can choke etc etc yet even some of the info and then recipes recommended in the Annabel Karmel books seem contradictory? It’s very confusing!
With the whole munching on steamed veg sticks etc, how did you know she was getting enough and did you follow up with milk after? or did you let her “tell” you essentially? sorry for all the questions! x
Charlotte you could just give her some vegetable sticks now to see what she does. I was advised initially that they won’t eat much and they will still be getting milk any way. The first thing I gave my son was cucumber sticks and strawberries he ate both straight away, I think you would be surprised – obviously stay with her while she eats, after a week or so you will be amazed at how thay adapt to eating and as with everything else you will get to ‘know’ how much they need to eat – probably a lot less than you think.
I can’t comment on its use for baby weaning, but I picked up a Kenwood food processor and blender for £40 a few years back. It was reduced and I spotted it in our local sainsburys. I love it and it’s come in handy for making smoothies, sauces and just generally useful for speeding up cooking. I’m sure it would do the trick for your case as well! As for a hand blender, I got one for £7 in Lidl…! I’m yet to use it but figured even if it only lasted for a short while, it wouldn’t be a waste of money.
Hi Jo! We have a Kenwood – doesn’t sound like yours though, ours is a nightmare! I’m sure hand blenders are a much of a muchness so perhaps I should just get a cheap one and see how I go! x
I’ve got one of the mini kenwood blenders (without all the fancy attachments etc – although I’ve got one of those too!!) and its ace.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001QTVX5A/ref=asc_df_B001QTVX5A20571091?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=wwwetalecouk-21&linkCode=df0&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B001QTVX5A
I tried to find our one on the website but no luck… And I think we’ve just got rid of the box (post-flat move!) I’ll have a look when I get home and see if I can find out. It’s got a couple of attachments but nothing too ridiculous!
Vitamix is on my list of things I will buy when I’m suddently rich and dont need anything else too! But so unneccesary for baby weaning… I’ve just started this week and so far have only used my sacuepan steamer and a potato masher… and have frozen and stored in my one purchase – a Nuk icecube tray and only because I cant find our normal ice cube trays! There are so many amazing blenders out there but essentially if you keep in mind that the end point is getting them to eat food with you then the smoother the texture is they start with then the further you have to go – Niema has been fine with the occasional lumps in her food. I do have a stick blender too and thats really all needed for this, as the others have said too, very short stage. I always just took ice cubes out with us when we were out and about too – with both other children I only ever used one jar… I used to take a pot and ask a friendly coffee shop person to defrost it for me. All the processes needed to make the pouches long lasting knock out so many of the nutrients – even if they dont add any baddies. We’re enjoying corgettey-squash mush most at the moment!
Hi Amanda, I think it’s the whole “choking” thing that bothers me, and certain family are so opinionated over weaning and what you should and shouldn’t do – they are only trying to help I know but I almost end up feeling that if I go with baby led (or a mixture of baby led and traditional mush!) then I’m not making enough effort…or something. Completely get what you mean about further they have to go though, I don’t want to encourage Mabel not to be able to feed herself! x
I cant comment on using for baby food but when making soup I’ve found a hand blender is very messy especially if you rush it. My old neighbour owns a vitamix. It’s very good but it is so bloody noisy. I could hear it from outside her apartment!
Ha hahahahaha!!!! I’ve never though about the noise element!
Hi Charlotte, my baby, Hugo, is nearly 7 months so we’ve been doing the weaning thing for nearly a month – gosh it’s a messy business and don’t even get me started on the poos! That said, it’s great fun and it’s so entertaining watching my little one’s expressions when he tastes new flavours and textures! I’m with Sami above – we’re doing baby led and it’s so much easier and helps them learn to feed themselves from a young age. At first we were worried about choking but after doing an NCT baby first aid class and just seeing how things went (babies have a very sensitive gagg reflex so they are much less liking to to choke on food that we are) we are more relaxed. Considering that Hugo doesn’t even have teeth yet, it’s amazing how much he can cope with – he had slices of toast this morning and some hard boiled egg. We do use Ella’s kitchen pouches occasionally for ease if we are out but we tend to mix something more solid in with it so it’s not so liquid. We too have the ikea high hair and I cannot rate it highly enough. I do love the idea of the Stokke but it’s just way too spendy! If you want to do purées and a bit of baby led too, I recommend the book ‘weaning made easy’ by Rana Conway. Good luck to you and Mabel xx
Hi Laura, thanks for the recommendation of the book, will definitely give it a read. With regards the toast and egg thing, is Hugo picking this up off his tray and essentially shovelling it in? 🙂 How are you deciding on the portion size etc? I think perhaps a first aid course would be useful, I’ll have a look what’s available around the area x
People I know who’ve done baby first aid courses are universally positive about them (and not just related to choking)
I cut the crusts off the toast and then cut into soldiers about 1cm wide. He happily holds them and sort of sucks of them until they get soggy and he can then eat it. He picks up slices of hard boiled egg from his tray. I’m not too worried about portion sizes at the moment as it’s all about learning about food rather than eating vast amounts – I’m still breadfeeding so he’s getting a lot of his calories from that. I’d definitely recommend a baby first aid course – it covers all sorts; not just choking x
Thanks for getting back to me Laura, I think that’s what I have to get my head around – the not worrying about the portion size aspect too much x
Yes, you need a vitamix in your life – they are fab.
Food inspiration – The river cottage (children’s) recipe book
I love ice-cube trays and silicone muffin tins. Fish pie was a winner as was curry.
I also used to cut up crumpets into strips to toast…
Other freezer favourites were pita bread strips etc.
Eating out we used to take a bowl with a little sucker on the bottom to stick to the bottom of the highchair and those spoons which turn yellow if the food is too hot.
Ella’s kitchen is brilliant (I only was able to use them while I was back in the UK) but you can easily make the same things. I have a MASSIVE list of handy baby weaning foods if you want me to send it to you? Just let me know.
For drinks we used a tommy tippy beaker. Worth freezing some prune ice-cubes to pop into the water incase the weaning causes some toilet issues..
We were very baby led… i put things in front of Tilly and let her help herself, that included bowls with puree for her to try and feed herself and sticks of steamed veggies etc
Good luck – i loved this stage!
Hi Jess! Prune ice cubes, what a good idea! the beaker is also on the list…still so much to buy 🙂 including the sucker bowls – good idea too!
My plan is to have a few weeks of Mabel trying different mush flavours (she’s not quite 6 months) then sort of do some kind of combined feeding/trying to encourage her to eat things for herself. We’ll see how it goes!
It is fun – the good thing is she LOVES her food!! x
Oh yes, just reading the highchair thing – Ikea one all the way! particularly if you get a booster insert, otherwise start in a bumbo or something similar…
I’m going to third Sami’s suggestion – baby led is so much easier and doesn’t involve expensive (and messy) kitchen gadgets. I would just chuck a load of whatever I was having onto the tray in front of her and she would gum down on them while I ate. It also means you can introduce eating together as a family really early, which I think is very important.
If you start to get panicky about how much she’s actually ‘getting’, there’s also nothing to stop you mixing the two methods. I would do half an Ella’s Kitchen pouch for her lunch (whilst I ate something absolutely nutritious like toast…), then for dinner she would have bits and pieces – a couple of pieces of whatever we were having. As we cook from scratch I didn’t even really worry about salt content, the amount of salt added to cooking water is really negligible compared to the amount put in jars and packet sauces.
A family friend has a vitamix. He things it’s the mutt’s nuts, but it’s a lot of money for a blender (although I can’t talk, I have a kitchenaid…).
A kitchenaid……so pretty. I did have a stage of longing for one, then figured I don’t have enough surface to put it on in the kitchen. Boo.
Thanks for the tip on the half pouch/ bits and pieces. To be honest I think Mabel would let me know if she was hungry still, she’s good at yelling bless her.
I do want her to be part of our meal times as soon as possible which is why baby led (or a combination) appeals x
The pureeing stage doesn’t really last long enough to justify a specific gadget. I have a Kenwood Multipro which is a sort of mid range food processor and comes with a seperate blending jug. To clean I just put some warm water in and switch it on, gets the residue off straight away! As she gets used to lumps and having more texture in the food it’s better to process with a chopping blade than blend, you can slowly process less and less so that by the time she is 1 she is eating what you eat.
I bought some portion pots from Tesco which were good, I liked them because I knew then what a baby portion should actually be.
Ellas Kitchen great for out and about, or you can use a flask but this is fiddly. A banana or an avocado can be mashed to order very easily if you’re caught out. As David got a bit older I only gave the pouches if there was nothing suitable on the menu for him, I would often share my meal with him or order something like a cheese toastie. I didn’t worry too much about salt as the rest of the time he was eating totally home made stuff.
Organix are good for snacks, the oaty bars from 12 months up are lovely, and for younger babies the carrot puffs and rice cakes are great. I used to always have those in my bag, now I always bring Cheese Strings!
I liked the Annabel Karmel book for charting the progression up to lumps/finger foods etc although I offered finger foods from day 1 he wasn’t really bothered about them until he was about 8 months.
Hi Kathryn, perhaps that’s what I need then – portion pots as it were, I just bought the first thing I saw in John Lewis as we were keen to let her “taste” things.
Mabel is very interested in what I eat – it will be fun to share the same things with her. I think rice cakes sound like a good idea actually, they might be easier for her to actually “hold” (she got very frustrated with the somewhat slimy banana….) x
The Nutribullet is a very good option for the Vitamix and costs around £99. You can use it after Mabel is grown for your own smoothies, soups etc. It’s also quieter than the Vitamix, which is bloody loud!
Totally know what you mean Charlotte about the whole choking thing! I was so grateful for having Joel nearby and working from home when I had the other two – now Niema only gets anything like pasta or carrot sticks when ‘chilled out’ daddy gets home… As much as baby led appeals I also dont think I want her associating eating with a frantic mummy on the phone for an ambulance every 5 minutes. No, I certainly mush her food to a very mushy consistency – its just not as liquid as a blender would make it, and not as runny as her milk. Nutribullet is going on my Christmas list Ali – that sounds much more affordable and will take up less space in the ‘abit bored of this now’ cupboard in a few months time?! I’m all for investing a bit more in something that keeps just a bit more goodness in. (or a complete sucker for anythiung with a good nutritional statistic printed on the box)
Do it! It’s really good! I’m a clinical nutritionist and although the Vitamix is amazing, I’m not sure that it warrants the extra £400 or so investment. I also think that it’s useful for creating smoothies for fussy toddlers who refuse to eat greens – they can be blended into a fake chocolate ‘milkshake’ smoothie with cocoa powder.
Ali, A nutribullet you say? I will go and take a look – plus you are the second person to mention the noise of the Vitamix (My Kenwood is REALLY bloody loud too)
Good idea on the milkshake thing too – quite fancy one myself! x
Hi Charlotte I am now weaning baby number 2 and so much more relaxed than first time round. She is 6m and whilst I do purée some things I also giv a lot as finger food and mashed. I’ve not really frozen anything this time just kept bits of leftovers from night before or cooked every couple of days so she’s had things like chicken, potato and sweetcorn, cheese on toast, scrambled egg, squash and carrot. I use Ella’s when we are out or I don’t have time to cook, M&S have some good pots and pouches now too. Annabel karmel and river cottage cookbooks v good for ideas but generally I just say cook extra for your dinner and give it to her the next day for lunch! In a couple of weeks I will start trying rice, pasta and red meat but she’s had chicken, fish, dairy, bread and loads of fruit and veggies so far with no trouble.
Hi Gemma, I didn’t even realise that dairy was a no-go until I read the A Karmel book, it’s just all a bit confusing, she is supposed to be a bit of a “guru” yet I read (and as you’ve mentioned) many babies are given most things – as long as they are 6 months. I think after the initial 2 weeks tasting is over I’ll start introducing her to our more “every day” meals, she has her eyes on them all the time anyway!
They stock little weaning pots in large boots stores and wilko is also brilliant for that sort of thing. I’ve also got the little tubs from paperchase as little lunch boxes for out and about.
Oh and I bought a cheapo hand blender from sainsburys for less than a tenner, also great for soups and smoothies plus I can take it with me if we go on hols whilst still at purée stage. And only one bit to clean which can go in dishwasher.
Hi Charlotte
This is a really fun stage! My little one is 10 months old and one of the things I find really useful is cooking in bulk in freezing food in ice cube trays. I’m not sur how old Mabel is but at 10 months my little girl gets 2 cubes of protein eg. A chicken or fish recipe and 2 cubes of veg / potato. Really easy to work out portions and great for storing in the freezer.
Ella’s are invaluable when we are out and about but I find I use them less and less now she is older – I just take her food out in a small tupperware box.
The Annabel Karmel cookbook is great. You can just follow it to a tee and you know you’re spot on all the way. In terms of blenders I just use our and blender that we had before Sacha was even born. I didn’t see the point in buying another gadget when that one does the job perfectly.
One last thing on weaning is at the early stage they are getting all their nutrients still from the milk – it’s just about getting them used to food and sitting upright etc. at this stage. Don’t worry to much about how much she takes. At the beginning I always fed Sacha milk before and after her food to make sure she was satisfied.
Re: high chairs we have a Stokke Tripp Trapp with the baby attachment and can highly recommend it. The bumbo is also great in the early stages if she doesn’t like her high chair yet. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more questions – I would be only too thrilled to reply. Enjoy every minute!
Karen x
Hi Karen, thanks for all of your helpful advice! I will definitely take you up on that email 🙂
We have used the Bumbo a few times, I just worry that she’s quite hunched up whilst trying to digest stuff (the truth is she’s a healthy – read big! baby so perhaps she’s just nearly outgrown it…!) x
On the high chair thing I know everyone says the Antilop is great – and it is for the money, we have one at my parents, but I’ve got the Bjorn high chair and I bloody love it. It looks stylish, folds down small, the tray slides in and out so you don’t get food all down their fronts as you do with the Antilop, and it’s super easy to keep clean. I’m on number 2 now so it’s been in daily use for over 3 years and still looks as good as new – well worth the money IMO xx
Agree! We love our baby bjorn! Wouldn’t be without it.
Thanks ladies, the Ikea one is great don’t get me wrong but I do keep admiring this in John Lewis 🙂 x
Hello Charlotte, without a DOUBT you need a nutribullet. It’s such a revelation… I use mine daily. I’m not sure about using it for baby meals, but I use mine for my green smoothie in the morning, milling (flax/pumpkin/sunflower seeds etc) and for iced drinks. J’adore. AND it’s super easy to clean – I use the cup that the ingredients blend in (there are large and small cups) all you need to clean is the blade which takes seconds. I have just moved to Cairo, and am a little hesitant with the food situation (well the meat really) and have found the juices I make a suitable (for now) supplement. It’s really worth a look.
As an aside I totally love RMS.
Hi Lu! That’s very sweet of you 🙂
Do you work in advertising/sales? You should! I’m now utterly convinced I need the Nutribullet! x
The joys of weaning!
I used to use ice cube trays or similar. Once frozen pop out into a freezer bag. To start with I made individual veg purees and fruit purees and Holly would get 1 or 2 cubes. Then I’d mix them together to get her used to different flavours….I quickly learnt the reason Ella’s Kitchen is so addictive is that it’s way sweeter than homeade purees as it has high apple content. So I’d mix 1 cube of apple with a veg until she got used to it and gradually upped the veg content. The Anabele Karmel book is a great guide I loosly followed that and Gina Fords weaning book. Enjoy!!
Hi Charlotte,
My husband and I are currently weaning our daughter, Elsa. She has been fantastic and has taken to her mush like a pro. She will be 6 months on 19th October, so we have started early, but at 18lb, milk just didn’t cut it any longer.
To be quite honest, I’m petrified of BLW, I’d be so scared that she’d choke and how can you be sure that they are eating enough? I was fed mush and I don’t have too much trouble using a knife and fork so I don’t think that it inhibited my skills of feeding myself.
I was a bit naughty yesterday, I gave Elsa a Petis Filous, and she literally devoured it. She hasn’t come out in any nasty rash or have some crazy episode over night so what damage can they really do?
In terms of a blender, we use this contraption. It’s brill, doesn’t have too many parts and is easy to clean.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/VonShef-Baby-Food-Maker-Combined/dp/B00HHUYUE8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1411456486&sr=8-4&keywords=Baby+food+blender
I’ve heard good things about the baby bullet, although it doesn’t have a steam function as far as I am aware.
Good luck with the whole process Charlotte, it’s a minefield for me! Xxxx
I found the Avent blender really quick and easy in the early stages of weaning. As I’m not a natural cooking type the convenience factor definitely helped me. I now continue to use it for small volume things like pesto and making smoother pasta sauces for my little girl. For me, I love my new Nutriblast (I invested last week). Again the convenience factor is a winner for me – easy to use and clean.
Oh and Ella’s pouches have always been a winner in our household. Although for the basic fruit varieties, Aldi do a cheaper nasty-free pouch alternative in a limited flavour range that my little girl was equally happy with.
Sorry, should say Nutribullet in my post.
Luckily my two little one’s never had an issue with weaning! Both seemed to love their food and it is only now they are bigger that they have become fusspots. Molly will currently only eat Peppa Pig spaghetti despite me cooking all manner of proper dinners for her! I give up! I just used a good old hand blender, a phillips one for about £20 from JL, as they move so quickly on from the puree. I started with single fruit and veg then started combining and then added meat and fish too. Basically anything with sweet potato and butternut squash was always a winner but neither ever liked salmon, guess it may have been too strong tasting. After a bit I found a good handful of grated cheese in everything went down well. The little mini pasta shapes are a good bet once they start having lumps. Once they went on to 3 meals a day I found I tended to give them porridge and fruit for brekkie, then a home cooked lunch and a Ellas pouch for dinner if I didn’t have anything in the freezer. Alice wasn’t a fan of the pouches though and so normally turned her nose up at Ella’s and I had to whip up a quick dinner for her. I always had to have snacks on hand too (still do!) and rice cakes were the best. Go for the organix apple ones NOT the carrot ones unless you want everything turned orange!! Also, I found baby biscuits such as rusks really messy so tried to avoid those. I have to admit rich tea fingers are their favorite, naughty mummy, and although perhaps not the healthiest they aren’t the worst and even rusks are loaded with sugar. They will eat what they need so don’t worry how much they are having and I think they can take a real mixture of foods and flavours so don’t be afraid to try things. xx
I don’t think the Antilop folds down although I know it comes apart, I have a tiny kitchen and no table(!) so I need something that folds. I have the Mamas and Papas pixi which folds and is very easy to clean and my very tall 2 year old still goes in it.
I don’t have a baby and so can’t comment on weaning, but I do have a Vitamix. The hubby got hoodwinked by the demo at the Vitamix stand at the Good Food Show and couldn’t talk about anything else for weeks. Low and behold, on our next trip to Costco there it was – and on offer. Definately worth checking to see if your local Costco has them in as I think ours was around the £350 mark. It is brilliant, makes fab smoothies and you can clean it in 5 seconds flat. My tip would be just make sure that the lid is on properly – raspberry smoothy over white kitchen walls is not a good look. Lisa x
Hi, I have been using your recipe for posh gluten free pancakes all year. This is my first comment on your sit. I am two weeks away from my third child and found your thoughts/ questions about Avent and weaning interesting. It is not a gadget I would get myself as I have never found the need for anything other than a two pan steamer or the silicone insert jobby. With regard to Vitamix although I do not know anyone who has one this blog http://nomnompaleo.com/post/86730776743/giveaway-time-vitamix-s30
does a good review and the writer has many more examples of how and why she uses it. I am thinking of buying a professional one as I may be starting a food stall soon. She also has some great recipes for adults and kids!
Best blender I have ever used is the Karmin 🙂
I used to use ice cube trays or similar. Once frozen pop out into a freezer bag. To start with I made individual veg purees and fruit purees and Holly would get 1 or 2 cubes. Then I’d mix them together to get her used to different flavours….I quickly learnt the reason Ella’s Kitchen is so addictive is that it’s way sweeter than homeade purees as it has high apple content. So I’d mix 1 cube of apple with a veg until she got used to it and gradually upped the veg content. The Anabele Karmel book is a great guide I loosly followed that and Gina Fords weaning book. Enjoy!!