Weaning - Baby Led and Spoon Fed

So I have started weaning baby dude and it has been completely different second time round. As many of you know I had no clue about babies before Honey arrived, having never even changed a nappy before, which was probably why I was such an ardent Gina Ford'er. I liked having a set routine and rules, so I knew what to do, and so both of them got exactly what they needed, (not to mention both slept through from 11 weeks, but thats a different story) I digress. Anyway, being a much more confident mama second time round, weaning has been very different. First time around I followed Gina to the letter, she is very much spoon/puree led. This time round however I swatted up on The River Cottage Baby & Toddler Cookbook by Nicki Duffy and have decided to go more baby led.

The River Cottage book in my opinion is the best baby weaning book out there, and I have read a lot. It is very much a mixture of puree and baby led, which makes complete sense to me, and progresses into really good recipes for the whole family. Not only does baby led seem more natural but also so much easier as the bambino can eat elements of our supper i.e. strips of chicken and steamed vegetables, rather than having to cook different meals every evening. Yet I like the idea of giving a bit of puree too so you know they are eating something and you can measure the amount they are eating a bit more. Research shows that babyled weaning leads to much less fussy eaters in the long run too, and I have had my fair share of problems with Honey. (After eating anything up until the age of 12 months old she then decided to refuse anything bar pasta and cheese see this post.)

So anyway, after the little dude not being a huge fan of baby rice, which incidentally doesn't even exist in France so French mamas don't use it, we thought we'd offer him a few sticks of cucumber while we ate dinner, WHICH HE LOVED. He literally sucked the cucumber to death for about 20 mins. Result! So going forward I think I will go half and half puree, he loves apple, pear and cauliflower, for lunch and baby led for dinner so he can join in and watch us eat. If he prefers one over the other I'll go with that but for now that's the plan. Will keep you all posted.

Please share any baby led weaning tips and favourite foods. xx

Recipe of the week - Super Easy Veggie Chilli

Makes 6 toddler portions, or 2 toddlers and 2 adults

Ingredients
Drizzle of olive oil
Half a red onion finely chopped
1 pepper, deseeded and diced
A couple of mushrooms diced
1 carrot dice
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
Tin of lentils, drained and rinsed
1/2 tin kidney beans drained and rinsed
Tin of chopped plum tomatoes
Tablespoon of tomato purée
Packet of Chilli Con Carne mix
Couscous or rice to serve

Soften the onions in a glug of olive oil, add the diced carrot, pepper, mushrooms and carry on softening for a couple of minutes.
Add the tin of tomatoes, lentils, kidney beans, sweet potato, tomato puree and a teaspoon of the Chilli Mix (omit if you want to add your own spices).
Bring up to a simmer.
Add some water if needs be.
Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until everything is tender and cooked through.

Mash/ purée or simply serve according to you baby's taste
Serve with couscous or rice cooked according to packet instructions. Honey loves this with grated cheddar cheese or a dollop of creme fraiche on top.
You can add any veg you may have in the fridge, or take away the lentils and add more sweet potato or mince. This really is a very flexible and super easy dish. Also great in a jacket potato or as a side with fish or chicken for mummy and daddy later on!