eat up! it's delicious!

I wanted to go to all the post natal talks at our local children's centre put on by the team of Health Visitors second time round. Mostly because I feel like my baby brain has meant I have forgotten everything I learnt first time! There was a particularly good talk on weaning which I wouldn't have missed for the world.

I know all the basics, the puree stage, the fork mashing and introducing lumps gradually. But it was great to go through it all again, what are good foods to start with and what to try as first fingers foods.

I was a little shocked when it was questioned why we shouldn't add salt to baby's veg, that it wouldn't taste as nice, but they don't know any better do they, babies!

I am trying to just give small boy water as he seems to be taking it fine and big boy suffers from night terrors on the days he's had squash at a party or at a toddler group where I don't get to him in time to switch it for milk or water!

I suppose babies only get used to what we give them. If you don't buy it, they don't eat it.

The Health Visitor made a thought provoking point, that weaning is an opportunity to revisit the foods you, as an adult do not eat.

I, for example, will eat cooked tomatoes, in a sauce, but cannot bear them whole in a salad. So as a consequence I hardly ever buy them and guess what, my boys won't eat them! Same for plums and kiwi fruit. Bizarre isn't it!

I hadn't really thought about the enormous influence that my personal preferences play in the weaning process.

To start with, I followed a chart, ticking off the foods I have tried, but as time goes on and they get older you get into a pattern, a routine of meals you cook every week, that get mashed and reheated for small people. Please don't judge me, that I give the boys what we have eaten the day before and not cooked from scratch each day. I admire anyone who is able to cook just for the children and then again for the adults but I am not one of them!

I am determined this time round, to make a conscious effort to expose small boy to as much as possible and give a few new things a go myself!

Have you experienced the same? Is there foods you have subconsciously not tried on your baby because you don't enjoy them?

If you want to print the handy list I have on my pin board, find it here!