When Easton was a baby and it came time to introduce solids, I took it all quite seriously and truthfully found it a bit stressful. I had been told I had to wait until six months to start, so we waited until the day he turned six months old. I had also read somewhere that it was important to first introduce vegetables so my baby wouldn’t develop a sweet tooth, so I started with carrots and peas and courgettes, and felt slightly guilty every time I added in a fruit, worrying that I was going to damage my child. (Mama guilt with the first baby is always the worst, right?) I also remember someone telling me I shouldn’t add any olive oil to my veggie purees because it would ‘make my baby fat’. Crazy, right? And don’t even get me started about all the allergy precautions I worried about (despite the fact that allergies don’t run in my family). I spent the first couple months introducing one food at a time and waiting several days before introducing anything else.

With Quin, my second baby, I started giving him food when he was around five months old, and while I started with veggies, I was more relaxed about mixing in fruits and how quickly I introduced new foods. And by the time my next babies started food, all ‘rules’ went out the window. I believe Ivy’s first food was a banana and Marlow’s first food might have actually been gelato in Italy. Haha. (Esther shares a similar journey with introducing solids to her babies here.)

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are so many rules and opinions about how best to feed your baby — from when to start and what to feed them and even whether you should let them wean themselves! Sometimes it’s all a bit overwhelming and contradicting, and sometimes it’s just best to listen to your baby and trust your intuitions. At four and a half months, Wilkie was eyeing up my food and showing genuine interest in everything he saw. I also felt like I just wasn’t able to keep up with his hunger by breastfeeding alone. So we introduced solids early with him, and he’s been such a happy, enthusiastic foodie ever since.

All five of my kids are adventurous, healthy eaters. Marlow doesn’t have more of a sweet tooth than Easton because her first food was ice cream. And despite breaking rules on certain allergy-prone foods, none of my kids have allergies. Maybe it’s luck, but I do think there is something to be said about being relaxed about food and introducing a wide range of foods and tastes. Also, there is no reason they should be forced to eat something bland and boring when there are so many ways to make their food more flavoursome. (Have you tasted some of the jarred baby foods? They are so gross!)

Anyway, here are some easy purees which have proven successful with Wilkie (at nearly 7 months old):

Sweet Potato & Pear Puree:

-One sweet potato, peeled and sliced
-One pear, peeled and sliced
-Two teaspoons of cream (or butter)
-One sprinkle of cinnamon
-1/4 cup of baby oat cereal (optional)

Steam or boil the sweet potato and pear for a few minutes, until soft. Blend until smooth (adding water if necessary). (We have a mini food processor, but when we lived in London we used the Beaba Babycook.) Add cinnamon and blend again. Add cream or butter and stir until smooth. To thicken or to simply add more substance, you can stir in baby oats porridge or baby rice.

Apple and Courgette Puree:

-One apple, peeled and sliced
-One courgette, washed and sliced
-Three mint leaves
-One large dollop of whole fat plain yoghurt

Steam or boil the apple and courgette. Add mint into the boiling water for the last 20 seconds. Blend until smooth. Add yoghurt and stir until combined. (This recipe usually makes enough for two meals. Before adding the yoghurt, I set aside half to store in a jar for later.)

Apple and Blueberry Puree:

-One apple, peeled and sliced
-One large handful of blueberries
-Dash of cinnamon
-Dollop of full-fat plain yoghurt (optional)

Boil the apples until soft. Blend apples and blueberries until smooth. Add cinnamon and blend again. Stir in yoghurt if desired.

Please share your favourite recipes and tips for weaning.  I’d love more inspiration!

Courtney x