Mummy To Baby Arlo

WEANING!

I really wanted to do this post on weaning because I feel like its a big topic and I've really come into my own with it lately and am a lot more confident and creative with what I'm giving Arlo! Weaning used to STRESS me out! I hated it I really did.. I didn't know if what I was doing was right or weather he was getting the right things or enough of the right things! god I stressed haha

In this post there's going to be about and ideas for blw and also spoon fed/puree ideas, I do combination with Arlo because that just works best for us! However from 6 months I did start just puree's and the odd finger food where as I know a lot of mums now just like to do blw from the start but I think for me anyway I wasn't completely comfortable with it and I wanted to know exactly what Arlo is getting, of course now he's older I give him a lot more 'solid' foods.

We are still very much on our 'weaning journey' so I still have things to learn and so does Arlo and I know as time goes on we will try so much more!

So let me just briefly talk about how Arlo eats (8-9 months) He pretty much has 3 meals a day, breakfast and dinner tend to be the biggest and then we have snackey lunches although some days ill maybe make a bigger lunch but its all trial and error I just like to see and work out how much he likes to eat. I've been so blessed Arlo will literally eat ANYTHING ( including everything on MY plate lol) he's honestly almost to into it! If he's in his highchair watching me make his food he will literally moan and moan and moan until its in front of him I swear.. I've never know a baby more impatient for mashed Weetabix honestly haha

First up, Food plates 'blw' but also on a few plates are things you would/could spoon-fed them
( Plate and bowl are from bamboo bamboo which we use regliously because there amazing)

Breakfast: I had so many ideas for breakfast and do him different things all the time and there would have easily been 10 plates so I have cut them down but ill of course including other great ideas!

1. Mixed berry museli, Strawberry yogurt and raspberries
You'll find nearly all of these plates are so so simple to make!

2. Mashed weetobix, scrambled egg and cream cheese bagel thins

3. Toast fingers, scrambled egg and banana!

4. Fruit and Toast!

Other:
Porridge ( one of Arlo's faves) he will usually been spoon-fed this and then have toast fingers himself
Crumpets
Omelette's
Mashed Weetabix mixed with mashed banana
Soft breakfast muffins

Lunch-

1. Cream cheese sandwiches, cheese cubes and cucumber sticks

2. Cheesy mozzarella pasta, with raspberries for afters

3. Vegetable Frittas with chips and cucumber

Dinner-

1. Fish ( fish fingers without the skin), mash potato and mixed veg

2. Veggie pizza with cucumber triangles

3. Vegetable medley soup

4. Chicken Goujon, cauliflower cheese and cut up baby tomato's

Others: There is so much you can do for dinners really and honestly out of everything its probably the one I struggle with oddly? But this is what he does have...
Cauliflower cheese with pasta
Spaghetti hoops and cut up sausage
Fish and rice
Spag bowl
Shepard's Pie
Sweet potato fries

I also want to briefly touch on home made puree's which I also did when I first started weaning Arlo, I think home made puree's are a great money saver and a great way to know exactly whats in your bubba's food! I don't think its particularly hard to do and I would highly recommend doing it but I do now he's older go shop brought as it is that bit easier and there's no making involved and no defrosting etc but I did really enjoy making them for Arlo! His faves were generally just veg mixed together like, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and he also WAY preferred cold blended fresh banana over pouches! Arlo didn't take to Ella's and other pouches when we started weaning which again is another reason I think I did a lot more homemade stuff than other mums and every baby is different and its like breastfeeding and bottle feeding FED IS BEST so don't pressure yourself into thinking everything baby eats has to be homemade this and homemade that.

Right now for shop brought food! I do use jars for dinners as well ( a fair bit) because I honestly am not a fan of cooking and don't enjoy it even if it may seem that way and nothing better than just having instant food and meals. Arlo can be fairly fussy with what brands he has but hes getting better with age. These are just a few of our faves and our go to's.

1. The cow and gate jars ( Arlo's faves and my go to for dinners lol)

2. Heinz Fruit pouches - These are great for breakfast either by themselves or to top off porriadge or weetobix to make things less plain, he has the whole pouch now hes 9 months old