Review: yummy veg and fruit snack for kids- Googly Fruit

When L was smaller we had a little obsession with buying certain veggie pouches for her to eat as it seemed the only way of filling her little stomach with goodness (or so we thought!). Until family member started to mention that L looks jaundice, which was later confirmed by doctors. It wasn't liver jaundice but carotene one which was cause by excessive amounts of carrots in L's meals. 

Upon investigation we found that every single pouch and every single jar L had consisted of small or big amounts of carrots which was the cause for L's orange tint. Since then we are more cautious about what goes into L's mouth and ours for that matter, we try to eat healthy and stay away from nasty ingredients in our food.

Few weeks ago L was very delighted to receive a yummy package from Googly Fruit, who are on a "mission to help kids make a lifelong friendship with fruit and veg...The Googly Fruit range is made from 100% organic fruit and veg with no added nonsense".

We have received a selection of fruit and veg pouches, freeze- dried crunchy fruit pieces and crunchy fruit and veg puffs, Goodly Fruit activity book, sticky googly eyes and "learn your ABC" book all with cute googly characters on the packaging! 

L was very eager to test everything and perhaps would have eaten all at once but eventually picked crunchy strawberry(£1.50)! 

"Our tasty Googly Fruit Made Crunchy are made from 100% fruit. Their secret is that they’ve been freeze-dried to turn them into delicious crunchy bites! They’re additive-free and 100% organic, naturally! From Bella Blueberry and Rory Raspberry to Suzie Strawberry, they’ve all got one thing in common: they’re yummy scrummy and super crunchy!"

The smell was divine and as I have tried them too I can tell you first hand that strawberries taste yummy! The package itself can be re-sealed, same goes for other crunchy fruits from the range. I would love to see veggie crunchy crisps added to the range!

Pouches (£1) "taste them and you'll realise just how good they are. As with all our Googly Fruit products, we don't like nonsense so you won't find any artificial ingredients. Each pouch contains 100% organic fruit and veg (often hidden from your kids) and counts as one of your five-a-day. Don't forget we're super handy and (almost) spill free. 

Fruit ones  have always been my favourite part of weaning, probably L would agree with that, but as this is not about me but about L and other kids wanting to eat more fruit and veg (especially veg for us) I offered L to try a pouch with sweet potato, apple and clementine first. If with the first taste L wasn't sure about it, she didn't mind to try the pouch few more times. I had a little taster too and found that sweet potatoes are slightly overpowering other 2 flavours.

With crunchy puffs (£0.75) "are a great alternative snack to fat-filled crisps. These easy to serve crunch sensations are the ideal size for kids’ little hands - and suitable for small teeth. Once you’ve got a taste for them, you just can’t stop crunching!"

You can't go wrong- great snack, settle flavours, perfect for when out and about or a great, healthy snack for nursery/pre-school.

Googly Fruit branding follows throughout the packaging and activities that can be found on the brand's website and in the paper activity book that can be purchased separately.  Activities help kids to discover the love for fruits and veg through fun colouring, getting to know fruity and veggie characters and much more.

I would love to see how the brand expands it's range and looking forward to see lots and lots of Googly Fruit (and veg) fans! If you would like to give these funky snacks a go you can find them in Superdrugs, Ocado, I have also seen them on Amazon and Kidschoo.com

Disclaimer: We have received products mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Are you living with one of the Britain's weanegers?

We’ve all heard about the terrible twos, not to mention the testing teenage years, but what about the weanage months? That’s right, weanagers. Kids’ food brand, Ella’s Kitchen® has pinpointed a significant period in a little one’s life, during weaning, when they are likely to display some distinctive ‘weanage’ characteristics.

But how do you identify a weanager? To help mums and dads recognise this all important stage in their little one’s development, Ella’s Kitchen has partnered with parenting expert, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, to identify ten sure-fire signs your child is a fully-fledged weanager:

• Your baby won’t let you leave them, ever 
• Your baby ends up wearing more food than they eat 
• Your baby loves to empty stuff 
• Your baby puts EVERYTHING in their mouth 
• Your baby does a great impression of you 
• Your baby becomes a big fan of dropping things 
• Your baby will have a favourite food one week, then go off it the next 
• Your baby enjoys testing out their new pincer grip, even on you
• Your baby starts spontaneously waving hello or goodbye 
• Your baby makes their mark on the house

Sarah Ockwell-Smith, parenting expert, comments: “The weanage months, from six to twelve months, are a constant series of firsts, exploration and wonder for both the baby and parent - from first foods and first teeth, to first steps and first words. Commonly glossed over in favour of the cute new-born phase and the challenges of 'the terrible twos', it's time this period of development got the recognition it rightly deserves”.

Celebrating weanagers all over the country, Ella’s Kitchen is launching a NEW fly on the wall documentary series, ‘Britain’s Weanagers’. Exploring the exciting and, at times, hilarious weaning journeys of babies, the series stars four families who have all featured in the popular Channel 4 TV programme, One Born Every Minute.

Mark Cuddigan, Head of Ella’s Kitchen, adds: “At Ella’s we are passionate about helping little ones develop healthy relationships with food and that really starts with the very first tastes. Weaning is a really exciting milestone for little ones and their parents. We created the ‘Britain’s Weanagers’ series to give mums + dads who are about to start weaning a fun insight into what to expect. It really brings to life our view at Ella’s Kitchen that every baby is different and that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to weaning. We think the series perfectly captures the reality of weaning in a very charming, yet honest way and hope that we’re able to bring a smile to parents watching it.”

The docuseries will be hosted on Ella’s Kitchen’s YouTube Weaning Channel, which launched earlier this year. To view the first episode, which launched on 14 October 2015, search ‘Ella’s Kitchen weaning’ on YouTube.

Giovanna Fletcher- mum to little Buzz and wife to Tom Fletcher (McBusted) has also posted a vblog about their weaning journey on her Youtube channel.

I think I might have a little weaneger, what about you?

L eats- Ella's kitchen

L is a big fan of pouches, when she is not in the mood to eat solid food or a jar, pouches are always a saviour! I was so delighted to receive Ella's Kitchen products for a review as was eyeing them up in my local supermarket for ages.

Our mission is to develop healthy eating habits that last a lifetime by offering a range of tasty, natural and healthy 100% organic foods for babies and kids, which are handy for mums + dads and fun for little ones.
We think it's important to always approach things from a child's point of view. So, we've taken simple, natural ingredients that ooze goodness and created foods, and packaging, that should really connect with kids - with flavours, colours, textures and even names that will appeal to all of their senses.

We have received: 

- from 4 months pouches: parsnips, prunes, peas
- from 6 months pouches: lots of lentils, parsnips & peas; cauliflower cheese with butter beans; tomato and lentil bake with red peppers
- baby finger food range

Parsnips pouch (70g, £0.79) 

Contains organic parsnips 75%, water 25%. 
It tastes smooth, the parsnip flavour is there but it is not overpowering. L have tried parsnip pouch for the first time and at first wasn't sure about it and wouldn't suck straight from a pouch but the moment I put it on a spoon she accepted it without a problem.

Peas pouch (70g, £0.79) 

Contains organic peas 50%, water 50% and are L's least favourite.
I have tried it myself and it seems that regardless of a brand peas purees have a strong flavour which you can either like or hate.

Prunes pouch (70g, £0.79)

Contains organic prunes 100%. 
This pouch was a well needed "medicine" for constipated L and it did it's trick well. As prunes are quite sweet in general, it had a strong flavour but not too bad. It was a little bit messy though as I allowed L to hold the pouch and due to the dark colour the mess was more obvious than with other flavours.

The orange one pouch (90g) 

Suitable from 6 months and contains organic apples 51%, organic mangoes 30%, organic bananas 10%, organic coconuts 9%, a dash of organic lemon juice concentrate. 
I can't seem to find a single pouch for sale but you can purchase a pack of 5 pouches for £3.25. I have noticed previously that mango is a very overpowering flavour that is the case with the orange one, having said that it tasted nice and L finished it in few seconds.

Cauliflower cheese with butter beans pouch (£1.29) 

Suitable from 6 months and contains organic vegetable stock 44% (water and organic vegetables: swedes, parsnips + carrots), organic potatoes 19%, organic cauliflower 15%, organic whole milk 11%, organic cheddar cheese (milk) 6%, organic butter beans 5%. 

Cauliflower has overpowering flavour, but still a nice smooth texture.

Tomato lentil bake with red peppers (£1.29) 

Suitable from 6 months and contains organic lentils 46%, organic sweet potatoes 32%, organic red peppers 12%, organic tomatoes 10%.

This is my favourite pouch from Ella's Kitchen, tastes lovely. I must admit I enjoyed a smooth, not overpowering tomotoey-peppery flavour more than L, she is not a big fan of peppers at the moment.

Lots of lentils, parsnips and peas (£1.29) 

Suitable from 6 months and contains organic lentils 48%, organic parsnips 31%, organic peas 21%. 
This pouch has a strong, overpowering flavour of peas. As L doesn't like anything pea related that was our least favourite pouch.

Grab me melty puffs tomatoes leeks (£0.69) 

                Grab me melty puffs strawberries bananas (£0.69)

Ella's kitchen snack range is a great way of developing gripping, picking, grabbing skills and exploring of course.
These grab me melty puffs are suitable from 7 months. L is still a bit uncertain about a new shape and texture but she doesn't mind them at all. They are crispy, melt quickly once in a mouth and have very gentle flavours.

Pick me melty hoops cheese tomatoes (£1.49)
Pick me melty hoops vanilla bananas (£1.49)

These tiny hoops are suitable form 10 months old and are L's new toy. She likes to reach for the and grip few hoop at once. Same as puffs they melt and I’m are perfect for developing finger and thumb ‘pincer grip’.

                       Grip me baby biscuits apple ginger (£1.99)

Grip me baby biscuits are suitable from 10 months old and are great for out and about as they are individually wrapped.

We couldn't taste apple but ginger is certainly there. It will take a little bit of time to get used to a harder texture of biscuits. L tired to bite them but it is a little bit hard at the moment and she found that the easiest way is just to suck on them.

We like Ella's kitchen products for its funky packaging, L's face lights up when she sees colorful packaging and I like that it all products contain healthy ingredients without  hidden additives or nasty stuff. 

Ella's kitchen have kindly sent us jingly apple and funky vintage building blocks to encourage L to ‘pick’, ‘grab’ and ‘grip’. We have thoroughly enjoyed playing with them. I liked building blocks a lot and here is one of our creations.

Disclaimer: I was sent the items mentioned above as well as jinggly apple and building blocks for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Nom Nom Kids weaning pouches

On average every week I buy 10 jars, 10 fruity pouches, pack of 4 fruit pots and a box of porridge. Buying baby food can be quite expensive, so to cut the costs down and to introduce more homemade food, I decided to do my own fruit pouches. 
I came across Nom Nom Kids reusable pouches and when Suzanne-the founder offered me to review the starter set (£20) I jumped at a chance.

Nom Nom Kids reusable pouches for weaning babies & kids on the go. Fill them with home made or bought purees, smoothies, yogurts & baby food and enjoy time and again. Simply fill the pouch, eat and then clean before reusing them. For kids of all ages, from weaning babies to school children. The Nom Nom Kids Pouch has a fun design to encourage kids to eat from them. They are Freezer safe, Dishwasher safe and BPA free.

Nom Nom kids weaning kit includes:

10 reusable pouches

15 caps

non-permanent pen

instructions

recipe card

Before using the kit for the first time I have washed pouches in the warm water. 

To fill the pouch:

- Blow into the spout to fully open the pouch, put the cap on

- Pull the side tabs apart

- Hold the pouch or put it on a side and fill it as far as the top of the window on the back of the pouch (each pouch holds 130ml/4.5oz)

- Seal the zip lock

- Write on the back of the pouch with a non-permanent pen
- Freeze or keep in the fridge for up to 2-3 days

I have cooked few fruity purees which were handy when we were out and about in Pembrokeshire. As L is a fussy eater it will take a while for her to adjust to my home cooking but at least I try!

The pouches have proved to be easy to clean and durable. You can buy a plastic spoon which can fit on the spout but I just let L do the job and squeeze the contents in the mouth. 

If you don't know where to start Nom Nom Kids website has some handy recipes which were tried and tested on Suzanne's little ones!

Disclaimer: I was sent the above kit for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I've learnt about weaning with L

I must say that my husband and I were looking forward to introducing solids, for us weaning meant a little bit less stress as for the first 5 months of L's life we were relying on breast milk and at times I wasn't convinced that I have enough supply. I am not saying L was starving or didn't have enough but comparing to other babies she was always smaller, now I know that I shouldn't compare her to others as all babies are different. 

Prior to weaning I did a small research about puree feeding  (spoon fed) and baby led weaning. 29 years ago weaning recommendations were completely different as far as I know my mum was adding a little bit of mashed apple in my diet when I was only 4 months old, solids were thoroughly mashed and meaty purees were introduced at 8-9 months. From what I can remember I loved fruit pots a lot, and I wanted L to try them as well. 

Having said that I was a little bit intrigued about baby led weaning, which simply means that baby feeds themselves. 

Initially your baby might only touch and play with the the food, before moving on to licking, tasting and finally eating some. When offering foods such as rice and cereals you can give your baby a spoon, but they will probably start eating it with their fingers first, before mastering the use of a spoon. Be warned, this can be a messy process, so you might want to invest in a messy mat and some bibs first!

My mother in law gave me few leaflets and books to read about introducing solids, but I have picked an old-fashioned method of introducing 4-5 types of veg for a week, then the same with certain fruits, then dairy and then meat.

Things didn't go to plan as L was constipated most of the time, I had to adjust the diet and to introduce Lactolose into our lives.

At around 6- 7 months we had a weigh in with a health visitor who advised that L should eat what we eat as apparently after 6 months they can eat everything! And if I'm worried about her choking I can do First Aid course. I didn't say it out loud but I wouldn't give my daughter the same food which some days consists of takeaways, fast food, ready meals and value products. When I said this to my husband he said that we should then share tonight's pizza with L, which is obviously a joke but proves a point that some parents might actually consider giving junk food as health visitor gave a permission to do so.

I don't think that baby led weaning works for every baby, some are just not ready for it. Why would I want to waste my money on a product which will be mashed in her hands, wiped all over her face, hands and highchair and not even being put in her mouth once? Why would I watch my child do it over and over again (they advise that you should offer the same food around 20-25 times), mind you she wouldn't even consider eating this food or she would be choking every time she tries? To me it looks like she is still hungry, feeding times drags for hours if I can simply mash the food I cooked or buy a jar and feed her in less then 5 minutes knowing that she is happy and full? Simply, it's not for me or L. She was clearly not ready to feed herself or eat food without it being mashed. 

L was extremely fussy when it comes to eating, she liked (still does sometimes) purees, particular fruit pots, meaty jars and would spit the lumpy bits or choke on them. 

Now L is 10 months old and I can see that she is more accepting, more interested in proper food. She likes rice, jacket potatoes, spaghetti, drinks from a cup or a sippy cup, eating bananas, mangoes, toast and is still a big fan of particular meaty jars. She wouldn't eat pureed food with bits in it but she will happily eat the same food what we eat, but obviously we pick and choose what she can have.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't consider baby led weaning I'm just trying to say that it didn't work for us as I felt it was more of choir than enjoyment from both parties. 

Don't force your baby to do something they are not ready to do just because it's trendy or someone else's kid can do it. Babies are all different and maybe yours is just not ready for it.

I want to think of baby led weaning as a way of baby telling you when they are ready for certain food and not parents forcing them to eat.

Do you agree or disagree?

L eats- Organix baby food

At Organix we don’t just make tasty, organic food for children; we aim to help educate parents and children too. Staying true to our word and beliefs is top priority here at Organix and we are committed to never adding anything unnecessary and to setting standards with our food. It's called our No Junk Promise, runs across all of our foods and always will, meaning parents can make an informed choice.

Our weaning journey started not the way I have planned but since I have discovered Organix L thoroughly enjoys her porridge, rice cakes and fruit pots. 
We have started from Stage 1 which is suitable for babies from 4-6 months and mixed with products from Stage 2 for babies from 7 months. So far we have tried:  

Fruit pots:

Apple, banana &plum/apple& vanilla pots 

(£1.89)

I was very excited when L had her first spoonful of apple, banana and plum puree as that's my favoutire flavour.It tastes sweet but not too much and just the right combination of fruits.

Ingredients:
apple puree 72%
banana puree 14%
plum puree 14%

Apple and vanilla ones tastes nice as well but L wasn't so keen on this flavour at first, to be honest with you I wasn't sure myself if I should give her vanilla.

Ingredients:
apple puree 99%
vanilla <1%

The texture of both purees is smooth, without any bits inside. L has started by having a half a pot a day followed by a pot a day.

Pear, apple and raspberry pots

 (£1.89)

Apple, pear and raspberry pots were finished by L without hesitation. She liked overpowering pear flavour and the smoothness of the puree itself. 

Ingredients:
applee puree 65%
pear puree 30%
raspberry puree 5%

Apple& cherry/ apple& banana 4+ months

Apple and cherry is another delicious, smooth puree which L likes. The taste of cherry is overpowering apple but not in a bad way, it tastes very nice and light.

Ingredients:

apple puree 86%

cherry puree 14%

In apple & banana pot banana has a very overpowering taste but it is not too sweet and just right.

Ingredients:

apple puree 65%

banana puree 35%

lemon juice concentrate <1%

Apple& raspberry with pieces 7+months 

(£1.99)

This puree is thicker than the puree from Stage 1 and had visible bits inside. L is not a big fan of big bits or lumpy food as only enjoyed the puree when spat the big bits.

The only minor negative with all fruit pots would be that the picture on the seal has nothing to do with the ingredients of each pot which may look a little bit misleading/confusing.

Ingredients:

apple puree 73%

apple pieces 20%

raspberry puree 7%

Red pepper hearts (£0.75)

Since I have received the packet to review I offered L one pepper heart every day just to see if she likes the new texture. The texture itself is very close to puffs crisps and complete new to L. I can't say that she didn't like them but can't say that she likes them either. She will only have half of the pepper heart and always leaves the other half. 

Ingredients:
corn 79%
sunflower oil 12%
red pepper powder (contains rice flour) 7%
carrot powder 2%
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) <1%

Porridge (£2.19):

baby rice 4+ months

fruity apple porridge 4+ months

banana & mango porridge 4+

As L had problems with constipation until 9 months baby rice wasn't our first choice of a porridge. I have introduced apple porridge and banana& mango porridge first, and only after L started taking lactolose I have introduced baby rice. My favourite porridge would be apple one, where as L didn't mind either. 
Instructions on the box recommend to use 1 tbsp of baby rice and 2 tbsp for apple and banana & mango porridge mixed with milk. I started with 5 tbsp and increased the the portion till 10-15 tbsp mixing it with cooled water and breastfed afterwards. 
At first porridge looks a bit lumpy but if you add a little bit more milk or water in my case, it becomes creamy and thickens if left too cool. If porridge looks thick I would add a little bit more water, my only recommendation would be not to use hot/warm water as the porridge would be very lumpy and it makes it harder to mix dry and wet powder.

Banana& plum porridge 7+ months (£2.49)

Multigrain porridge 7+ months (£2.49)

Banana, peach& apple porridge 10+ months (£2.69)

Texture of Stage 2 porridge differ slightly from Stage 1, it has small crispy pieces and tiny fruit chunks which softens when you add milk/water and the texture itself thickens when leave to cool. I used 15-20 tbsp every day for breakfast which means that a box lasts 1 week. 

When I first introduced Stage 2 porridges to L she liked them straightaway! Knowing how fussy she is with lumpy food or food she never tried before these porridges are a success!

Rice cakes (£1.19):

carrot&tomato rice cake

strawberry rice cakes 

raspberry& blueberry rice cakes

Out of 3 packs we have L likes carrot & tomato more than other 2, she won't mind having strawberry or raspberry flavour but won't finish the rice cake. I was a little bit worried that L might choke but when she had just couple of teeth she was just sucking on them and when they were soft enough she ate it, now when she has top and bottom teeth she does the same but she bites small piece and leaves in a mouth till soft. There is only one minor negative- rice cakes are quite messy, they leave stains on clothes so a big all over bib will be in order.

Banana baby biscuits & baby biscuits (£1.19)

Baby biscuits- delicious organic finger biscuits made from wheat and grape juice. 

Banana baby biscuits- delicious organic finger biscuits made from wheat and banana juice.

These soft biscuits are melting in baby's mouth, no need to worry if baby will choke. L can play with it until it's divided into small pieces or just just bite a small piece and suck it till it's melted. Biscuits are quite messy thought and you would need a muslin square or a all over bib.

Organix baby food is a part of L's every day life, she eats porridge for breakfast, fruit pots as a part of her lunch and rice cakes or biscuits when snacking during the walks or when playing. 

We are big fans of Organix baby food and I am happy with each and every product and I thoroughly recommend buying their products!

Disclaimer: I was sent some of the items mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Creative Fun With Finger Foods

I don't think that little ones care much about food presentation at the beginning of their weaning journey but it is a great idea for when they grow older.

Being creative and playful with food is great for little ones growing up as they try new foods for the first time and start learning to feed themselves. The challenge for parents can be how to introduce variety and come up with new ideas to present food that will help make it fun for their little ones.

Creative fun with finger foods - helps little ones try something new and learn to feed themselves                          

In a new survey from Organix, mums rated the top two things to encourage a positive attitude towards food as making mealtimes fun for your child (76%) and allowing your child to play with and experiment with their food (75%).

Finger foods are a great way of offering variety to your child, as they provide a whole new world of exciting tastes, textures, shapes and colours to your baby, in foods that are easy for them to grab and get hold of so they feel more in control of their choices.

Playing with finger foods helps little ones learn

Mixing up textures, shapes and colours and encouraging little ones to play and experiment with food helps them gather sensory information and learn how to accept new foods.

From chewy pasta, to crispy rice cakes, melt in the mouth corn puffs, crumbly baby biscuits and squishy strawberries, you can offer lots of texture choices to help develop your baby's curiosity about food and build their confidence and enjoyment.

Unlike in the old days when parents told their little ones off for playing with their food, modern mums see the positive benefits of encouraging little ones to play with their food and have fun:
86% feel it's important for babies to handle and play with new foods before they taste it.
93% feel it's important to let a baby play with and experiment with food.
93% recognise that the first year of a baby's life is about fun - playing with food and developing skills.

Dr Frankie Phillips, Nutrition Advisor to Organix , says, “The introduction of finger foods can help to develop a little one's sense of independence, and parents can encourage a positive attitude to food by making mealtimes fun for their child and allowing them to play with and experiment with their food.”

Frankie explains that as well as encouraging self-feeding, independence and autonomy,finger foods come with lots of other benefits for little ones, like developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, and improving dexterity.

The variety of colours, shapes and sizes of finger foods also gives little ones a range of sensory experiences. Psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin says, “This is important asbabies learn through their senses in the first two years of life. So when you introduce a new food to your child, by giving them an opportunity to touch it, squish it and rub it between their hands, you are allowing them to use all of the resources they have to learn about that food.”

Fun finger food plates –getting creative to help little ones explore food

Why not add some fun with a creative finger food plate, you can mix up purees with finger food so your baby has a choice of tastes, textures and shapes to explore. Don't worry you don't have to have an art degree just a little imagination and a little help from Organix!

Try these fun ideas: trees made with Organix carrot sticks as the trunk, vegetable florets for the branches, an Organix sweetcorn ring for the sun and mashed avocado for the grass; a caterpillar made with Organix carrot & tomato rice cakes and pieces of salad and vegetables; or an Organix baby biscuit bird, with banana wings, flying over a blueberry sea. And you could always make up a rhyme or song to sing along with each creation to make it more fun.

For lots more advice on finger foods and recipes please visit Organix. As your little one grows you'll find inspiration for different finger foods in the Organix Little Book of Weaning – you can sign up to download your free copy at here.

#BabiesWhoLunch together are more likely to try new foods

Holly Bell, finalist in the Great British Bake Off and author of Recipes from a Normal Mum, launches the ‘Babies Who Lunch’ campaign with Organix, the baby and toddler food brand. The campaign encourages parents to get together and share their weaning experiences.

I think it's a great idea, but I'm sure some of us who struggle to find new mum-friends will find the idea of socialising whilst eating a little bizarre. I'm yet to find friends with kids the same age but when I do it would be interesting to see them interact whilst eating.

To support families on their baby’s food journey, the ‘Babies Who Lunch’ campaign looks at the benefits of sharing experiences and getting together at mealtimes with other parents and their little ones. Both psychologists and parents say social experiences have had a positive impact on their little ones being more open to trying new foods.

With Holly Bell, who is currently weaning her third son Lawrence, and a group of her friends who are weaning their little ones, Organix has made a ‘Babies Who Lunch’ short film to show their experiences of weaning together, you can find the video here.

Top tips shared at lunch:

1. Better together - it’s great for babies to be sociable and eat together, and for parents to share experiences and ideas with each other. Eating with your little one allows baby to copy how you eat and seeing other babies eating makes them curious and interested in what they are enjoying.
2. Trust your instincts - every baby is different and your experience will be your own, you’ll know what’s right for your baby.
3. Try lots of different tastes and textures – prepare and share food in different ways. It can take between 10 and 15 times before a baby accepts a new taste or flavour, so don’t be afraid to try, try and try again!
4. Play games and get messy - encourage little ones to lick, mash, squash and squeeze the food so they get used to different shapes, textures and tastes – playing with food is fun!
5. Let baby have some control – try giving them a spoon, or some soft finger foods that they can pick up or start to dip into their puree.

Anna Rosier, Managing Director at Organix, says, “We love helping little ones grow their love of good food, and weaning is a great time to start your little ones off on the path to healthy, no junk food habits. Meal times are all about being sociable and sharing good food, and weaning together with other parents is the perfect opportunity to share ideas and experiences and try lots of new foods.”

According to the Organix survey:

· 75% believe that eating together with their baby makes a difference to their interest in food.

· 91% say their baby loves to watch them eating and enjoys the time together.

· 81% say they regularly try to sit down and eat together as a family.

Holly Bell says, “We’ve found support and encouragement through meeting and eating with other mums and their little ones. Spending a day together over lunch, we shared advice and tips with each other, and our babies were trying new foods together in a way they just would not do at home.
“I love it when we eat as a family, it’s a real shared experience and we make sure Lawrence is part of mealtimes by pulling his high chair up to the table, so we can enjoy food together, talk, laugh and have fun with him.”

Social Weaning - Psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin explains why it’s good for weaning to be a shared and social experience.

Psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin says, “Food is a strong social glue, and eating together as a family or in the company of friends is strongly associated with healthier eating and an adventurous attitude towards food. Food can be fun and eating together and sharing creates a positive experience from a young age.”

It’s good for little ones to eat with other little ones:

- Eating together is one of the most important social skills we teach children – weaning is primarily about introducing a variety of foods but learning to sit and eat with others is also important.

- Children learn by watching others – it’s a good idea to create lots of opportunities for learning and imitating other people.

- Peer influence - watching peers will make it more likely that your child will try new food or behave in a different way - you will be surprised by what they will try out when they would not at home.

- Eating together is great fun - and babies can learn eating and social skills from one another.

It’s good to sit down to eat with your little one, and to eat as a family, and try food together:

- It shows your baby that they’re important and that eating and mealtimes are important.

- As your baby eats they learn about a whole new world of sensory and social experiences and they’ll be more relaxed with mum or dad by their side and so more likely to try new foods.

- If you have a bit of a wriggler it will be even more beneficial to sit with them, chat and have a little fun while they eat.

It’s good to wean together and share experiences with other parents:

- Talking, chatting, laughing and trying new foods in a social environment turns weaning into a really positive experience for parents and makes it an exciting and fun time for little ones too.

- Being a parent can be hard work at times, just as children learn from other children parents can learn from each other too.

- Talking about your experiences and sharing tips is great for encouragement, it can give you more confidence and give you new ideas to try.

- You may be surprised to find your little one is prepared to try things with others that they wouldn’t try with you!

Disclamer: the above information was provided by Organix.

L eats- Cow & Gate Friends range

Introducing veggies to children can be tricky! But now thanks to Cow & Gate's newest range Friends, parents can breathe a sigh of relief. 

Babies are often more receptive to the sweet tastes of fruit rather than bitter tasting vegetables. But, the earlier and more frequently babies are exposed to a variety of vegetable flavours during weaning, the more likely they will learn to accept them.

Friends begins with the starter pack, including four single vegetable varieties allowing parents to introduce a variety of distinct vegetable tastes in the early stages of weaning:

 

Cauliflower

A surprisingly good flavoured pouch.. good taste and L was uncertain to begin with but the flavour seemed to grow on her. A major cauliflower taste to it (obviously), but a quite surprising pure taste to it.. definitely a second best behind the broccoli pouch.

Pea

Now I am not a big fan of peas (I am sure a lot of you can relate to that) and I do not think L is either.. she clearly did not like the flavour as a lot of it did not end up in her tummy, but instead on her hands, bib and clothes. However as with all of my flavour reviews, this is a personal preference and your baby maybe love the flavour.. in simple terms, after a quick taste the answer was 'not for me or L'.

Carrot

I personally have never been a big fan of boiled carrots and therefore did not expect too much from the flavour (other than the overpowering flavour of carrot). But the flavour was ok (carroty – if that is even a word).. but other than my thoughts on the vegetable, the puree was rather watery and did not lack the kind of consistency you get from a carrot or even a carrot soup, perhaps a more thicker puree would be better.

Broccoli

A lovely puree in general, L loved it and seemed to enjoy the flavour. It was a little bit watery but similar to all the puree's, I tried it and really did enjoy it. Nice broccoli taste and does exactly what it says on the pouch, no complains about this flavour. One of the best flavours so far..

As baby begins to enjoy and recognise the single vegetable tastes, the Friends range expands to vegetable varieties with flavour combinations including cheese, pasta and chicken. 

Cauliflower, potato and cheese

                                      
This puree had a good consistency and L was able to eat it. It took her a little while to get used to the puree. I have tasted it myself (as I am self confessed baby puree lover) and I must say I couldn't taste much apart from the cauliflower.

Broccoli, potato and chicken

                                      
Now I will not lie, I was particularly looking forward to this flavour as L has not had a taste of meat yet, so the chicken aspect I was interested in. L took to it quite well, the ingredients were purified well without any massive chunks, which helped as L seems to be gagging on large pieces at the moment. As with a previous pouch I couldn't taste chicken or potato as the broccoli was way too overpowering.

Carrot, potato and beef

This pouch wasn't L's favourite due to it having a carroty taste, but I hope we will improve it at some point.

Positive points regarding general appearance:

• All of purees are purified which means them easier for L to eat
• The Cow & Gate branding stands out and the vegetable character idea is excellent, especially the phone app interaction. The packaging is also very good with an easy to squeeze re-sealable pouch and a cap to cover for later
• There are a good variety of flavours, and made with no added salt, sugar, additives or preservatives
• Size of purees are good. I received two sizes, small sachets for starter feeds and larger for developed eaters

Negatives:

• It would be more ideal if you could refrigerate for more than 24 hours
• Not available yet from major supermarkets

Flavours:

Available in Starter Pack (My First Spoon) inclusive of all flavours, RRP £2.79 at Ocado:

o Carrot

o Broccoli

o Peas

o Cauliflower

Single pouches available for 'discover' stage, single pouch RRP £0.95 available at Ocado:

o Carrot, beef, potato

o Broccoli, chicken, potato

o Peas, sweetcorn, potato

o Cauliflower, cheese, potato

Single pouches available for 'explorer' stage, single pouch RRP £1.29 available at Ocado:

o Carrot, beef, tomato, pasta

o Broccoli, chicken, rice

o Peas, fish, potato

o Cauliflower, pasta, cheese

Single pouches available for 'friends forever' stage, single pouch RRP £1.79 available at Ocado:

o Carrot, lentil, ham

o Broccoli, cheese, pasta

o Peas, potato, sole fish

o Cauliflower, potato, beef

Now for the very cool bit, meet the vegetable characters (as mentioned above):

                        

Claire Carrot, Chris Cauliflower, Bella Broccoli and Peter Pea

Disclaimer: I was sent the above items for the purpose of this review. All thought and opinions are my own.