Category Archives: Weaning and eating

Weaning and eating in babies and toddlers

Packed lunches for parents who have better things to do

01 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Recipes, Weaning and eating

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When my daughter started pre-school last September the thing she was most excited about was her lunch. Ironically, this was also the thing I was least excited about. Making a packed lunch regularly was never going to make it to the top of my list of favourite things to do with my time.

pre-school

This is her this time last year, on her first day at pre-school. The night before I’d made her a packed lunch to take with her. It was my first foray into the realm of lunchboxes and it’s fair to say I didn’t enjoy making it. Call me a bad mother, but I think there are SO many things more exciting than putting together a packed lunch. Continue reading »

Win a selection of toddler snacks worth £50!

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Baby and toddler products, Weaning and eating

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Kiddylicious

When it comes to food and kids, you just can’t win. Well, that’s my experience anyway. Despite having a good healthy diet and doing most of our cooking from scratch, my three year old will always ask for chocolate when I collect her from pre-school. Without fail. “Mummy, I want chocolate now. Mummy, can I have sweeties?” I must admit, I occasionally give in to the whining (I’m a big believer in picking your battles wisely) but will often try and distract the requests with an offering of fruit.

The thing is, sometimes (OK – often) kids don’t want “healthy fruit”. They want “tasty chocolate”. Just like adults, they want a treat, something that’s a bit special and naughty. That’s where the range of snacks from Kiddylicious come in. They tick both the “treat” and the “healthy” boxes. Continue reading »

My carrot’s bigger than yours

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Motherhood, Weaning and eating

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I’ve always looked on grow-your-own types with a mixture of admiration and annoyance.

On the one hand, I can appreciate the wholesomeness of tending to your own carrots. I fully approve of the thrifty savings that go with denying the supermarkets cash for their mass-produced lettuces. And teaching your kids about where veg comes from? Definite win there too.

But.  Continue reading »

My cure for feeling sorry for myself

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in Recipes, Weaning and eating

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Easy chicken noodle soupThe sun is shining, everyone’s enjoying themselves outside and I’m… ill.

I’ve been feeling sorry for myself all day today with blocked sinuses (ow) and a constantly streaming nose. Although I don’t remember my mum making me chicken noodle soup when I was poorly as a child, I do remember her making other soups. There’s nothing like the feeling of comfort from a homemade soup, even if it hasn’t been made by your mum.

Yesterday we had roast chicken with salad for tea. As I was feeling pretty rotten, I started off making a chicken soup for the following day, but ended up abandoning it in favour of my bed at 5.30pm. Continue reading »

An indoor picnic – how to keep a poorly toddler happy

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Play, Weaning and eating

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Frog is poorly. Not super poorly, or properly poorly or even poorly poorly, but poorly enough to miss two whole mornings of her beloved nursery. She has a (highly infectious) spot of eye-gunkiness, which she doesn’t seem to be hugely pleased about. So, in a bid to make my diva child smile yesterday, I took her to the supermarket. (She’s two, this is where she gets her thrills OK?)

Once at the supermarket, my toddler delighted in choosing some delicious treats for an indoor picnic. She perused the veg aisle and plumped for juicy red peppers with crisp cucumber. Her eyes wandered over the various types of coleslaw but she ignored them in favour of hummus and a pot of sour cream and chive dip.

We hurtled past the yoghurts and I really let her loose on the cheese. Usually we shop online or do the supermarket trip in a bit of a mad rush, so it was sweet to see her relishing the opportunity to take her choice so seriously. Eventually (I’ll admit, my super mum patience was wearing thin by this point) she picked Applewood smoked cheddar and wensleydale with apricots. Her taste is (unfortunately) by no means cheap. Continue reading »

Staying happy with Gingerbread Men

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Seasonal, Weaning and eating

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Meet my first ever Gingerbread Man:

He’s wonky and he has one leg that’s more of a spodge than a limb, but he’s full of joy and happiness. And he tasted delicious.

Oh, and he’s not actually made of ginger, because I realised too late that we’d run out. I suppose he’d better be called a Mixed Spice and Cinnamon Man, but that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Continue reading »

Toddler-led weaning, or “let her eat what she wants”

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Weaning and eating

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This time last year we were up and rolling on the whole Baby-led Weaning ride.

With a baby with a history of refusing to let anyone put anything in her mouth (seriously, no Calpol unless she was holding the spoon – and certainly no bottle) I dreaded the thought of weaning.

Baby-led weaning sounded like a far more fun – if messy – approach. One that wouldn’t see me suffer a nervous breakdown anyway.

I was very enthusiastic. I saw my baby eat cool stuff. Proper food. It was a bit weird and that was why I loved it. I wrote articles about it. I interviewed the Baby-led Weaning gurus on more than one occasion. I was a total convert.

And here I am, with a two year old child who has fads. Continue reading »

On renaming food

24 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Weaning and eating

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Picture the scene. It’s a beautifully hot evening. Myself, Frog and the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine are enjoying an al fresco supper of homemade spaghetti bolognaise.

Frog discards her spoon and rams her tiny fingers into the middle of her plate.

After much rummaging, she proudly brings forth a piece of pepper.

And the conversation goes thus: Continue reading »

The trendiest plates you’ll ever find for a toddler

02 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in Weaning and eating

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Brother Max gorgeousness

This is the latest offering from one of my favourite baby and toddler ware designers, Brother Max. The exceptionally trendy (far too trendy to be just for children, I might add) easy-hold plates and easy-hold 2-in-1 snack pot.

I have a thing about quirky stuff. Ever since I started my blog and started searching for products online, I realised that gorgeous baby and toddler products do exist. And stuff doesn’t necessarily have to be pink for girls, blue for boys or cream to represent neutrality. It also doesn’t have to feature pictures of teddy bears or fairies or cars. Continue reading »