Plum Greek-style Yogurts.

When we started weaning with John, the thing I found the hardest to get hold of was yoghurt. Of course, there's literally hundreds to choose from but pretty much every yoghurt aimed at kids is loaded with sugar. Our Health Visitor's always recommended natural yoghurt with some fruit purée which is great; when you manage to find a tub of natural yoghurt that isn't low-fat nor like a bucket, & you actually have time to purée a variety of fruit, which when you've chosen to Baby-led Wean kinda defeats the purpose...

So when we were introduced to Plum Greek-style Yogurts for David, I was relieved! No more searching shops for yoghurt that isn't loaded with sugar and already has a bit of flavour to it. The lovely people at Plum sent David 3 flavours to try;
• Raspberry, Spinach & Greek-style Yogurt
• Mango, Carrot & Greek-style Yogurt
• Kale, Apple & Greek-style Yogurt

Like the other Plum products we've previously tried, I was a little dubious of the adventurous flavour combinations but since we've ended up impressed in the past, we dove in and gave them a go. The great thing about Plum is that they use quality organic ingredients and don't add any extra sugar or nasties, so you can rest assured these are much better for your wee one than other popular yoghurt's on the market.

Unfortunately, David disagreed. First impressions were not great. In fact, he spat it back out & started gagging... (oh dear :S) But knowing that it can take a baby up to 10-15 tries to realise they like a new flavour, we tried a few more spoonfuls & popped it in the fridge to try again at the next meal time. Another great plus of Plum pouches is that you can keep them in the fridge for 48 hours after opening.

Our next try with the Plum Greek-style Yogurt was a bit more successful (no gagging!) but David still didn't seem sold on them. By this point I decided to give them a try for myself, starting with the Mango & Carrot variety. I'd expected them to be similar to the Plum mighty4, in that despite the presence of vegetables, the main flavour was of that of the fruit, with only slight undertones of the chosen veg. However the Greek-style Yogurts had a much more obvious and slightly over-powering taste of the veg. So a yoghurt that I'd been expecting to taste of mango, in fact tasted of carrot, with only a slight mango after-taste. Not my idea of appetising, nor David's as it seems.

Now, that being said, I wouldn't not recommend Plum Greek-style Yogurts. As I say, they're definitely a welcome contender on the market of baby-aimed yoghurt's, however given that we Baby-led Wean and David already receives a shed-load of new flavours on a daily basis, I don't think they're the best choice for us. Perhaps a baby who is on purées and is struggling to take-to new, more savoury flavours would enjoy the taste of these particular yoghurt's.

So in the mean time, I'll continue to offer David natural yoghurt but instead of puréeing fruit myself, I'll opt for one of Plums Fruit Purées to save a little time & stress.

**We were sent these yoghurts for the purpose of this review. All thoughts & opinions are our own.**

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7 Months.

7 months is a bigger milestone than it seems. 7 months marks being closer to a 1 year old, instead of being closer to a newborn. It's as if within the past month, the little baby has suddenly gone & now it's all about marching rapidly towards being a toddler.

And with the rapid growth comes lots of new skills. Sitting is improving greatly but any sudden movements still leave him a little unsteady & likely to topple. Weaning is going amazingly, especially considering there's been a few lazy days on my part but this kid just loves food, with his favourites already being pizza, french toast & chicken. He's still the happiest baby I (& any stranger on the street) have ever met - smiles & laughter regardless of the weather! And possibly the biggest development is him starting to become mobile. I don't think he even realises it quite yet but he does some serious miles (ie. metres...) on the floor simply rolling, pivoting & flapping his limbs about!

Oh & he's discovered he has a willy too...


Bring on the next month!

Ordinary Moments.

It's been a while since I last posted a Ordinary Moment but I love this picture too much not to share. It's the epitome of an ordinary Sunday in our house. John pestering Daddy, whilst simultaneously stuffing his cheeks full of peaches. David just chilling out, munching his own peaches, followed by a few spoons of custard - in just a vest because, you know, it's Sunday! And then there's me on the the other side, snapping photos between tidying our bomb-sight of a house. Nothing special. Nothing exciting. Just ordinary.

For more everyday Ordinary Moments like this, follow us on Instagram - @amylorimer.

Happy Sunday,

Plum Little Yums.

Baby Led Weaning phase 2 has commenced! It's official, David is now on to solid foods. My heart is quietly breaking at the fact it's the first big leap in him no longer needing me (boo-hoo!) but I'm also loving the excitement & utter confusion from him as he gnaws away on new tastes & textures. We're big believers in Baby Led Weaning (BLW) so David will try a variety of foods that we have over the coming weeks & months. In the meantime however, we're testing the water with some nice easy foods like banana, mango, steamed carrots & Plum Little Yums Organic Nibbly Wafers.

I was sent a couple of boxes of Little Yums from the lovely people at Plum to see what we thought of them. They come in two flavour combinations, Pumpkin & Banana  and Spinach, Apple & Kale, which do seem rather odd but surprisingly work very well. In true BLW spirit of eating as a family, I obviously had to have a taste for myself! The Pumpkin & Banana have a nice subtle taste of banana and the Spinach, Apple & Kale of apple, without the sweetness that you'd usually expect from a biscuit aimed at wee ones (hello, rusks with more sugar than a chocolate digestive!) making them a very welcome competitor in the market.

Now for the important bit - what did David think of them? Food is still a fairly new concept to him so these were also met with the initial confusion, followed by amazement, with some hilarious faces thrown in for good measure. Seriously though, I was pretty impressed with how he took to them. Being early days, David's not yet swallowing a great deal of food, Little Yums however seem to be devoured in no time. They're the perfect first finger food as they are easy to hold, melt in the mouth and don't just crumble in wee ones hands. Mess is minimal too, which is always a bonus! Even John seems to enjoy them, choosing to steal them right from David's hands if he's not quick enough!

So my overall verdict? Plum Little Yums are definitely a hit in our house. I find myself handing one to David most days as I know they'll always go down well. And the fact they're individually wrapped in packets of 3 wafers means they're ideal for taking out & about, as well as keeping lovely & fresh once the box is open. At a RRP of £2.49 they're quite reasonably priced, especially given that there is a total of 18 wafers in each box (So that's less than 14p a wafer! Bargain!). Plus you get a 50p off voucher off your next Plum purchase in each box, meaning the next time you buy them you'll save even more!

**I was sent Plum Little Yums for the purpose of this review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.**
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Living Arrows 18/52.

Weaning is such fun! David had his first tastes of 'real' food this weekend and so far, he's really not been sure what to think! (Can you tell?) At the moment it's been pretty basic stuff like banana, mango & baby biscuits but this week I'm going to start introducing some more flavours & textures as well as dishing him up a small portion of whatever we're having for our own meals. Let the fun & mess! commence.

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Nom Nom! Why We Won't Be Early Weaning.

"You'll have no fingers left!" A phrase I seem to be saying to David numerous times a day at present. His poor little chubby hands are forever being gummed at. It also means I'm bombarded with, "is your Mummy not feeding you enough?" (since when was back handed comments such as that ever ok?) and the enquiries as to whether we've started weaning yet. In short, no, we haven't started weaning. And we won't for at least another month yet.

Generally, I'm pretty confident in my ability to feed my boys. Both were/will be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of their lives (continued until they self-wean) & both were/will be weaned onto solids following the method of Baby Led Weaning (BLW). So earlier this week when I was advised to start Early Weaning (ie. weaning before 6 months) with David - by a paediatric doctor no less - I was left feeling confused, deflated & in a bit of fluster as what to do. The 'reasoning' behind this advice was due to David's weight. When he was born, David hung around the 91st percentile on his weight charts but despite gaining weight continuously (even after birth & being ill in hospital), he's now dropped down between the 75th & 50th percentile. Now, don't be concerned! David is by no means underweight - he's still a chunk, now in 9-12 month clothes and he doubled his birth weight weeks ago.

Despite these facts, the doctor we saw said I shouldn't wait until 26 weeks to start weaning David. Instead, I should start him on some porridge, rice or puréed veg as soon as possible, in an attempt to up his weight back up the percentiles. I was taken aback from this advice. Being a big believer in BLW, I knew the benefits of holding out to 6 months to start weaning and all the pros of letting wee ones discover food for themselves. Alarm bells should have started ringing when the doctor then went on to criticise BLW, saying that wee ones never really managed to use a spoon and instead always eat with their fingers! Now to put that into perspective for you, last night I sat with John and the two of us enjoyed a bowl of soup together, followed by a yoghurt - not once did I touch his spoon & not once did he use his fingers (is it even possible to eat your soup with fingers?).

I left the hospital full of confusion. I knew that the advice was poor, wrong. I knew that breast milk was all a baby needed & that David was clearly gaining weight from that alone. I knew that any food he could have at 4 months old would be lacking in calories, therefore defeating the purpose intended. However, up until this doctor, I've been extremely fortunate. Never before have I been advised to top-up with formula, never before have I been advised against BLW, never before have I come across a Health Care Professional who isn't up to date on WHO Guidelines in any aspect of infant feeding. So I found myself doubting everything I knew.

After a bus journey home, full of self-questioning, I decided to pop into our local Mum & Baby group run by our Health Visitors. The second I mentioned the doctors advice to them, they too started to question what I'd been told. One look at David's weight percentiles and they said there was absolutely no need to start weaning. He was clearly gaining weight, which was obvious from his size alone, and being such an active baby he'll also be burning more calories than would keep him consistent with the 91st percentile. They even used the comparison of the old guidelines being to start weaning at 12 weeks or 12lbs, whichever came first, to make the point that this doctor seemed to be a bit out of touch with current weaning advice.

That was enough for me. I should have just trusted my gut but I'm so thankful to have such supportive & knowledgeable Health Visitors - something that I know many people don't have. However, the whole experience was a first for me & I'd be lying if I said it didn't concern me that someone in the position of advising parents on what's best for their child could be so out of touch on current advice & guidelines. And from what I've heard from a number of other Mums, it'd appear this isn't a one off in the world of parenting. But for now, I'll continue to be that annoying Mum who questions everything she'd advised and researches everything to death before making her own decision.

More Advice on Weaning.
Current NHS Guidelines & Advice
Baby Led Weaning
Kelly Mom Solid Food Resources

Why We Chose to Baby-led Wean.

(John at 6 months old enjoying some apple & banana.)

It seemed like we'd just got the hang of things; breastfeeding, sleeping routines, the newborn nappies, and then six months approached. During our six month visit with our Health Visitor she questioned my thoughts on weaning, asking if we'd started and what route we were going to take.

"I love the idea of Baby-led Weaning." 

In fact, I'd decided whilst still pregnant that we'd go down the route of Baby-led Weaning (BLW). To me it'd always made more sense than the 'conventional' ways of weaning with purées. Like all things in regards to parenting decisions I did vast research before deciding on my choice, looking at all the possible avenues and despite my initial apprehension I was amazed by the prospect of BLW - it just made so much sense!
The biggest statement that stood out to me was BLW teaches your baby to chew before they learn to swallow. Surely that makes sense to everyone & not just me?

Upon further research I found more sentiments, such as letting your child discover food for themselves, learning what's edible and how to hold & eat different textures of foods. It takes the stress out of feeding your baby because they're the one in control - you trust they know their own appetite and will eat when they're ready & actually hungry.

There was also the big factors of eating as a family and never needing to purchase baby food - & given my choice to breastfeed being based on cost, this was a big decider!
Of course, like all parenting choices that aren't the 'mainstream' I often find myself being challenged to defend my choice or encountering a lot of curious questioners...

(John at 7 months old self-feeding with porridge.)

What about choking? Babies can't handle solid foods, that's why you start with purées.
Ah yes, the most common question. Lets break it down a little.
When did purées become common practice? Well in actual fact they're the backlash of the elusive 4-hourly formula feeding that our Granny's will remember. Back in those days babies would start weaning at 4 months due to the fact they were starving from the regimented feeding schedules. And of course at 4 months a baby can't even sit up, never mind chew; cue puréed foods.
The reality is that babies don't 'eat' puréed foods, they simply suck them off the spoon; like they would if you put their milk on a spoon. So although you're filling your baby up, they're not really learning anything about eating.
Fast forward to the current day: Under current NHS guidelines, babies should start weaning at 6 months, once they can sit unaided. Being able to sit unaided straight away reduces the likelihood of choking. By also putting a baby in charge of what enters their mouth you also cut down the chances of choking as a baby's primal survival instinct (ie. the gag reflect) will protect them from forcefully choking themselves.
Some people - including BLW extraordinaire, Gill Rapley - believe that BLW is in fact less likely to result in a choking baby than if you feed purées.

How can a baby chew foods until they have teeth?
Ok, so this one really bothers me for a number of reasons.
1. The generalisation that babies should only be given chewable foods when they have teeth is nonsense: what about babies that are born with teeth (rare but it does happen)? And babies who cut their first teeth at only a few months old? Do you start them on solids before the six months guidelines?
2. Babies first teeth (incisors) are designed for biting, not chewing. Again, if you wait for these teeth to come through, when would you start weaning? Babies chewing teeth (molars) cut through at closer to 2 years old, so do you wait until then to move on from purées? Of course not.
3. It's not just babies that don't have teeth. I'm sure everyone has that grandparent who they'd visit and see their false teeth sitting in a glass of water. Elderly people do just fine chewing solid food without teeth so why would you expect that a baby can't?

Babies need more iron, nutrients, calories... etc. by 6 months. How can they get this if they're not eating lots of solids?
This question isn't so much to do with BLW but in fact is related to breastfeeding and formula propaganda.
Babies are born with a certain amount of iron stores that they build up whilst in the womb. These iron stores are designed to last a baby a minimum of 6 months, although some research suggests some babies iron stores will last through to their 1st Birthday. The whole idea of babies requiring more iron, alongside other additional nutrients, comes from formula companies adding extra 'benefits' to their product to try and convince parents their's is the best on the market. And seeing as most formula companies also sell baby food they continue this message on these products too.
BLW allows a baby to carry on getting the majority of their nutrients from their milk as per current NHS guidelines.

Babies can't eat X, Y & Z, can they?
Guidelines on what babies can and can't eat are always changing - this is to do with new research as opposed to confusing parents (although it often seems that way...). From peanuts, meat, certain fruits. The best advice I could give someone is to follow the current guidelines on this matter. The majority of the time these guidelines have been put in place to prevent allergies and do not reflect on what method of weaning you choose to undertake. Check with your Health Care Professional for more information.

(Did I mention the mess?)

What weaning method did you/will you use with your little ones?
What's your opinion on Baby-led Weaning?

Expectations vs. Reality

I'll admit it. Before becoming a mother, I was the perfect mother. My kids would never have dummies or bottles, they'd sleep through the night & nap on cue, never would they have tantrums in public, they'd always been clean and presentable and of course, they would never eat junk food.

But like most things in reality, parenting is very different to your plans expectations. John had a bottle on day 3 of his existence & a dummy by 3 months old, he still doesn't sleep through & refuses his naps more often than not, tantrums are becoming a regular thing and he's a typical little boy so it quite often sticky & snotty.

And today he tried his first jaffa cake.

No regrets, at all.

Sunday Humor.

"My spoon is too big!"

Family.

Yesterday we were invited to a BBQ at John’s Grandad’s.

We had a lovely day spent with family, including John’s only cousin, Sophie. The two of them had a great time playing at the park outside their Grandad’s garden but they are still a bit young to really want to play with each other. And Sophie is a bit of a shy girl and took a while to come out of her shell with so many people about. Fortunately the weather stayed quite nice with only a couple of brief showers but since Grandad has a little summer house and a gazebo, no one got wet.

The food was beautiful! Iain’s family seem to be naturals when it comes to cooking. John was very impressed with his first sausage, devouring it in no time at all. He also sampled some corn on the cob and salad. Have I told you how much I love this Baby Led Weaning malarkey?

Other End.

Today we bought John his high chair - cue the official start of weaning!

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve given him a few bits of banana, some apple and some carrot; so far he thought it was interesting, for all of 5 minutes & then he’d drop the food and move on to something more interesting.

Today, when he was in the high chair, weaning became a whole new game. He loved it! Mushing banana on the tray, skilfully trying to pick up bits of apple, laughing at Mummy and Daddy NOM-NOM-NOM-ing at him, and somehow ending up with banana in his hair, up his sleeve and in his trousers.

This is going to be fun!

As long as Daddy can get over the fact there WILL be mess.