Weaning for a Flavour Packed Christmas
Christmas is the time when families from young to old eat, drink and have fun together. But if you’ve got a little one at the complementary feeding stage, you may have the added worry of making sure they feel part of the action and can join everyone else feasting at the table. Especially when you want to give their precious little tummies the very best.
“Inspire their curiosity - let them touch and play with all the food prior to eating”
As we all know, the first 1,000 days of a baby's life are key to developing their appreciation of nutritious and healthy tasting foods. And there’s overwhelming evidence to show that if our little ones’ palates are nurtured well, they will naturally learn to love what’s best for them and their tummies. Weaning isn’t just about fuelling a baby’s physical growth; it’s about introducing them to the wonderful world of shapes, textures, smells and tastes.
So to help parents to wean this Christmas, Organix has come up with some top tips and inspiration to take the strain away, and ensure happy festive food times for even the smallest member of the family:
If Christmas is going to be the time of first tastes and if the time is right and your baby is ready, start solid weaning a few days before Christmas, to ensure your baby isn’t too overwhelmed on the big day
Encourage your little one to embrace the wonder that is food at Christmas. Most of a Christmas roast can be baby weaning friendly. Avoid honey if they’re under one, and also salty items such as pigs in blankets but many of the other elements make for perfect weaning foods - especially those beautiful vegetables, but be careful of some textures such as crispy roast potatoes
Depending on what stage of weaning they’re at, you can either blend to puree or cut them into batons or strips as a finger food to help
Inspire their curiosity - let them touch and play with all the food prior to eating
Meat should also be blended in the early stages of complementary feeding, as it can be a challenging texture, but if turkey is not going to appeal, why not try a Lentil Roast? Check out ours here
Weaning is not a free for all - keep a watchful eye out for family members feeding your baby on the crisps, chocolate, nuts and similar types of foods high in salt and sugar that abound at this time of year. Also keep an eye out for choking hazards such as whole nuts
And whilst everyone else might be busy snacking on adult style crisps and dips, don’t think you baby needs to miss out! Flavour packed Organix Melty Veggie Sticks or Organix Melty Carrot Puffs are delicious finger foods made with the best organic ingredients, with no artificial colours or flavours and no added salt and ideal for dipping into a variety of yummy options. Why not try hummus or mashed avocado, both provide nutritious, lip smacking options to dip into?
Dessert doesn’t have to be a worry either, with fun fruit plates, or why not try this tasty recipe for a toddler-friendly Xmas pud.
And remember any leftover foods (as long as they have no added salt and/or sugar) can be used to make up babies’ meals later on during the week, by freezing it in ice cubes blocks and popping out and defrosting when ready
But most of all, remember that weaning should be fun! Need further inspiration? Why not try out some of these:
It takes less than ten minutes to prepare this super fun festive plate complete with bananas, raisins, apple, dried apricot, all topped off with a yummy Organix banana baby biscuit. Suitable for 10 months plus.
Suitable for babies over 7 months old, this fabulous festive tree contains carrot, cucumber, cooked red pepper, a few sweetcorn kernels, a scoop of hummus and three Organix Melty carrot puffs for dipping
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