June 07 - superheroes, united in the fight against crime, pollution, nastiness ... and the battle of the bulge!

[riabutterflew]

I'm getting really confused with all the name changes

maybe they have derlor with them

No, BZ, spectator only!

how is it going Faylisa?

TA's birthday tomorrow isn't it?

Bet Holly's got the boys there - she might be on later I'm guessing.

Faylisa, pah to RL! stay here. its safe, warm and cosy.

It's going really quite well actually - he seems to love it - mouth wide open for the spoon and gulps it down. Am starting very slowly, just a few small spoonfuls when DD has her tea. I know I've started really early but he's been drooling at DD's food and making grabs at it for weeks now.

I am using the Hipp Organic First Tastes jars and powdered baby rice for the first couple of weeks, when he's only haveing a couple of spoons, as they are so easy for tiny amounts. Once he starts eating a bit more I shall be getting out my ice cube trays and blender and filling my freezer with multi-coloured ice cubes once again. I will be more careful to label better this time as DD ended up with a few odd taste combinations last time as I would defrost a couple of different ones together and mix them - apple and broccoli anyone? or how about banana and butternut?

Faylisa - how old is your LO now? I cooked loads of veg today for our roast and will puree and put in the freezer. What size portions shall I do....I haven't even started weaning yet....but want to...is that wrong?

Ah x-post...ice cube trays then....

He is 17 weeks (I think.... born 10th June).

I always freeze the veg in ice cube trays then once frozen I pop them out into plstic food bags and freeze them. At first you'll just need one cube at a time, and you can mix it with cooled boiled water and formula or some baby rice if you want to.

Best to start them on one flavour at a time but but as they eat more you can combine vegetables and use multiple cubes. I also used to use the frozen cubes with pureed chicken or fish, etc once weaning was well under way.

Whether it is the right thing to do is, I suppose, a matter of opinion. I firmly believe that it is the right thing for us as he is definitely hungry, doesn't have the reflex that makes him push all food out and doesn't seem satisfied with just formula any more. Also he is opening his mouth for the food.

Personally I think that there is only so much liquid that they can drink but I appreciate that all babies are different and, in particluar, it is different if you are bf as the 'richness' of bm adjusts over time whereas formula obviously stays the same.

I recommend these. I found they got through cubes too quickly, once they are eating 3 or 4. I use them still for single portions of mash, sauce etc.

tbh I have decided am too lazy to puree, hence blw for us although I might regret saying that when I have a 20lb 5 monther permanantly attached to my norks

Also, my Ds is a 17lb+ bruiser...!

the blw research by Gill Rapley was done on bf babies but she does say on aitch's blog that she thinks it would work for ff babies too she just cannot make that claim as her sample was only bf babies

LOL at unlabelled food. A friend of ours used to be given LOADS of food whenever he went home to visit his parents. His mum ran a shop selling pies and stuff and gave leftovers to the family. But some of it was always unlabelled by the time it had come from the shop back to hers and then been passed on and travelled home with him and then been in the freezer for some weeks or months. When it was eventually eaten they had to guess if they needed gravy or custard to go with it.

oh no - Lakeland xmas stuff.

My favourite!

I didn't find pureeing a problem at all tbh. I'd just have a session of steaming veg every few weeks and freeze bags of cubes which would last me three weeks or so. Also if I cooked too much veg for dinner then I;d whizz that up. I bought one of those hand held whizzy stick things.

(shh don't tell anyone but I also used a fair few jars as well, especially if we were out and about).

I've had a message from tallulah on facebook....she has broken her finger, poor thing.

That explains her absence!

Mum says I used to get whatever the family was eating, blended up with plenty of gravy. What food do I now DETEST? Yes, that's right it's gravy. Whether this is coincidence or not I'm not sure, but be warned when you prepare food for your LOs.

1st time round I spent hours peeling, steaming and mouli-ing organic fruit & veg. by 3rd time it was a case of blending whatever was for dinner. This one will probably be enjoying a mushed fish-supper from the chippy by 7 months!

now, I am going to go and apply myself to that lakeland website! goodnight all x

those hand held whizzers are fab.

I used jars as well with DS.....but inly Hipp or Boots organic. The Boots ones are quite nice recipes.

But, for those earth mother types amongst us, Annabel Karmel books are good.

I've purloined DHs laptop so I'm no longer banished to the dark reaches of our back room (the overhead light is kaput).

get well soon Tallulah

I was speaking to a childminder at toddler group last week who said that the 6 month old that she minds gets a puree of whatever his family are having including lentil curry, pizza, etc! Have also herad a tale of a family who were told by hv to give their lo 'some of what you eat' - the next week they told her that he'd had pureed fish and chips! Bleugh!!!! I think I will stick with fruit, veg and cereal for now.....

Thanks Faylisa ...really useful. I always cook loads of veg on a Sunday (always steam) so should be no problems for me...pots look good as well Foxy, thanks

Don't I have to keep away from gravy cos of salt?

faylisa...it's your go at scrabble!

i have done the request a catalogue thing. my ultimate treat in the run-up to xmas shopping is a nice hot bath, a cold glass of wine and the lakeland xmas catalogue.

i nearly worked for them when we lived there, but i picked hawkshead countrywear instead - cheaper cos I don't do new clothes, but i love unnecessary gadgets!

I think the main thing to remember is not to add salt or stock cubes to the water if you are cooking anything for lo's as their kidneys really can't handle it

The number of jars in the supermarket is totally bewildering for a first-timer such as me.....worse than formula!