Tell us your best weaning tips and recipes, please - for a chance to win £250 Kenwood products of your choice

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello. Kenwood have asked us to ask you for your best weaning tips and recipes.

We're looking for everything from great foods to start with to how to know when your baby's had enough and from what to look for in a highchair to how to splatterproof your kitchen (if that's even possible!)

We welcome tips from baby-led weaning veterans - and puree purists alike (and any mix-and-matchers, too!). And also tips about great foods/recipes your slightly older baby (7 months plus) might like moving onto once the early weaning days are over.

We'd also love you to post some simple weaning recipes. If you've got a great recipe that you've already loaded into the Weaning section of our Recipes pages, it's fine just to post the link to it on this thread.

Everyone who posts a tip or a recipe will be entered into a prize draw to win a selection of Kenwood products of their choice, worth up to £250.

Please note that Kenwood will be using a selection of your tips, comments, recipes and suggestions on a new Kenwood weaning microsite that is set to go live on Mumsnet at the start of June and in a booklet that is being published in conjunction with Emma's Diary in July and also in Newsgen, the NCT magazine. If you have any questions about this, please email [email protected]

Thank you - and good luck!

[LibertyLashes]

you can buy mesh bags for weaning and put fruit pieces in. LO can suck on the apple etc.. though the mesh and not choke on any lumps.

[SwingVoter]

Don't be afraid to let your older child try feeding your baby (under supervision obv) - my 5yr old has always been able to feed our baby without spilling a drop or spooning it into his ear (like I seem to) - he gazes at her adoringly rather than looking around everywhere and eats whatever she's offering!

[kiki725]

Let your child play with the food. Although this can be messy it will allow them to become more use to the idea of adult foods. also when it the supermarket ask them if there are any foods they would like, they will be more intrested to eat them if they chose to but them!

[victoria48]

I am very proud to say that my little boy never had any ready-made jarred baby food and that I made all his weaning food myself. Some of the easiest recipes are fruit based. Apples and pears can be poached in just a tiny bit of water or apple juice and then pureed.

[twannywun]

I would swear by rice cakes and nice pastes on top made of different veggies. Butternut squash is the favourite.

[sethstarkaddersmum]

If you have more than one child, don't expect them to behave in a similar way in relation to food - be prepared for them to like different foods and modes of eating! One child may take like a duck to purees and the next refuse to have a spoon anywhere near their mouth until they can wield it themself.

[lalamb]

I make sure I have a packet of baby wipes in every room - this makes sure they are always on hand if accidents, of any kind, happen.

If I want to give a treat I like to give broken up oat bars or raisins. They also make sure she gets enough fibre.

[becksydee]

i second the tips for the ikea antilop highchair & the tiny diner placemat

leave the skin on fruit (give it a wash first!) before giving it to your baby to eat, otherwise it slips through their fingers like a wet bar of soap. from about 7mo DS could strip the flesh off a slice of mango & spit out the skin.

lightly steamed chip-shaped chunks of veg are great if doing BLW. if you don't have a steamer you can make one by putting the veg in a colander, putting that over a small pan of boiling water & then putting a large pan lid on top of the colander.

take advantage of eating out by ordering the messiest food on the menu for your baby - you won't have to clear up the floor afterwards leave a decent tip if you feel at all guilty.

get some low salt stock cubes (boots do them in the baby section, or kallo do a very low salt stock cube) - then your baby can eat any stews, casseroles etc you cook.

sunny days are a good opportunity to get them practicing drinking out of an open cup outside, thereby minimising water damage to the inside of your house

[badgermum]

A great tip I was given when baby first starts to do it themselves is to get an old sheet or buy a cheap new one and place it on the floor beneath the highchair then when finished it can be popped into the washing machine saving a lot of mess and cleaning up.

[funtimewincies]

If using purees, buy a cheap little saucepan to use when just doing a little bit of fruit/veg for them. It saves your dc from the distressing experience of apple with a rather large hint of chilli .

In my defence, dh didn't think he should mention that he'd used the pan for one of his super-hot creations, which lingers on the pan for a few washes (m'lud)!

[xxxDIAxxx]

Add lumps to their food straightaway to avoid fussy eating later on. Serve the child the same as the rest of the family only pureed.

[nirroc]

My 2 kids loved sweet potato with a touch of cinnamon in. I had to stop myself from eating it too, mmmm

[Lilpickle08]

Remember that babies are only exploring food from around 6 months to a year, so it's not imperative that they eat every morsel of food you put in front of them. If they don't want the food, don't force it and don't get stressed about them not eating - tomorrow is another day!

[pipersky]

My fave weaning food (for slihtly older babies) is scambled egg with baked beans. My littl'un (10mths old now) loves it and can feed herself (make sure you thoroughly cooks and mash beans a little)

Not easy clean, but I have a little bath run and just pop her in afterwards

[arikel]

When your baby shows interest in feeding, encourage him to participate. It may be more messy but is important for him to get involved.

[thetoothfairy1]

My tip for weaning is to cook as normal for yourself and husband...and then to just take a few spoons of each of this food (or the elements of the dinner if eg a roast) and put into a baby blender till pureed (add a bit of milk or water if nec) and then feed that to baby. That way you are immediately giving them food that is 'normal' rather than just bits of carrot on its own etc. Also, you can then freeze up portions of the pureed mix to create ready meals eitheer for when you are out and about, or if you can't be bothered to cook one evening.

[katrinao]

I used to stick broccoli in mashed potatoes and tell ds that he was to eat up the whole forest. He had great fun eating up all his 'trees'. He's 11 now and still likes me to do this!

[lisaell]

Put a waterproof tablecloth under the highchair so that any spills or splatter wont ruin your floor. Another good one is let your child see you using the dinner table and let them join you, they will associate it with interaction.

[poodledoodle]

I would say introduce new flavours by blending them with familiar ones. For example, if you want to introduce a new vegetable, take a small amount of that vegetable and blend it with a familiar puree.

[ali00713]

Strip then down to nappy & bib & serve bright coloured foods - then you can see where the good goes. It is not humanely possible to remove dried up mash, porridge etc. after 24 hours when you finally spot it

[pigtails21]

Give all babies what you eat (obviously making sure it's healthy)..we did this when we started weaning, and we've never had problems of fussy eating. L loves vegetables and thinks it's normal to eat fruit etc at snack time. It's great knowing we can take her anywhere to eat and brilliant getting compliments about how well she eats. I put this down to always eating proper food and never a jar..

[PhilandC2]

The best time to introduce solids to your baby is when you both are relaxed. There is not much point trying to introduce something new to a hungry and tired child! Never force feed your baby. He knows his appetite better than you do. If he refuses a food today, offer again after a few days. He may like it now :-)

[bizybee]

I use a pestal and morter style food tool to mash up baby food to the consistancy that we want it to be.

[twirlywhirly]

Babytec Spill Resistant No Spill Gyro Food Bowl

Invest in the new feeding bowl with the centre on a gyro excellent no mess,not even when the child knocks the bowl upside down.
I have so far only found the m on Amazon but a very good investment for less mess x