I had all of these grand plans for my blog for maternity leave but Dylan is now over 3 months old and it's only now that I'm finding time to start a routine with blogging and vlogging. Tuesday is Ethan's nursery day so I am now using that day to catch up on writing posts or editing vlogs while Dylan is happy kicking on his mat beside me. 

Now, one thing I am particular about is feeding my family a well balanced diet and touch wood Ethan is a fairly good eater. It will be interesting to see how Dylan reacts to food when we start weaning him in December. A few weeks ago the lovely folks at Baby Led Spreads got in touch wanting to know if we wanted to try out their new spreads. As much as I enjoy cooking from scratch, using pouches or the odd golden breadcrumb dish from the oven isn't the end of the world. 

For the most part we eat together as a family but on a Friday or Saturday night Tom and I like to order a cheeky takeaway or cook a nice steak dinner after the boys are in bed. On these occasions Ethan will eat separately from us earlier in the evening where I usually give him a little pizza or a picnic plate style of dinner. 

I was sent two packs of Baby Led Spreads and I've set one pack aside to use for Dylan when we start weaning in a few months. I tested out the other three jars with Ethan in a variety of ways. First up we tried the Green Pea, Rocket & Dill mixed in with some pasta for a simple lunch. He loved helping me make it and demolished over half of the bowl. Ethan's not great at lunch time as he often doesn't have a large appetite or is too tired and needs his nap so I was pleased with how much he ate.

Finally we tried the Carrot, Apple and Hummus spread with some crackers as a post nap snack. Once again Ethan tucked into it with gusto leaving very little on his plate. He demolished it so quickly that I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of him eating it.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with these spreads. They are an ideal size for little appetites (meaning minimal waste) and the glass jar is perfect for recycling. Ethan enjoyed helping me cook with them and I liked that I was exposing him to more new flavours in a quick and easy way. Let's be honest, as busy parents we don't have the time to spend steaming and pureeing but with these spreads I can store them in the cupboard and reach for them when time is short, rest assured that I'm feeding my little men food that is nutritious and not loaded with hidden salt and sugar.

I can't wait to see what Dylan thinks of them when we start weaning.

To find out more about Baby Led Spreads please click here.

***Product sent for review, all opinions are my own.***

Being a working mum is hard. I feel like I'm constantly spinning lots of plates - have I achieved my to do list in work/is the house clean/has the laundry been done/when will we do the food shop/are the enough nappies and snacks in for Ethan?? The list goes on and on...

Tom works longer hours than me and often works at home too so I find myself taking on more of the household responsibilities although he does do all of the DIY, bins and car maintenance. 

Anyway, I digress.... One thing I find myself having to keep a closer eye on now we have Ethan is food and making sure we always have something healthy that he can munch on. Usually by the time Friday rolls around (my day off) we are fairly low on fresh food and need to do a grocery shop but the little man needs to eat. I don't like the idea of him living off crackers or rice cakes and this is where savoury muffins come to the rescue. Packed full of veggies, these delicious snacks have a few simple ingredients that are ideal for little tummies.

Even better, once they are baked and cooled they can be placed in a zip lock bag or tupperware tub and popped in the freezer. Just take out however many you need a few hours in advance and leave on the side to defrost. There has been many a Friday when I've congratulated my past self for filling the freezer with toddler snacks such as these muffins or pinwheels.

It was actually my friend Sara that gave me the recipe but I've no idea of it's origin. It so adaptable though, you could easily add some peas, sweetcorn or diced carrot for added nutrition.

Cheesy Courgette Muffins

187g SR Flour

250g grated cheddar

1 tbsp parmesan

1/4 tsp mixed herbs

Half a courgette, grated

187ml milk

1 egg, whisked

Preheat the oven to 160C (fan)

Line a 12 hole muffin tin

Place the grated courgette in a tea towel and squeeze out the excess water

Mix the flour, cheese, herbs and courgette together

Stir in the milk and beaten egg

Divide between the 12 muffin cases

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean

Enjoy!

When the lovely folks at Tesco Baby Club got in touch wanting to know if we wanted to review some Kiddylicious snacks I jumped at it. I had seen them in some of my friend's changing bags but as yet we hadn't tried them. I only even buy Asda or Aldi's own brand of baby snacks so I was intrigued to see if a leading brand were on par or better than the supermarket's own range.

It can be difficult to give healthy snacks when you are out and about especially if you're like me and forget to pack the fruit (every time!) but the Kiddylicious range are perfectly sized to keep in your changing bag and whip out when needed. They have no added sugar and have no artificial nasties so are ideal for those sensitive little tummies. They are also ideal if you want to encourage self feeding and dissolve in the mouth easily therefore reducing the risk of choking (that was my biggest fear when I started weaning Ethan).

Thanks to Kiddylicious and Tesco Baby Club for allowing us to review these fab little snacks, I'll definitely buy more of the wafers in the future.

*Products sent for review but all thoughts are my own*

Even though I mainly cook from scratch I have used the Ella's Kitchen pouches and the Organix snack bars but they are expensive and I can't afford to be buying them all of the time. It's good to know I have snacks in the freezer that I can pop in a tupperware pot before we head out and they will be defrosted by the time Ethan is ready for something to eat.

I'll warn you though, these are very very moreish and you "may" just have to eat one (cough 3 cough) to make sure they are suitable for your little person.

Cheese and Tomato Pinwheels

1 x pack of Ready Rolled Puff Pastry

Tomato Puree

Grated Cheese

1 x beaten egg

• Preheat the oven to 160C (fan)
• Unroll the sheet of pastry
• Spread over a generous amount of tomato puree
• Sprinkle over the cheese
• Roll up tightly
• Slice 2cm thick rolls and place them swirl side up on a baking sheet
• Brush with the beaten egg
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until golden brown
• Leave to cool and enjoy

If you wish to freeze these let them cool completely and pop in a zip lock freezer bag.

He's just over 5.5 months now or 25 weeks and in the past few weeks he has shown all the signs that he is ready to start eating food. I was adamant that I wanted to wait until 6 months but I'm also a great believer in following a baby's lead and if he's physically reaching out to grab food off my plate and eat it I think he's ready. 

I, on the other hand am not.

After overcoming a few struggles at the start we have mastered breastfeeding and I feel sad that he will no longer be dependent on me as his sole source of nutrition. We have also reached the stage of it being easy - just whip the boob out and that boy knows what to do. Milk is there on tap, no planning is needed. If we want to stay out all day all we need to make sure is that we have enough nappies but now I'm going to have to think about food and snacks too.

The concept of Baby Led Weaning really appeals to both us of and if I'm honest I can't be bothered to puree a load of food that may or may not end up on the floor. I also like the idea that it teaches babies to chew before they can swallow compared to traditional weaning where solids are introduced after the puree stage.

We've started offering Ethan a few little bits and pieces of our plates and he's loved it. It also means we can eat meals in peace as I plonk him in the highchair and he has food to play with. He gets that it goes in his mouth but then he spits it out most of the time as he hasn't quite realised that he needs to swallow it.

Both myself and Mr T love our food and we want to instill a love of food in Ethan too. I want him to see how food is made, teach him to cook (and bake of course!) and see food as something to be enjoyed, not just fuel for our body. I'll hold off on the sugar for as long as possible, we aren't saying no to sugar but he won't miss what he hasn't had. There is plenty of time for sweet treats in the future.

As exciting as the whole process is, I feel nervous about it too. my biggest fear is choking but from what I have read as long as the food isn't the same diameter as the windpipe then the baby will be fine. Also if they cough it means they are clearing their throat, I only need to worry when he can't cough as that means something might be lodged in the throat eep!

We went to Asda last week to get a few snacks and some emergency pouches to keep in the changing bag if we are caught short when out and about and Ethan needs to eat. I stood staring at all the food for ages - there were biscuits, crisps, rice cakes, smooth purees, lumpy purees, ready meals, baby alternatives of adult food, Ella's Kitchen, Hipp Organic, Heinz, Organix - the list goes on and on. In the end Mr T suggested I pick a few things at random and see how we get on with it. Also how expensive is it?? Pouches are just for emergencies, I don't know how people afford to use them every day.

I also stocked up on some new tupperware and had far too much fun choosing little pots to fill with food for Ethan to eat when we are out and about. I'm actually really excited about filling them with healthy snacks that I hope he will enjoy.

I've never been great with veg but I'm hoping the weaning process will open my eyes to new foods and new ways of cooking. I said to Mr T we can't buy chocolate and fizzy drinks as often now as we don't want Ethan reaching out for them. I want him to see us making healthy choices regarding food and in turn have a positive attitude to mealtimes and what he chooses to eat.

We are away this weekend so the plan is to create a baby friendly meal plan when we get back and offer Ethan food every time we eat. I'm thinking porridge or weetabix might be good for a first breakfast, some finger foods for lunch and a stir fry for dinner as he can easily hold the meat and veg pieces. Mr T isn't back to work until the 5th so it's a good time to start and he can be involved instead of missing out on all of these first tastes.

Maybe he will crack it instantly or maybe it will take a month or two before he starts eating solids and dropping milk feeds. We will follow his lead and see how it goes. I'll post another update when weaning is well under way and let you know how we get on.

The IKEA highchair has been purchased, we have more bibs than we know what to do with and I've a dustpan at the ready.

Let the weaning commence...