Oh yes you will. Even if you aren't yet at the (blissful) stage of being able to give your baby food directly from your plate, it's a good idea to show willing by eating some of the food you are giving them. And, by the way, looking as if you are enjoying it.
This has its limits, of course. Thanks to my Aunt Eileen's tried-and-tested method of cooking carrots (an easy enough recipe, simply boil for three days and serve at a clammy temperature) I cannot stomach the things. Luckily, the baby doesn't know that I am eating raw carrot while she is tucking into some lightly steamed ones.
You'll Be Eating a Lot of Veggies, Then.
Green Beans
Top and tail them then steam them over boiling water for about 4-5 minutes. Leave to cool or run under cold water. Try one yourself to check that they're not too hot inside then give one to your baby. So cute, what normally happens with my bub is she chews the outside until it goes kinda stringy and sooks the beans out of the inside. Too gorgeous. And hardly any mess, hurrah!
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Buying a Highchair
…doesn't really matter which one you get, so long as you can stand it in the shower or bath and hose it down when it gets unbelievably filthy. Because it will.
Oh, and try to make sure the tray has a lip on it round the edge. Seems terribly obvious to me but we were in a cafe today and the highchair tray was completely flat, so the baby just nonchalantly flicked everything onto the ground. It was an East Coast one, very stylish, like a tribute to (rip-off version of?) the Stokke Tripp-Trapp. We had considered buying it but am very, very glad that we went for el cheapo white plastic Ikea one now.
Please see Finger Food: Broccoli.
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Broccoli
Cut your broccoli up to make 'trees', but not too small. It's best, I have found, to leave as much of the stalk as possible to be used as a handle, but if you think that it makes the 'tree' part too big then slice up through the stalk to half or even quarter it lengthways.
Steam your broccoli over some boiling water for 6-7 minutes then leave to cool (or run under cold water if you are in a hurry, but remember that if you feel it's too hard still that this will stop the cooking process).
Give it to your child and if they are good and clever they will hold it by the 'handle' and eat the 'tree'. My child resolutely refuses to do anything but dig her fingers into the branches of the tree part and chew on the stalk, which causes the top part to disintegrate in the most alarming fashion and to fly across the room. It goes EVERYWHERE. You know those chubby little folds of fat that you love to tickle? In there. And that beautiful, expensive high chair* you bought? In every seam of the the fabric seat, every hinge, every corner. Broccoli, my friends, is very much a pre-bathtime vegetable. But delicious and healthy and oh-so enjoyable for the babies.
*Please see Top Tips on buying a highchair.
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Try Not to Clean
No really. Obviously it's a good idea to clean up after your baby has eaten, unless you fancy a wee visit from the Environmental Health, but try not to do it during their meal. Why? Well, how stressful do you find it when you're out for a meal and the waiter is too attentive?
So try to ignore the mess, in fact try to revel in it. It's hilarious. It's good for them – that mess is teaching them that dinner time isn't stressful, it's enjoyable. And once your baby is finished you can just dip their hands and feet in the bathroom sink for a wash and a face splash while their father gets busy at the highchair with a selection of anti-bacterial wipes. Well, maybe.
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Put Something on the Floor
I've seen people recommend putting a shower curtain down, which seems a
bit of a faff to me but might work for some. You can also buy a plastic
sheet for £3.95 on ebay. £3.95! For a plastic sheet, for god's sake.
Plus postage, naturally.
I'd like to get a nice piece of lino,
probably about a metre by a metre but I haven't got that organised yet
so at the moment I'm making do with some old washable wallpaper that I
found lying about my gaff. It's working rather well, I must say. And
when I say washable, I mean silk-backed, 80 quid a metre, la-di-dah.
It's not mine… if only.
Anyway, something is better than
nothing. We've got floorboards, it was a flippin' nightmare trying to
get bits of cheese out of the cracks. As the actress said to the bishop…
PS A rather charming woman called Nell has just left a comment to suggest putting a newspaper down on the floor so that when it gets splattered you can just wheech off the top layer. It's a good idea, and as soon as I work out how to show the comments under the posts you will all be able to see it without clicking anything. Any ideas as to how I do this? Anyone?
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Mashed Banana on Toast
ok so not really a recipe as
such but she loves this – it is rather messy though , so for days when you
are feeling really strong!
Ingredients
2 slices of toast
1 mashed banana
Directions
Spread mashed
banana over toasted bread , slice into soldiers, hand to baby stand back …
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Courgette
Wash, chop into pieces about two inches long and then slice the pieces into wedges. Remove the seeds if you like. I don't tend to, it depends how fresh and young you think the courgette is (and how fresh and young you are feeling at that particular moment).
Really handy to take out with you as they don't make much mess, not a great deal gets eaten but the babies enjoy sucking and chewing on the sticks and it seems to help their teeth.
I have also given my baby some steamed courgette, which she enjoyed and a lot more went in, although if I'm honest she likes it best lightly fried in butter. Just like her parents…
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