Couple of questions

Hello All,

Hope you are all okay and enjoying this sunny day.

I have a couple of questions which you may be able to help me with...

Emily is just over 7 months and we have been on pureed veg / fruit / baby rice and porridge for approx 3 months now. She loves fruit, porridge and baby rice and used to eat pureed veg (not as readily as fruit though). The HV has advised me to introduce meat and fish now to her diet. I made the Annabel Karmel chicken, carrot and apple which Emily did eat, after a few attempts. I am now trying to introduce fish and other chicken dishes (confess I am using Ella's Kitchen and Hipps Jars at the mo) but she really does not like the strong flavours and I am trying to mix some with her pureed veg but now even this is causing a problem. She is still not eating my cauliflour cheese even after 3 attempts and I am running out of options. I know that I need to get protein into her diet but if she won't eat this ingredients then I am stuck. I cannot rely on sweet potato all the time. Do I put a handful of finger foods on her tray in the highchair hoping she will try and eat something?

Also, another thing - I am trying to organise Emily's Christening. The plan is to have the lunch / buffet bit in a function room in a pub but I am struggling to find something that is a reasonable price. I live in Hampshire and everywhere is charging £15 per head for finger buffet food. Mark says I should haggle to get the price down but I am too much of a coward to do this but I cannot believe that a few items can cost this much?? I don't want it at our house as it is too small for 20 adults and 13 young children and don't want the worry of tidying beforehand and cleaning after and ensuring everyone has a drink etc etc.....

Looks like the lunch will cost us approx £500 - what has everyone else done...... am I being unrealistic expecting to pay £7 per head for food??

Other than that all is good, Emily is doing well and is very wriggly and fidgety, she would rather stand (me holding her) than sitting down and still no crawling but when she sits she leans forward and launches herself so perhaps this is the first stage...?? No teeth yet either!

Thanks Girls,
Love
Natalie & Emily xxxx

My girl

eats everything, shes hilarious lol. But there is something I have found, and that is that she really likes to see the food herself and get her hands in it. Shes 6.5 months now and i can leave her feed herself obviously im watching her like a hawk to be sure she doesnt choke, and admittedly she does pick up a handful and drop the majority of it on the floor! but shes amazing at feeding herself, shes been on solids a while now. We started off with baby foods like the baby rice but shes been on proper solids for a couple of weeks. I tried the mashed veg, mashed potato and it was a disaster, she hated it and would just gag scream and spit it out. So we decided to try finger foods and its been great. I chop all foods up into swallowable pieces and she loves it, has everything chicken beef, veg.
Another thing i noticed just yesterday if I try and feed her from a spoon or from a fork she just refuses, she had some vegetable soup yesterday and she refused to eat it at all, when i picked some of the chunkier pieces from the bowl and used my hands, she ate it. Dont know if thts just me lol but she readily eats from my hands but not from her spoon. Although she does eat yoghurts from a spoon!

I have the same, CC loves to stand up shes strong, she can hold herself up holding onto the sofa pretty well, she doesnt walk in the walker, still a bit short, but the way she crawls is kind of hilarious lol, instead of on her hands and knees shes on her tip toes and fingers. And nope not a tooth in sight but she has some that are really bothering her hope they pop out soon.

Hi natalie

Keegan didnt care much for cauliflower and cheese nor fish or red meat until he was 91/2 months old. And to be honest - didnt let it worry me. I think if I had tried to force more of these foods on him earlier I wouldnt have such an easy eater now.

There are loads of foods full of protein that she can feed herself which will probably be easier and maybe even encourage her curiosity in foods.

I cut up cheese for Keegan all the time. I also vary pasta stars (the heinz baby ones) and macaroni so he isnt always having potatoe and there is always toasted sandwiches (cheese and tuna ones are good) which I used to cut up into tiny little squares and Keegan used to feed himself or take it out of my hand. I also make my own meatballs which is a great fingerfood!

I also used Ella's kitchen and hipp till he was about 8 months old and he never took to the stage 2 Ella.

Cant help with the christening Im afraid but good luck with it all.

XX