I think we’ve been really lucky with Baby C when it comes to weaning. We’re already on stage 2 without much difficulty. He seems to love solid food, maybe a bit too much as he’s either grabbing food off our plate now or refusing milk! He definitely loved the taste of food over milk that’s for sure. One thing we’ve really tried to do is to get his palate used to savory flavours. We heard that once a baby has a sweet tooth there’s no going back.
The one thing I have struggled with is not feeling bad about feeding him ready-made baby food. I always worry that he isn’t getting the best and gets a bit bored. This new mummy stuff is hard. Well, the lovely people at HiPP Organic sent us some of their new savory jars to try out. They are suitable for stage 2 & 3 of weaning which is perfect. They are sent some lovely little goodies for Baby C to help us store his food away! (He takes up half the kitchen now!)
First up we tried green vegetables with cous cous and turkey. Sounds nice right? We haven’t had anything with cous cous in it yet and I think it’s a great alternative to rice. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen ANY baby food with cous cous in it. We also tried the beef and potato, which looked like a hearty lunch. There are a few key things I wanted to mention; especially now I’ve tried a range of foods I can compare more fairly.
Design
Baby C doesn’t care much about the design of the jar; he obviously just wants what’s inside! But the design can make a big difference to me and the HiPP jars are a little unique. They actually have a wider opening and if you compare it against another baby food jar you’ll really see the difference. This makes it easier if you’re feeding on the go. You can mix the food up in the jar without it spilling over the edge. This makes it easier to put the spoon at an angle so the handle doesn’t get covered in the food. Two really simple things that make a massive difference. It also means you can recycle the jars to make lots and lots of different things. From vases to tea light holders, the wider openings make it a lot easier to be creative.
Texture
The first thing I noticed about the HiPP Organic baby food jars was the texture. It wasn’t watery and was actually pretty thick. The potato and beef looked like mashed potatoes which makes it easier for Baby C to eat. It also helps him get used to chewing. It looks like real food mixed up, not quite blended which is what he prefers. He is totally over completely pureed food already – unless it’s sweet, and then he’ll eat anything! The small chunks are perfect for the little chewing action he has going on and he hasn’t had any problems swallowing any of the food. Hooray!
Taste
Of course this is what it comes down to with Baby C. It’s funny because I can now tell if he likes something based on a few things. If he leans towards the food and tries to grab it it’s like he is saying ‘more mummy, quick, this is yummy!’ Where if he isn’t a fan he puts his fingers to his mouth as if he is trying to keep it in and he looks around a lot sitting back waiting for me to bring the spoon to him. There’s also the obvious tell tale sign by how much he eats. Well, so far, he has eaten pretty much all of the jars in one sitting. That means he definitely rates the taste!
From my perspective, the HiPP Organic jars are gently steamed cooked to keep in all the goodness and flavour (which is probably why the food isn’t watery and Baby C likes the taste!) They also don’t have any hidden fruit so it helps to get your little one used to savory flavours plus if you give the jars a sniff, the food smells super fresh, like you’ve just cooked it yourself.
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Overall, the HiPPS organic jars really work for us, mainly because Baby C likes them but because it makes me feel that I’m not a terrible mum for not whipping him up a home cooked dinner everyday. It can be hard to not feel judged if you’re not steaming and pureeing the best veg you can find for your child and creating little dishes of gourmet food. Seriously, I rate any mum that does that because I just don’t know how you find the time. The HiPP Organic jars are so convenient and have some of the best ingredients in them with no hidden stuff, so I feel like I’m not doing him any wrong by giving them these. Being a new mum is hard, so thanks to HiPP for making it easier.
For more information on the new recipes and products from HiPP Organic and for the best weaning advice, head to the HiPP UK website.
If you fancy giving the HiPP organic range a try for yourself, I have an exclusive voucher code, which give you money off the entire HiPP Organic range. You can print it off here .
There are also a few tips and tricks for new parents on this HiPP Organic graphic… it’s been pretty useful for me so I thought you might want a look too!
