Firstly there is no harm is giving your baby distilled (boiled) water from birth. That is to say, it won’t harm them physically.

However it is important to know that they do not need plain water to supplement their diet or replenish their water supplies because they already get plenty of fluid from their milk formula or, when breastfeeding, the foremilk.

As you little baby is so tiny their stomach is also tiny and it will only take a few ounces of solid\liquid to fill that baby up. A baby should be filled with nutritients when possible and not nutrient free water.

The only time you should really start to give your baby water is when they start teething as they will benefit from the flouride. Just an oucne or two a day would be enough.

It’s important that your weaning babies get the protein they need and chicken can be a good source of this protein. to be honest, Blending chicken can be tough if you haven’t got a decent food blender as it’s not suitable to go through a food mill.

There are some very cheap and suitable hand blenders available for processing meat like chicken and as long as you add enough liquid to the mixture, provides you with a very effective puree. If you are on a budget then you will find this Kenwood Mini Chopper ideal for your needs as it one of the cheapest on the market and able to handle the pureeing of chicken as well as all your vegetables.

For a little more money, and from experience what I would personally recommend, is investing in this Philips Solid Feeding Starter Set which comes with the blender, VIA Storage Cups and Blending Attachments.

Make sure you check out the chicken recipes on this site like this easy peasy Sage and Onion Chicken with Carrots and Peas weaning recipe or the more refreshing and nutritious Chicken and Mango Smash weaning recipe?

It doesn’t really matter if you start weaning your baby with fruit or vegetables to be honest. Your baby can digest them both just as easily. Some experts would argue you should start with vegetables and avoid the sweeter fruits in order to prevent your baby developing a sweet tooth and encourage a preference for savoury food. On the other hand the experts would argue that fruits should be used first as they mimic the sweetness of breastmilk and therefore would be a natural and more comfortable progression for your weaning baby.

My personal view is that is doesn’t matter whether your feed your baby fruit or vegetables first. As long as they experience a large range of tastes, textures and colours throughout their weaning stage you can be sure they are getting all the nutrition they need.

Spring has well and truly arrived in the UK hoorah! Spring crops offer up some delicious vegetables and all my nutritious faves come together in this spring influenced baby food recipe. There are a lot of vitamins in the weaning recipe – you may also want to try steaming instead of boiling to lock in more colour and nutrition.

A good source of

• Manganese
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin K
• Folate
• Fibre
• Iron

Ingredients

• 2 x Sticks of Celery
• 1 x Leek
• 1/2 x Savoy Cabbage
• 150g x Peas
• 2 x Courgettes (or Zucchinis)
• A little Parsley
• 25g x unsalted butter
• Some hot water

You will need

• 1 x Food processor or hand-held blender or a Baby Dan Food Mill with Serving Spoon
• 1 x Ice Cube Tray or Happy Mummy Baby Cubes Food Portioners (Stage 2)
• 1 x Chopping Board and Sharp Knife
• 1 x Large Saucepan

Method

1. Prepare your leeks by removing its outer layer and chopping into rings about half a centimeter thick. In your saucepan, gently fry the leek in the butter for about 5 minutes until softened.

2. Prepare the courgette and celery by dicing into 1cm cubes and chop your garlic finely. Add everything to the saucepan, stir and continue to cook for about 15 minutes.

3. While it’s cooking, finely slice your cabbage into strips. After 15 minutes add your cabbage, your peas and about 3 cups of hot water. Place the lid on and gently steam\boil for another 10 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.

4. You should now drain the water into a jug, leaving your steaming vegetables. Add them to your blender and blend while slowly adding the water back in to adjust the consistency to your baby’s liking. You may want to do this in batches if there is too much.

5. Fill up you ice cube tray or portioner evenly with the puree and place in the freezer.

6. Once frozen you can empty you portions into a freezer bag so you can use the portioners again!

Et Voila ! I hope you enjoy this Spring baby puree recipe!

Please note, I am not a pediatrician or a nutritionist and my information is based on personal experience and thorough research only.

I think Courgettes (or Zucchinis as Americans prefer to call them) are another under-rated vegetable.This is a great weaning finger food that uses Courgettes and combines them with potato to make handy and delicious finger food which are especially ideal for when you are using the baby-led weaning technique.

A good source of

• Folate
• Potassium
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Calcium

Ingredients

• 2 x Medium Courgettes
• 1 x large potato, preferably King Edward
• 1 x Small Red Onion
• 2 x Tablespoons of Polenta (Sometimes referred to as Corn Meal or Maize Flour
• 2 x Tablespoons Plain Flour
• A splash of milk or water

You will need

• 1 x Cheese Grater
• 1 x Griddle\Skillet or Frying Pan
• 1 x Chopping Board and Sharp Knife

Method

1. Grate the Courgette, onion and potato. Drain these ingredients as best you can to remove excess liquid by using a colander and tea towel or a seive. Press down to squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

2. In a bowl mix your grated vegetables with the polenta and flour and mix thoroughly.

3. Prepare your ‘Fingers’ or Burger’ shapes by taking a spoonful of the mixture and pressing together to form your shape. If the mixture seems too dry you can add a splash of milk and try again.

3. Once you have you Fingers or Burgers, add some Olive Oil to your griddle or frying pan and fry gently for about 4- 5 minutes each side or until they have browned off nicely.

4. Take off of the heat and leave to cool before presenting them to your baby.

5. Serve these with a little Sour Cream or Yoghurt to dip into.

Enjoy

Please note, I am not a pediatrician or a nutritionist and my information is based on personal experience and thorough research only.