With all three of my children, I decided to mix up puree’s with baby led weaning. I found that this worked best for all three of my children. Baby led weaning can be nerve wracking (read all about our experience here) but it is also a great way for babies to experiment with food.
Even though Baby K is now past the weaning stages of his development, he is still learning and experimenting with new flavours. I am always on the hunt for new items to try, so when I came across Baby led Spreads, I was intrigued! Even though Baby K is no longer a baby (sob!), Baby led Spreads are still great for toddlers to learn about new flavours – especially those fussy ones!
Keith, the founder of Baby led Spreads set up the business just over a year ago at Vallum Farm, Northumberland and it has been growing steadily ever since. They create all their produce in their small production kitchen with enough love and care to ensure that their products are perfect for our little food explorers!
If you visit their website, you will see that Baby led Spreads create a range of products suitable for babies and toddlers who are going/have gone through the weaning process. They aren’t ‘meals’ as such but are more like spreads or thick sauces, designed to be used with accompaniments to form part of a snack or meal. They have six recipes to offer:
All six spreads are made from healthy ingredients, with no added salt, preservatives or anything that could be considered ‘unnatural’.
These six recipes have been really well received by parents embarking on a baby-led weaning journey, as they allow their baby to explore new tastes and textures they may not have previously had the chance to. One of the main reasons as to why Baby led Spreads was created, was to support a child’s journey with their exploration of foods and tastes. Neil feel’s that it is so important for a child to have more control over their food and found that whilst spoon-feeding is still absolutely ok, it is also another way of recognising another way of encouraging different flavours and textures!
The concept is to use these spreads alongside other foods; a dip for a variety of vegetables, spread for toast, a sauce for pasta or rice – you can really experiment and I was excited to do so!
I couldn’t wait to showcase some of these new flavours to Baby K. As soon as I received my delivery of Baby led spreads, I offered him Carrot, Apple and Hummus on toast. I tasted this myself, and I was pleasantly surprised! The flavour was sweet with a subtle sharpness from the apple. As I knew Baby K already loved hummus, I was confident he would enjoy this – and I was right!
A few days later, I decided to cook pasta and used the Ricotta and bean jar for this meal. It was as simple as boiling some pasta, adding some cooked peas and then the jar – voila! Easy peasy. Baby K wolfed down his meal and ate every last pasta tube! I even offered this meal to W as I found the jar to cover two portions and she really enjoyed it too! The spread worked really well as a sauce mixed with a little of the water boiled from the pasta!
What I really wanted to try (for myself too!) was the avocado, red pepper and tomato for a pizza topping. I used a wholemeal wrap for this, added the spread and topped with cheese and fresh cherry tomatoes. A few minutes under the grill and again, another tasty meal which I also thoroughly enjoyed along with all three of my children!
Another great way of using Baby led spreads is for a dip! You could use one of these spreads with chopped vegetables, bread sticks or even pitta breads. We had some crackers so I thought I would offer these with the spicy pumpkin and chickpea jar. Baby K is used to dips anyway. So he was really confident with this and seemed to enjoy the flavours of spice and creamy pumpkin.
We think Baby led spreads are just perfect for babies and toddlers. Whether you have a weaning 6 month old, or a toddler aged between 1-3 years of age, it really is a versatile product that suits all. We found the spreads so easy to use, and a fantastic way to spruce up a pasta or rice dish. Our dishes were prepared with a minimum of fuss and we really enjoyed experimenting! Each jar was the perfect amount for 1/2 servings I found, dependent on what you are using the jar for. This, I found great and I found there to be no wastage! The jars can be served hot or cold and stay safe up to 48 hours in the fridge. The flavours on offer were really enjoyed by Baby K. We even offered some of the meals to 4-year-old W – she loved the pasta dish the most!
Cost of the spreads are really good value. For a pack of 9 jars, the price is £6.50 which works out as only 72p each! What I also love is that Baby led spreads support the charity Bliss, a charity dedicated to babies born poorly and premature. Something I am definitely happy to support!
Have you tried these yet?
*This is a collaborate post. We were gifted some baby led spreads in exchange for an honest review. As always, all words and opinions are my own*
Hi and welcome to The Willow Tree. I’m Michelle, also known as Shel and I am a mama to three beautiful crazy kids – I have two handsome boys and a wild and wonderful girl.
I really wanted a concrete place to share my love for travel, in particular Disney and offer my readers a chance to gain some knowledge around what we love to do as a family of 5.
I share our family adventures which include days out, travel advice and tips, holiday reviews, restaurant visits and of course, our love for Disney, including Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World.
Life is about creating memories, and here we are sharing them with you
xoxo
Looks like he really enjoyed these!
He sure did…and so did I!!