Sharlene @curlylittledreams

👪 Family Life, Foodie, Weekends Out & About
Mum to Hector and Hugo & Step mum to Jasmine
Lover of Agatha Christie Novel’s

Cooking for children either leaves you feeling like Mary Berry slaying all the recipes in the kitchen and watching them gobble up every last bit of what you’ve cooked or you’ll have days feeling like you’re prepping for a battle, wondering what bargaining tools you have up your sleeve to get them to eat… or is this just me?

So I have two boys and both are completely different, even down to their immune system.

My eldest has a mild dairy allergy that was severe when younger, along with having reflux and requiring medication. So getting him to enjoy tasty food was a journey as I was very cautious of in case he had other allergies that run in the family. However, with my youngest, I quickly realised while trying out different foods in small spoonfuls that he didn’t have any allergies to food – to my relief – so I’m a little more adventurous with the dishes that I can give him.

I wish I’d been able to experiment more with my eldest as I ended up cooking the same meals weekly and I now wonder if I should have looked into more adventurous dairy free recipes as he’s become very fussy and particular with his food now. But saying that, he used to love broccoli, and now loathes it (kids!!). I end up doing all the tricks in the book for him to eat his veggies that get hidden, blended, grated up in a meal just so he can have some vegetables.

I’m hoping I can deter my youngest from the same habits by trying to introduce new recipes weekly. So when we’re all sat at the table together I’m giving him everything we’re eating but of course nothing that has or is too high in sugar or salt. So most times a separate pot is cooked along side ours, without the additional salt or chillies that I’d add in ours, as we eat a lot of spicy food in our house. I ensure I cut all food to fine finger sizes for weaning babies and trying to remember my health and safety course if a baby chokes on food. In all honesty, they have such good gagging reflexes that it gives you a little peace of mind knowing that as long as the size is right they should be fine.

I’m really grateful for all of Piccolo’s recipes and products as they’ve definitely made the process of weaning my youngest and bringing him to the family table so much easier!

If I could give one tip on moving from weaning to eating at the table with the rest of the family, it would be to be brave, be adventurous but also prepare for your fine cooking to all end up on the floor! It’s all in the process of feeding our mini growing people.