Food is going airborne in our house. Yep, you guessed it… the process of weaning has begun.
Baby-led weaning, that is. A lovely concept that sells itself as being baby-friendly whilst saving time and effort for the parent. No fussy purées to prepare. No baby rice that I am reliable told can double up as emergency polyfilla. Instead just arm your small one with a variety of steamed veg sticks and let them get on with it (under your watchful eye, of course). No airplane noises required.
Sounds good, huh?
It is. As long as you don’t mind a full outfit change after each meal because the ‘perfect’ and highly recommended full-body bibs ordered before Christmas have gone AWOL in the Royal Mail system. What did turn up at least is a splash mat to protect the floor underneath the dining table. So far the missile range of flying finger food hasn’t exceeded the area covered by said splash mat. Result.
If ever it did, I have a funny feeling Jack would be at the ready to catch any errand morsels in mid-air. He’s all for the concept. Baby-led weaning is giving the dog diet variety whilst making Lilly a devoted four-legged friend. Note: Everyone subscribing to this way of weaning should invest in a canine vacuum cleaner. It keeps the splash mat clean, and your sanity intact.
Lilly’s all for the idea too. I mean, when else in life will it ever again be entirely acceptable to cover yourself and your surroundings in food? To make your avocado double up as a deep-conditioning hair treatment? Or to let anything you don’t quite fancy casually drop by the wayside?
I saw a friend of mine spoon-feeding her child sweet potato and parsnip purée in public the other day. It looked entirely civilized… for both of them. All I can say for me is this: carrots and cashmere don’t mix. So don’t get caught in the firing line.