To freeze your freshly homemade baby food; Spoon you’re freshly made and cooled baby food into a silicone or plastic ice cube tray, cover and transfer to freezer. For ease of use when frozen decant from tray into plastic freezer bag so you can mix and match flavours and can see easily how many cubes are left. Make sure to label and date contents, they can be safely stored for up to 6 weeks.

When needed, defrost the required amount of purees in the fridge and then reheat until piping hot and cool down before serving. Only reheat a puree once. When a food has been thawed never refreeze.

Once baby has transitioned through first tastes and is showing an acceptance of spoon feeding and new tastes, you will be looking to introduce a broader range of ingredients, flavours and textures to baby’s repertoire. Initially it is important to keep purees smooth until baby is ready for a thicker and lumpier consistency. From 6 months you can begin to add proteins such as fish or chicken and you can start to introduce cow’s milk and dairy into your cooking.

When you get to stage 2 and stage 3 you might consider using pots for freezing portions. You can reuse Pip & Pear pots or alternatively, there are a wide range of suitable pots on the market and they are a good investment, you will find lots of uses for them long after weaning is finished.

If there is a history of allergies in the family you should seek medical advice before introducing allergens into your baby’s diet.

In the majority of cases it is safe to introduce allergens into your baby’s diet after 6 months of age, including products containing peanuts. Never give whole nuts to a baby or a child under 5 years of age, as they are a choke hazard.

You should look out for any adverse reactions when introducing a new allergen into your baby’s diet. If you observe any possible side affects you should immediately seek medical attention. Many children outgrow allergies to milk and eggs but peanut allergies are generally for life.

Parenting Tip: Never be afraid to seek medical attention when you have a concern about the health of your baby. It’s better to have a false alarm than to have regrets about not acting soon enough.

How will I know if my child has a food allergy?
An allergic reaction can consist of one or more of the following:

• diarrhoea or vomiting
• a cough
• wheezing and shortness of breath
• itchy throat and tongue
• itchy skin or rash
• swollen lips and throat
• runny or blocked nose
• sore, red and itchy eyes

In a few cases, foods can cause a very severe reaction (anaphylaxis) that can be life threatening and you should seek immediate medical attention.

Sources: World Health Organisation / Health Service Executive Ireland / HSC Public Health Agency Northern Ireland / NHS Public Health Agency UK

Many foods and drinks contain additives for several reasons such as; extending shelf life and improving colour or texture. If a product contains an additive it will be named in the list of ingredient’s with the “E” number and its function, such as “colouring” or “preservative”.

Additives are constantly rigorously assessed for safety before they can be used and their suitability is regularly reviewed.

A few people have adverse reactions to some food additives but reactions to ordinary foods are more common.

Processed foods are more likely to contain additives and high levels of salt, sugar and fat. Therefore, it is best to avoid giving too many of these foods to your children. There is no need to give any of these foods to your baby.

Sources: World Health Organisation / Health Service Executive Ireland / HSC Public Health Agency Northern Ireland / NHS Public Health Agency UK

As your baby begins to eat more solid foods, they will soon need less breast or formula milk. Let your baby guide you and recognise when they have had enough. If your baby is hungry they will very quickly let you know, so they are not going to starve.

Babies should be offered only breastmilk, formula milk or cooled boiled water should be the only drinks given up to 6 months old.

• Fizzy drinks are unsuitable drinks for babies. Even drinks with artificial sweeteners can encourage children to develop a sweet tooth, which can lead to tooth decay and childhood obesity.
• Care should be taken when choosing fruit drinks as they can contain high levels of sugar.
• You should only use Soya based infant formula if you have been advised to do so by your GP. Babies who are allergic to cows’ milk could also be allergic to soya.
• Goat’s or Sheep’s’ milk are not suitable for babies under 1 year.
• Rice drinks are not suitable for children under the age of 5.
• Encourage your baby to drink from a beaker from 6 months, it will help them with learning how to swallow. Babies should not be left alone in bed with a Bottle as this can increase choking risks, poor dental hygiene and childhood obesity. Bottles should be discouraged after the age of one year.

Important Note: Cow’s milk is not suitable as a main drink for children under 1 year. You can gradually begin to add small quantities of cow’s milk to soften your baby’s solid meals from 6 months. Low-fat milk should not be given to children under 2 years. Skimmed milk should not be given under 5 years.

Sources: World Health Organisation / Health Service Executive Ireland / HSC Public Health Agency Northern Ireland / NHS Public Health Agency UK

It is quite normal for a baby to refuse food occasionally. Don’t worry about what your baby eats in a day it is more important to think about what they are eating every week. It is also more important how much breast milk or formula milk they are consuming as this will still be the primary source of nourishment in the early stages.

Below are some suggestions on how to cope with a fussy eater.
• Avoid frequent snacks between meals and ensure that your baby is not
drinking continually throughout the day – both of these can reduce your baby’s appetite for main meals.
• It’s best not to use food as a reward. Your child may start to associate sweets with happy times and vegetables with conflicts at the table. Try to come up with a range on non-food rewards, which your child will like and that are practical for you.
• Keep to regular mealtimes – children need routine.
• Keep portions small – babies cannot eat large amounts of food at a time.
• Don’t become anxious if your baby refuses food – just clear away the food calmly and dispose of it. Don’t offer an alternative – just wait until the next meal or snack.
• If a food is refused, try it again a few days later – it may take several attempts before your baby will accept it.
• Make sure there are no distractions, e.g. toys, television.
• Give small portions and praise them even if they only eat a little of it.
• Never force your baby to eat. Just take the food away without comment. Try to stay calm even when it’s very frustrating.
• Children sometimes get hungry and thirsty mixed up. They might act hungry when really they are thirsty and vice versa.
• If you know a child of the same age who is a good eater, invite them around for tea. Another child setting a good example can work well, as long as you don’t talk too much about how good the other child is.
• Ask an adult that your child likes and looks up to, to eat with you. Sometimes a child will eat for someone else without any fuss.
• Children’s tastes change regularly and without notice, so don’t give up on a particular food, reintroduce it again and they might like it.
• Don’t have conversations about what your child likes or dislikes, they are young and will change their minds about a lot of things, so don’t reinforce any dislikes in their mind by talking about it.

It can take up to 10 or even 15 tries before your baby will really start to like a new taste, the things that you would really like your baby to eat are always the things they dislike most. Keep offering them tastes of new foods and eventually they will develop a taste for them. You don’t have to make a fuss or have a battle every time, you just want them to have a taste each time.

For most children this will be a passing phase, so try not to worry unnecessarily. However, if you’re really worried about your child’s eating habits, for example if they are losing weight, talk to your GP or health visitor, or ask to see a registered dietician.

Temper tantrums usually start at around 18 months and are very common at that age. During the weaning phase your baby is too small to have Tantrums but they will have Meltdowns where things can get a bit too much for them.

During weaning you get to spend a lot of time face to face with your baby, and there is the potential for conflicts and standoffs over mealtimes and food. It is important that you use this time to modify your own behaviour in order to lay the ground work for avoiding and defusing conflicts with your baby as they get older. You will need to learn to stay calm in some very difficult and stressful situations so now is a good time to start practicing.

Toddlers want to express themselves but find it difficult. They feel frustrated and this comes out as a tantrum. As your child’s speech improves they will be less likely to have tantrums. By the age of four, tantrums are far less common, so when things get bad just remember it won’t last for ever.

If you can anticipate a potentially difficult situation, you can then start to help your baby avoid and cope with the emotions they bring out.

For example; try not to let your baby get over tired or over hungry, allow plenty time for excitement to die down in stimulating situations, knowing they might have a meltdown, make time to console them. When life gets too much for them they need you to reassure and comfort them.

Remember even if you are the cause of their upset, you are still the person who is going to console them.

These ideas may help you to cope with tantrums and meltdowns when they happen:
• Figure out why the meltdown has happened; your child may be tired or hungry, in which case the solution is simple. They could be feeling frustrated or jealous; maybe of another child. They may need time, attention and love, even when they are driving you crazy.
• Understand and accept your child’s anger; you probably feel the same way yourself at times, but you can express it in other ways.
• Find a distraction; if you think your child is starting a tantrum, find something to distract them with straight away. This could be something you can see out of the window. Say, for example, “Look! A cat”. Make yourself sound as surprised and interested as you can.
• Wait for it to stop; Losing your temper or shouting back won’t end the tantrum. Ignore the looks you get from people around you and concentrate on staying calm. Giving in won’t help in the long term. If you’ve said no, don’t change your mind and say yes just to end the tantrum. Otherwise, your child will start to think that tantrums can get them what they want. For the same reason, it doesn’t help to bribe them with sweets or treats.
• Take deep breaths and stay calm, you must lead by example.
• Be prepared when you’re out shopping; Tantrums often happen in shops. This can be embarrassing, and embarrassment makes it harder to stay calm. Keep shopping trips short. Start by going out to buy one or two things only, and build up from there. Involve your child in the shopping by talking about what you need and letting them help you.
• Take them out of the situation, if you are in a group and things get out of hand, pick up your child and bring them out of the room; now you don’t have everyone staring at you and you can concentrate on your child’s needs without interference.
• Talk to them, show you understand what they are feeling and acknowledge the hurt or upset.” I know you really like that dolly but…”
• Children often go through phases of being upset or insecure, and can have trouble expressing themselves; children may be behaving badly because they need more love. Show you love them by praising good behaviour and giving them plenty of cuddles when they’re not behaving badly.
• Don’t leave your baby alone, stay with them and comfort them.
• When you are distracted by something else like cooking dinner, make sure to give regular 30 second bursts of attention.

Here are some tips and hints that have worked very well for us as parents and as the owners of a restaurant. No.9 Barronstrand St. is a busy city centre restaurant which caters to the business community and families. We happily welcome children and have put a lot of work into making our restaurant child friendly, even putting in a discreet play area with a play kitchen.

Play Restaurant at home: Play restaurant at home with your kids, once they know the rules of the game, it will be easier for you to remind them. Always reward good behaviour with praise, “good job, well done” etc. Try to ignore the mistakes and don’t correct them too much when they get it wrong, remember it’s supposed to be fun, in the game and in real life.

Keep them engaged: Kids don’t like to sit around idle for long so you need to keep them amused. You can carry small toys (Lego, cars, small dolls, small action figures, farm animals, crayons etc.) which you can give them to play around on the table, until your order arrives. Speak to the child, don’t make them feel neglected, answer their queries and involve them while placing the order. Make the entire experience memorable and pleasant for the child and yourself.

Save the cartoons for later: If your children like to watch cartoons or games on your phone, then tell them before you go into the restaurant what the ground rules are. Ideally you should (if possible) hold off until after they have eaten, as it will keep them in their seats while you finish your meal. If you give it earlier they might get bored sooner and you have nothing to fall back on. Avoid threatening not to give it as you probably won’t be able to follow through on this without causing a meltdown.

Choose the best time: The worst time to go to a restaurant is when either you or your child is very hungry! The key to a good restaurant experience with kids is going at the right time. Generally, kids have their lunch or dinner much earlier than adults. Hence, choose a time which coincides with your kids’ hunger and there is less rush at the restaurant. Order food for your kids first, and ask for it to be brought to the table as soon as it’s ready or at the latest with your starters.

Ask for straws: Ideally you want your child’s drink served in a low glass, which is less likely to be knocked over. Regardless, you should always ask for a straw as it will make it easier for your child to avoid spills.

You don’t need to feel embarrassed: When things go wrong and you end up with a meltdown or a tantrum, don’t worry about what other people think, the most important thing to do is console your child. Try to reassure and calm them, “I know you want to …. But in the restaurant we all have to ….” Don’t feel you have to struggle on with a dinner that is quickly falling apart, it’s ok to admit defeat and head for home.