This post is sponsored by Happy Family Brands but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Can we just take a minute and admit that all us moms are doing our best? Maybe it's all in my head, but it feels like there is so much pressure to give your kids kale-based dinners and make their hemp sandals yourself and be the crunchiest version of yourself for the sake of the kids.
Well. This post is not that. I'm going to talk about organic things I'm loving, but no judgment if you hate that stuff! I'm cheering you on, in whatever stage of mothering you're in. (And maybe you're far more crunchy than I, and buying store-bought baby food sounds crazy...hopefully you can extend the same grace to me!)
Whew. I'm glad we got that out of the way.
With my first baby, I wrote this post on tips + tricks for baby-led weaning. We started giving Aiden finger-foods first before any purees. Dinnertime was more peaceful because I could cut up our meatballs and give him a few, and he'd feed himself. Once he learned how to feed himself, I introduced pureed baby foods and we did a mix of both, finger foods and purees!
When Emma turned 6 months old, we did the same thing. She struggled with bits of avocado, banana, and sweet potato, and eventually learned how to get things into her mouth! Now, we're in the purees-and-finger-foods stage, which is so fun. I'll be honest: I make lots of Emma's baby food myself. I have a small food processor and 6-oz jars with lids. Whenever I'm making dinner, I steam and then puree carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli. Recently, she's been eating pureed (boiled) chicken and quinoa! Do I earn hippie-mom points for that?!
However, as someone who makes lots of baby food, I can confidently tell you that it gets tricky when we're out and about. Today it's 100 degrees here in Philadelphia, and you can't just bring some homemade baby food in your diaper bag for hours. That's where some trustworthy, honest organic baby food comes in. Happy Baby Clearly Crafted Jars are baby purees that are already packaged, safely stored in jars, and full of foods I wouldn't even buy/make myself (like organic guava + beets + apples? I never buy beets! And I don't even know what guava looks like!). The clear jars show the company's commitment to transparency: they aren't hiding anything, and you can read the ingredients list and even pronounce all the things on the label.
Emma is my second baby. While that means I have loosened up on some things (she doesn't have hemp sandals I made myself) (jk because neither did Aiden), for some reason I still care so much about the foods she eats. It's why I make her own food, and when we're out and about, I buy Happy Baby organic baby food. It's why I start to sweat when my mother-in-law sneaks her ice cream. It's why I love supporting companies that are using organic, trustworthy ingredients!
So, this is where I'm at with feeding my second baby.
Mamas, I want to hear from you: are there certain things you REALLY care about that surprised you? What things have you loosened up on?
Here's a $1 off coupon for Happy Baby Clearly Crafted Jars, if you're in this stage with me and need to feed a little one while your out and about!
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