WHAT IS VEGETABLE LED WEANING?

Introducing solids is known as complementary feeding or weaning and it is the introduction of foods which complement your babies usual milk – rather than replacing it.

Your little one’s palate is like a blank canvas and is easily shaped by each new taste experience. During the first year of life babies are receptive to all five basic tastes to differing degrees, preferring those that are sweet or salty. At Babease we believe that when you start to introduce solid foods, it’s really important to start with vegetables in as much variety as you can manage. Introducing the more bitter tasting vegetables such as broccoli or kale may need more perseverance than the easily accepted sweet tasting vegetables, such as carrots and sweet potato, or fruits such banana and mango but it is definitely worth the extra effort.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO START WITH VEGETABLES?

Studies have shown that babies who eat a wide variety of vegetables during complementary feeding go on eat more vegetables in later childhood (up to 7 years) than those that don’t. At Babease we feel that eating a wide variety vegetables early on and offering as many healthy taste experiences as you can, will help develop a lifelong love of vegetables and foods that will nourish throughout childhood and into adulthood.

WHAT AGE SHOULD WE START WEANING?

We're actually encouraging people away from the term 'weaning' as many people feel this means it’s all about reducing babies milk. But that's not true at all...it should be called complementary feeding, which is what the Government is calling it now as well.

This way, the purees you are giving at the initial stages are to complement rather than replace milk. The actual weaning happens much later once they are ready to be weaned off the mother's breast milk or the formula, depending on what you are using.

To start off with, age is not an alarm bell - it's only a guideline. Every baby is different and you know yours better than anyone else so you should follow your instincts when it comes to weaning.

The Department of Health and the World Health Organisation advise weaning at around six months. If you are unsure, it is a good idea to have a chat with your health visitor if you feel your baby is ready to wean before six months (remember that babies shouldn't be given solids before 17 weeks). Don’t feel rushed as there is still all the nutrition a baby needs in your breast milk or baby formula.

They can sit up unaided and can hold their head steady.Hand-eye coordination is developed so that they can look at food, pick it up and put it in their mouths.They can swallow – young babies have a tongue-thrust reflex which means they instinctively use their tongues to push objects out of their mouths. Until this reflex fades your baby will push any food out of their mouth and will end up with more food on their face than in their tummy.

When you've seen all these signs it means your baby is ready for solid food.

WHAT IS COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING?

Introducing solids is known as complementary feeding or weaning and it is the introduction of foods which complement your babies usual milk – rather than replacing it.

WHEN CAN YOU START FINGER FOOD?

As soon as your baby is able to pick up foods and feed themselves (from around 6 months onwards) you can offer soft finger foods (such as steamed vegetables).

I’M INTRODUCING SOLIDS AND MY BABY IS GASSY WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

Excess intake of air can cause gas, for babies this can be during crying and also whilst eating and drinking. Things to do to try and relieve the excess gas would be to offer smaller, more regular meals and try to slow down the rate of eating, you could also try offering water after eating rather than during eating to reduce the chance of taking in more air.

There are some healthy foods that are thought to cause gas in some people such as beans, lentils, some vegetables, some types of fruit and some types of whole grain foods, this doesn’t mean they should be eliminated from the diet though as they are really nutritious, little and often is the best way to go. If you are at all worried about your baby do speak to your health visitor or your GP.

HOW DO YOU SELECT YOUR INGREDIENTS?

We work in partnership with trusted suppliers to source the best organic produce we can find.

WHY ORGANIC?

Eating organic produce means there are fewer pesticides, no manufactured herbicides or artificial fertilisers, no artificial additives or preservatives and no GM.

According to a study by Newcastle University, organic crops contain up to 60% more antioxidants than conventional ones. Antioxidants have been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers.

Looking after the environment is really important for us, and organic farming is better for the planet as more carbon is taken up by the soil.

Organic farm animals are allowed to roam free, which makes for better animal husbandry. Organic farming avoids unnecessary drugs getting into the food chain: intensively farmed animals are regularly treated with antibiotics, hormones and other medications, which may cause human antibiotic resistance as well as hormonal issues.

Although pesticides are designed to kill pests, they can also unfortunately hurt other insects, and affect local wildlife. Organic farms create friendlier habitats for amazing little creatures like bees, birds and butterflies, which are all crucial to maintaining a healthy environment.

HOW DO YOU WRITE YOUR RECIPES?

Food is something to be enjoyed throughout every stage of life and introducing new flavours and textures from an early age helps to develop a positive relationship with food that lasts for years and years.

At Babease we focus more on vegetables, grains, seeds and pulses that help create nutritionally balanced baby food. Each ingredient is carefully chosen for it’s nutritional and health benefits and combined in wholesome and tasty recipes.

We like to use exciting ingredients, some of which have never been used before in baby food. Coconut water, kale, chickpeas, puy lentils, quinoa, fennel, cumin, sage, thyme and even a mild masala spice are all ingredients you’ll find in the Babease range.

WHY IS SALT AND SODIUM DECLARED IN THE NUTRITIONAL TABLE BUT NOT IN THE INGREDIENTS?

Sodium occurs naturally in the produce that we use and this is declared as sodium and is also shown as salt. There is no salt used in the recipes, the salt declared is only from naturally occurring sodium.

WHY ARE SUGARS DECLARED IN THE NUTRITIONAL TABLE BUT NOT IN THE INGREDIENTS?

We never add any sugar to our recipes, the sugars declared are naturally occurring in the organic produce that we use.

HOW CAN YOUR POUCHES HAVE SUCH A LONG SHELF LIFE & KEEP THEIR NUTRITIONAL VALUE?

We take great care in making sure that every recipe cooked in small batches here in the UK is handled with the utmost care and attention. This enables us to offer as much taste and nutritional value as possible, whilst at the same time being safe and sound. Once the recipe is cooked, it is hot filled into the pouch in a sterile environment before being steam heated to ensure that the product is safe for little tummies. 

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE WITH 65 CALORIES?

Once your little one has accepted their first tastes, you not only start to add more texture, but your baby food also needs to contain more specific nutrients and food types, thereby becoming more of a complete meal. That’s why we are the first baby food brand to set a new guideline, making sure that all our ‘Adding Texture’ (or stage 2) recipes and beyond have at least the same amount of calories (or more) as breast milk which is on average 65 calories per 100g.

WHY DO YOU USE 20% MEAT IN A RECIPE CONTAINING MEAT?

A balanced meal consists of 20% high protein foods with the rest being made up from a mixture of starchy foods and vegetables. Protein is important for normal growth and development of bone in children. By using 20% meat (high protein food) we’re creating balanced meals just as you would make at home.

WHY ARE YOUR PUREES THICKER?

We use very little water (if any at all) to ensure our purees are packed with vegetables.

HOW DO YOU LABEL YOUR PRODUCTS?

Babease ethos is to be open, honest and transparent in everything we do, from how we source our fresh produce to clearly communicating the exact ingredients of each pouch.

At Babease we believe parents should know exactly what goes into their babies’ tummies. This means that the name on the front of the pack is the same as the ingredients listed. Which means if mum gives her little one a Babease sweet potato, carrot and cauliflower that’s exactly what she is giving her little one, a pouch with more sweet potato than carrot and more carrot than cauliflower. And nothing else.

On the reverse of all Babease pouches we have our unique ingredient wheel, showing the exact breakdown of ingredients even at a glance.

DO YOU NEED TO HEAT THE POUCHES? HOW DO YOU HEAT THE POUCHES?

The pouches are safe to eat at room temperature. If you’d like to warm them, we recommend standing the pouch in a bowl of hot water and checking the temperature before serving. The pouch is not suitable for use in the microwave.

ONCE OPENED HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP THE POUCH?

Once the pouch has been opened the cap should be replaced and it should be kept refrigerated and used within 24 hours.

ARE THE POUCHES SUITABLE FOR FREEZING?

Our ‘First Tastes’ pouches are suitable for freezing if they haven’t been heated up, you should freeze them within 24 hours of opening.

CAN YOU TAKE OUR POUCHES ON THE PLANE?

Our pouches are safe to take on a plane, if you’re packing them in a suitcase for the hold then we would recommend wrapping them in plastic just in case they get really squashed or pierced with something sharp during transit. If you’re taking them in the cabin some officials may regard them as liquids and therefore our ‘Adding textures’ 130g pouches would be over the 100ml limit, however our first tastes pouches are within the 100ml limit.

WHAT IS BABEASE PACKAGING MADE FROM?

Our Babease pouches are carefully crafted from aluminium and plastic. The aluminium is sandwiched between two layers of plastic, to ensure it never comes into direct contact with the food, and this ensures all the organic veggie goodness is kept fresh in our handy pouches.

We ensure that the plastic chosen is safe for your little ones tummies. Our packaging suppliers confirm that they do not introduce nor make any use of Bisphenol A during the production process, which is the main concern relating to plastics.

Our caps are made from high density polyethylene which is a plastic that is very common in food use and is easily recyclable.

HOW MUCH DOES DELIVERY COST, AND WHERE DO YOU DELIVER TO?

Our delivery charges are as follows:

DPD Express Next Day
Next day delivery (order before 3PM) - £3.99

FREE next day delivery on orders over £30

Where we deliver to:

At the moment Babease deliveries can only be made to addresses in England, Scotland and Wales. We're always looking at new markets, so please email us with any interest!

WHAT IS YOUR REFUND POLICY?

It is your right to return your order to us and receive a full refund within 14 working days from the day you received it. To do this, you must inform us by email at info@babease.co, quoting the order reference number and the reason for doing so. If you choose to return your order to us, you do so at your own cost and risk. Goods must be returned to us in perfect condition to the address specified on the delivery note. In this case, you will receive a full refund of the price paid for the order, plus your original delivery charge. Of course, in the instance that there are defects or damage, please return to us immediately and explain the defects or damage you have noticed. After inspection, we will give a full refund, including your own postage costs, and advise on the next steps.

HELP, I NEED TO AMEND MY ORDER!

If you discover you have made a mistake with your order after we have sent the Order Confirmation, or you change your mind and wish to cancel your order, please contact us immediately at info@babease.co. Please note that we are unable to change your order after it has been dispatched, although you still have the right to refund (see our refund policy)