How to ensure your baby is eating the right texture when using London baby food delivery services
Texture progression is one of the most important parts of your baby’s weaning journey. Babies are usually exclusively milk-fed for the first 6 months of their life, and the process of weaning refers to the gradual weaning off of milk onto solid foods.
Making sure your baby is getting the right texture for each stage of their development is an important thing for parents to consider during the weaning journey. And sometimes all the different options available in the supermarket can make things more confusing than they need to be. The same can be said for baby food delivery companies in London. In fact, it’s hard to tell exactly what texture to choose for your baby from the pictures without actually trying it!
With this in mind, we’re going to try and break down the importance of texture progression for babies in general and how parents can ensure they’re getting the right food when using baby food delivery services in London.
Firstly, what are these baby food delivery services in London and how do they work?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years in London, you will have probably noticed the number of baby food delivery companies popping up offering nutritious, fresh baby food delivered to your doorstep.
They are becoming more and more popular among busy parents in London for the same reasons why meal prep boxes like Hello Fresh and Gousto are now go-to options for families in the capital. Parents don’t want to compromise on their family’s health when they don’t have time to cook healthy meals from scratch every day. Gone are the days of microwave-ready meals and greasy takeaways. Now companies are providing a way to deliver freshness and nutrition in the most convenient way.
But anyway, back to the question about texture, why is it so important for your baby?
There are several reasons why texture progression is a key part of your baby’s growth and development.
Firstly, proper texture progression helps your baby develop the muscles around their mouth and jaw which are used for speaking and communication. By sticking to soft food and purees for too long, you may end up delaying their development of these skills.
The typical way to progress through to different textures is starting on smooth, liquid-ey meals that are similar to soup consistency. Then slowly introducing more “lumpier” textures so your baby gets used to handling different textures in their mouth.
It can also help your baby develop those all-important oro-motor and hand-eye coordination skills. Many parents opt to go for a baby-led weaning approach for this reason. Sometimes referred to as BLW, this refers to the process of letting your baby self-feed finger foods instead of spoon-feeding purees. It’s great for letting your baby learn about different textures and sizes of food early on and can make your baby better at handling gagging and choking hazards.
How does texture progression work with baby food delivery companies in London then?
When it comes to using baby meal delivery services, it’s just as important to make sure that you’re getting the right progression and variety of textures.
If you’re opting for a frozen pot delivery service for your baby, there are some drawbacks to these when it comes to texture. Frozen dishes tend to be quite “saucy” as they freeze and defrost the best without going soggy or limp. This is great for meals like stews, pies and curries but when it comes to finger foods or more “separated” dishes with multiple components on the same plate it’s much harder to keep their texture the same after defrosting!
This is one of the reasons why many parents are opting for fresh deliveries of baby meals, where the food is cooked fresh and delivered chilled to their doorstep. By avoiding the need for any deep-freezing, the meals are able to be cooked and served as close to homemade as possible. This means proper finger foods and a variety of textures not limited to saucy meals.
The standard textures you’ll find available with these baby food delivery services are the following:
- Stage 1 – Smooth (6-8 Months)
- Stage 2 – Lumpy (7-9 Months)
- Stage 3 – Bite-sized/normal (9+ Months)
Obviously, some foods lend themselves to being a bit smoother or chunkier than others, but this is the general scale you will find for your baby. The ages are only written as a recommendation for parents, but not as a guide as every baby is different at the end of the day!
Why choose V&Me’s London baby food delivery service for your little one:
As we mentioned above, there really is nothing like proper homemade fresh food when it comes to feeding your baby. And when it comes to texture, you can see the advantages that it can bring to your baby’s growth and development during this key stage of their life.
As a V&Me member you can edit your baby’s meal texture anytime to ensure that they are progressing at the rate you want them to, that way you’re not stuck with a freezer full of frozen purees that are now surplus to requirements!
At V&Me, we are very passionate about encouraging babies to move on to more “complex” and adult meals as soon as possible to push their palates and taste preferences beyond the boring baby food you might find in the supermarket.
If you’re a parent of a young baby living in London and you want to join the growing number of mums and dads getting fresh baby food deliveries to their doorstep, click the link below and get your first delivery now!
We are now delivering to almost all central London postcodes, including popular areas like Nunhead, Peckham, Camberwell, Westminster, Tooting, Oval, Wapping, Greenwich, Nappy Valley, Hammersmith, Fulham, Parsons Green, Kings Road, Paddington and Kings Cross.
