Eating out(side)

Opportunities abound to dine alfresco in the English summertime. We have found ourselves at a BBQ, a children's birthday party and grabbing a quick sarnie in the middle of a London park in the last few days. And each time I have thanked the lords above that we did BLW because otherwise we would have had to have been way more organised.

Mae has tucked away some spicy beanburger, felafel (success this time!), bread and homemade humous, a fresh tomato (first time - tick!) and shared Chris' chicken & avocado sandwich from Pret A Manger. I worry about the salt intake here, but on the whole it's kind of worked.

I have quite a few learnings to share about baby-led weaning on the go:

• Take some back-up vegies ready steamed in a little tupperware at least. Well-cooked vegies that are not drenched in some kind of dressing in a salad are hard to come by at these events and if you're out all day, the mother in you will be nagging that the 5 a-day count has not even nearly been reached. Consequently, you might find yourself thinking lettuce will be fine. It isn't. At least not for Mae at 8 months, she just can chew it, it's like us inhaling a leaf.
• Disposable bibs! A revelation, and it means you don't have to carry round rotting debris for the rest of the day
• Bring a little rug to sit on because as it turns out, Mae may not like lettuce but she loves grass
• Snacks are really important now. At first I didn't bother too much, but now we're out and about, not only does she seem to be hungrier, but it's not always possible to breastfeed when caught in rush hour in London. Also, a good snack will keep her quiet for quite some time. The UK seems to have tons of travel-safe, organic, handy snacks made especially for babies. I'm hoping there are similar when we get back home. Flavoured breadsticks, little organic carrot cake bars and the trusty rice cracker are all becoming stalwarts.