I’ve become pretty cautious about plastic. The look on Isabella’s face when I played reverse Santa, taking away most of her beloved toys, when I realised how toxic they were, will be imprinted in my mind forever. (Luckily for Isabella, I’m slowly finding substitutes, but that’s for another post!)

I’d bought some little containers to freeze and store baby food in a few months back, they were safely marked ‘BPA- free’ and I patted myself on the back for being prepared for when she starts solids. I now find myself looking at them with extreme scepticism…

Unfortunately, ‘BPA- free’ doesn’t mean safe, like I had once thought. Manufacturers have no obligation to disclose what chemicals they actually use in their products. The chemical which has most commonly been used to replace BPA is called BPS. Like BPA, BPS is disruptive to the body’s hormone system and brain circuitry, even in very low doses. Definitely not chemicals I want leaching into my carefully prepared organic baby food for Isabella!

Food grade silicone however has been shown to be chemically stable and won’t leach into foods. It’s flexible, durable, dishwasher safe and can handle temperature extremes- from the freezer to the oven. It’s also hypoallergenic and hygienic with no open pores for bacteria to collect. It sounded like the right choice for me!

I’ve been asked by other mums what I chose to use. The best products I’ve found are by weanmeister.com.au. They have silicone freezer pods with a lid that seals over the top. Its flexible so the food pops out of the tray easily. It’s made my first endeavour into baby food making a breeze. I also use their Adora bowls which are again all silicone and have a clever lid which creates a seal with suction when you press down on the top. They’re all beautifully made by an Australian company started by another mum, they have lovely colours and cute animal designs on the side. Just so nice to know I’m not giving Isabella chemicals with each mouthful!

So, with sweet potato (a clean fifteen food!) all prepared in my safe silicone freezer pods, I popped a pod into a safe silicone bowl and let it thaw, got Isabella into the high chair, bib on, silicone spoon at the ready… Bez my husband was doing the honours of the first feed of solids…I stood excitedly videoing… Isabella looked eager and watched with anticipation, even opened her mouth as the spoon came near! A little frown crossed her face as the sweet potato hit her tongue, uncertain and questioning…We took this to be encouragement and promptly aeroplaned more into her mouth. Another spoon later and she was done, asking assertively to be let down and play with Sophie. Anticlimax of the century… I don’t know what we were expecting to happen. Did anyone else have a similar experience?