Allergy Friendly Cupcakes - Baby Peach's First Birthday

Our house is dairy and egg free. So when it came time to plan Baby Peach's first birthday party I was a little worried about the cake situation. I didn't want BP's smash cake to be full of dairy and I wasn't too keen on the idea of a bunch of left over cupcakes sitting on my counter that would never be eaten because I can't have what's in them either.

Thank goodness for the Milk Allergy Mom. Her blog has saved me time and time again trying to find allergy friendly recipes. Thanks to her confetti cake recipe I was able to bake three dozen cupcakes and one adorable little smash cake. All dairy and egg free.

I didn't tell anyone at the party that the cupcakes were allergy friendly (since I'm the only one with food allergies). And the cupcakes were gobbled up. So I'd say everyone liked them. I even sent some of the left overs home with guests so that I wouldn't overdose on sugar eating them all by myself.

If you or your kiddo or someone you know has food allergies I highly recommend checking out Milk Allergy Mom's website and Facebook page. Dealing with food allergies can be tricky and it's nice to know someone else out there that has figured out a few things already.


Now, what you've all really come for... pictures of Baby Peach at his party.

waiting for his guests to arrive

gifts (and a sneak peak at our new fireplace)

he was so adorable holding his balloon

I'd say he thoroughly enjoyed his cake

playing in his new sandbox with his cousins

Happy first birthday, Baby Peach! I cannot believe that you are already a whole year old. May your next year be even more exciting than the last.

With love,

the Crunchy Peach

Baby Led Weaning: Nine Month Update

What Baby Peach has learned in the past three months of baby led weaning (BLW):

how to steal food off my plate
how to fling a loaded spoon/fork across the room
how to feed the dog
how to bathe in spaghetti sauce
how to flap his arms and scream until you give him more food
how to hide food down the sides of his chair

But, he has also learned:

how to eat with a fork (still working on the spoon)
how to use his pincer grip
how to chew and swallow
how to pick out his favorite foods
how to let cold/frozen foods melt in his mouth before swallowing

Some of Baby Peach's current favorite foods:

corn on the cob
yogurt drops
frozen blueberries
strawberries
macaroni and cheese
sweet potatoes
zucchini
pasta in tomato basil sauce
pineapple

Most meals he wants seconds and thirds. This boy loves to eat!

At six months he was eating one meal a day. Then at seven and a half months he started two meals a day. When he turned nine months old he started eating breakfast, lunch and supper. Now when he sees me cooking he gets so excited and is sure to let me know if it's taking too long.

The past three months of BLW have been a great experience for our entire family. Mr Peach and I love to watch Baby eat and he loves to babble and put on a show each time he's in his highchair. He's learning and practicing so many skills each time he eats and having tons of fun while doing it. Plus he's developing a palate for tasty, healthy foods. I don't have to worry about having enough baby food on hand, and when going out to restaurants I bring along a little veggie appetizer and we're good to go.

I'm so glad that I did my research and decided to try out BLW. It's been a great fit for our family and I hope it's making a whole foods lover out of my Baby Peach.

Blessings,
The Crunchy Peach

One Month of Baby Led Weaning

Mashed potatoes up his nose. Cinnamon coating his ear. Sticky peach juice coving the floor beneath his highchair. Pieces of chewed up pasta smushed into his pants. This is the picture of the beginnings of baby led weaning (BLW).

While at times it may be messy (and by "messy" I mean messy, and by "at times" I mean always), it is so much fun watching your baby explore and learn about food.

Mr. Peach and I decided to introduce solid foods to Baby Peach after reading the Baby Led Weaning book. It just made sense to us. Plus there was that whole added bonus of not having to buy or make "baby food".

If you aren't familiar with the BLW approach here it is in a nutshell: when your baby is six months old start feeding them solid food. Skip the jars of baby food and purees. Whatever you're having for supper, baby is having it too. Just give them sticks of food that they can pick up on their own to feed themselves.

Baby Peach has been feeding himself one meal a day for the past month and he has been loving it. And we've been loving watching him. He loves food. All food. Except for tomatoes. And he especially loves anything green.

So far we've only been feeding him solids at supper time. But he's getting to the point where if you have food in front of you he's going to try and grab it. Might be time to add another meal...

Here's a list of the foods he has eaten so far:

carrots - steamed and roasted
broccoli - steamed
zucchini - steamed, roasted, sautéed
tomatoes
celery
peaches
pineapple
blueberries
banana
lemons
tangerines
bread - mostly rolls
pizza crust
apples - raw, and sautéed in coconut oil and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg
sweet potatoes - roasted and mashed
white potatoes - mashed
sausage
steak
hamburger
bell peppers - red, green, yellow
pickles
cucumbers
green beans
corn
black beans
pasta - plain and with tomato sauce
hummus

avocado

rice

Another plus to BLW is that it makes you examine your own diet. Since you don't want to be feeding your baby processed foods, and since baby is eating what you eat, it helps ensure you're eating a whole foods diet too!

It has been so fun to not only watch him discover solid food, but also reach developmental milestones. When he started feeding himself half of the time food would miss his mouth completely and the food that did make it into his mouth he would push back out. Now he can grab something with his hand and not smush it, bring it to his mouth and actually get it into his mouth and eat it. Now he's working on his pincer grip which will allow him to eat smaller foods like peas and rice.

Have you tried BLW with your little one? I'd love to hear your stories and find out your favorite baby friendly recipes!

Blessings and happy eating,
The Crunchy Peach