We started giving Huxley solids at around 4 months. The guidelines say 6 months but Huxley was always a big boy and even our health visitor thought he was ready for real food. In fact, just before we did it, we asked nearly everyone we knew when they put their child on solids and 99% of them said 4 months. At first it was quite easy. Huxley didn’t really get on with baby porridge but he was more than happy with the pureed veg we were making him. However, about 2 months in he wouldn’t eat anything off a spoon. Then we started struggling. There’s really not that many things soft enough for a baby to eat that he can pick up with his hands. There was a period where he ate a lot of toast and it really stressed us out. We’d always had this idyllic vision of weaning that involved Huxley wolfing down his vegetables and getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs with no trouble at all. Turns out it’s not that simple. We’ve always wanted Huxley to eat the same food as us and the reason we bought the Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair was so that he could sit at the table and be a part of meal times with us rather than feeling separated in a high chair away from the table with a tray of his own to eat from. Over the past couple of months we’ve managed to collect a repertoire of recipes that we can all eat together. I’m not going to tell you when these recipes will be suitable for your baby as every child is different but we’ve been feeding stuff like this to Huxley since he was about 7 months. Hux only got his first two teeth once he’d turned 9 months so I don’t think it really makes much difference how many teeth they have as to how well they can eat this stuff. Now, onto the recipe… It makes about 12 small fish cakes (you can make bigger ones but they’ll be harder to keep stuck together). It takes about 30 minutes (plus 5 or so minutes for the mixture to cool down enough for you to shape it into a patty with your hands without burning yourself!)
Fish cake recipe
- 1 medium carrot – 1 white onion (or ½ large onion) – 1 medium baking potato – 1 medium sweet potato – 200-250g salmon (skinless & pin-boned) 
1. Peel and dice the carrot, potatoes & onion 
2. Put the carrot, potato & sweet potato in a pan of water and bring to the boil. Simmer until vegetables are soft. (The smaller you’ve diced the veg, the quicker it’ll cook). Drain and then mash. 
3. Meanwhile, put the salmon in simmering water until cooked through (5-10 minutes) - it’ll turn light pink and will flake away when prodded with a fork. Remove from water and set aside. 
4. While the veg & fish are cooking, fry the onion in a separate pan until softened. 5. Flake the fish into the mashed vegetables, add the onion and mix it all together. 
6. Make sure the mixture is cool before handling. To speed this up, spread it out thinly on a plate. Once you can pick it up without it burning your hands, form it into patties and fry in a tablespoon or two of oil for about 3-5 minutes each side. 
7. Allow to cool on a plate for a while before giving to your child. (Sometimes we cook these in advance because they keep in the fridge for a day or two and Huxley eats them cold for lunch) 
We serve our fish cakes with peas and broccoli. 
P.S. I cannot guarantee that your child won’t abandon his plate and proceed to smush his fish cakes into the table to make a grand old mess…. 