Weaning On The Go With My Little Piccolo

As of yesterday, Baby Eco turned 28 weeks, and as you maybe aware my partner and I decided to go down the combined route of traditional weaning (purees and mashed foods fed by spoon) and baby led weaning (soft finger foods he can explore and eat himself).

When at home, I prefer to make Eco’s meals from scratch (I’ll share the details in a separate post) but when out and about attending various baby groups, visiting his grandparents and a few family gatherings / celebrations we’ve had recently , I’ve found taking premade pouches more convenient and practical (fresh food does not last long outside of the fridge, especially on a hot day!).

That said, the pre-made pouches I allow Baby Eco to consume has to pass the following criteria:-

• The food has to be Organic
• Contain Only Natural Ingredients 
• Has No added Salt, Sugar or Additives.
• Has to have Flavour!

I know what you’re thinking…. Surely the above is what one can expect from all baby / child food brands right? WRONG!!!

Most have added sugar (looking at you Farleys Rusks), have other hidden fillers and let’s be honest and tastes extremely bland!

So you can imagine my sheer excitement when the wonderful team at BumpPR got in touch to see if Baby Eco would like to try My Little Piccolo Mediterranean Baby Food Blend as part of his weaning journey.

Of course I didn’t think twice and jumped at the chance after hearing great things from my social media friends on Twitter and other Mothers from our local baby groups.

I decided to do some further research and after checking out the brand’s website in greater detail I absolutely LOVED the way different ingredients and flavour combinations are used to make each blend and was completely won over by the Mediterranean approach.

Before I share my Son (and I’s) thoughts on the different blends we were kindly sent, I thought I’d give you a brief insight into the brand should you not be familiar with the company…

My Little Piccolo Background

My Little Piccolo encourages healthy eating from 6 months and has come up with a way in introducing Mediterranean goodness in a delicious range of baby food.

The range has been influenced by founder Cat Gozzoli’s Italian roots, background in food education and passion for good, honest and natural food. The Mediterranean approach to nutrition and lifestyle is one that champions fresh ingredients and great flavours, lovingly prepared, and shared with friends and family.

The original range has a total of six stage one blends and each pouch is made with 100% natural, organic ingredients.

It is also worth mentioning that the brand donates 10% of its profits to food education, and is the first baby food brand to work in partnership with the prestigious National Childbirth Trust (NCT), the UK’s largest parenting charity.

Thoughts On The My Little Piccolo Range

We’ve been in receipt of our wonderful Piccolo Package for at least 3 weeks now which has given me time to introduce each flavour combination to my Son on more than three occasions whilst looking out for signs of potential allergies.

Whilst all were pleasantly tasting, Eco’s least favourite of the six was the Apricot and Apple (with a hint of cinnamon) Judging by his head shaking and the classic sour faced expression people make when consuming something bitter, I think this blend was a bit too tart for his tiny tastebuds though we did manage a few spoonfuls before he had enough.

His standout favourite from the original range is Spring Greens with a hint of mint.

It’s fantastic to witness my Son enjoying vegetable flavours such as spinach, courgette and mint just like his Mama did throughout pregnancy (I always added spinach to meals and homemade smoothies).

Eco’s other favourites include Chickpea, Butternut Squash and Red Pepper followed by Banana, Blueberry and Apple.

Whilst the majority of Eco’s pouches were consumed by me spoon feeding him, during the unexpected heatwave the UK had a few weeks back I decided to make miniature puree ice lollies for Eco to suckle on during the unexpected heatwave the UK had a few weeks ago. 

Not only was this well received, was another fab way to get some solids consumed by your little, the frozen puree also doubled up as a fantastic teething aid, adding much needed relief to those sore, inflamed gums!

Aside from great tasting combinations (of course I had to be the chief taster as I’m jointly responsible for what Eco eats), the packaging is aesthetically pleasing with fun vibrant colours to catch ones eye Whilst sitting pretty on supermarket shelves.

Knowing that the founder Cat, was a CEO of the Slow Food Movement (in the UK) for 6 years fills me with confidence as the person behind the brand has expert knowledge when it comes to all things food and nutrition!

My only small critique would be the amount of natural sugar (fructose from fruits) contained per pouch (100g) with the highest percentage being over 11%.

I personally think this amount is too high for a baby to consume in one sitting so therefore have chosen to give Eco a 30ml serving and freeze the rest to have on other days.

We were also very fortunate to have tried four brand new flavours before they hit the shelves in Waitrose nationwide this week and will be sharing our thoughts and reactions via my Instagram Page under hashtag #Piccolopreview.

Whilst we have now progressed onto finger foods as of last week, my partner and I will continue to offer My Little Piccolo puree blends to have as a spread on sliced toast and rice cakes as well as the days when we’re out and about.

For more information about My Little Piccolo, they can be found online by visiting My Little Piccolo website, My Little Piccolo Facebook or by simply following them on Twitter. 

Disclaimer: I was kindly sent the products mentioned to try and give feedback. I was not asked to write a review but done so because we love the product. All thoughts and opinions are honest and entirely my own.