A MOTHER has left parents open-mouthed after showing off the dinner she gave her seven-month-old baby.
Bethan, a mother from the UK, regularly shares cooking content on social media, but a recent clip has caused quite the controversy.
The content creator, who has 47,200 followers on TikTok, recently started baby-led weaning (BLW) with her “fussy”; son, but has since come under fire for posting a clip of his dinner online.
In the short video, viewers saw Bethan prepare her seven-month-old’s meal – sausage and chips.
At the start of the short clip, which was captioned ‘baby-led weaning: sausage and chips’, viewers saw Bethan cook two Cumberland sausages, which she bought from Asda.
She then sliced potatoes into chips, coated them with a generous glug of avocado oil, paprika, salt and pepper and cooked them in her air fryer.
To ensure the meal stayed nutritious, Bethan cooked some broccoli and peas in the microwave.
She also served up some baked beans which she mashed with a fork.
When serving up the meal, the brunette beauty gave her son just half of one sausage, which she then sliced in half.
As well as mashing up the Heinz beans, she also ensured to mash the peas too, to avoid a choking hazard.
But Bethan’s TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @bethandoeslife, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 253,100 views.
It has also amassed 3,191 likes, 85 comments and 696 saves.
Big divide
Social media users were left totally divided by the babies’ meal – whilst some thought it looked ‘yummy’, many parents were eager to share their concerns.
Not only did mums regard the sausages as a ‘choking hazard’, but others were worried with the high amount of salt in the dinner.
One foodie wrote: “Oh a fab tea indeed.”;
A second agreed: “Looks yummy!”;
Always quarter sausages length ways not just half. It’s a choking hazard
TikTok user
Whilst someone else chimed in: “Omg what a good dinner.”;
However, at the same time, one woman said: “They are choking hazards, need to be squashed or flattened.”;
Another added: “Always quarter sausages length ways not just half. It’s a choking hazard.”;
Whilst a third commented: “Please quarter the sausages to prevent a choking hazard as sausages are known for it.”;
What is baby led weaning?
Starting your baby on food can be a daunting, scary process.
And while mums have depended for years on purees and soft, easy to eat foods for their babies, there's another approach that often causes controversy.
Namely baby led weaning (BLW).
Instead of spoon-feeding your baby pureed or mashed foods, BLW means offering them “only finger foods and letting them feed themselves from the start”, the NHS explained.
“You can offer a range of small, finger-sized pieces of food,” they added.
“Some parents prefer baby-led weaning to spoon feeding, while others combine a bit of both.
“There's no right or wrong way – the most important thing is that your baby eats a wide variety of food and gets all the nutrients they need.”
Not only this, but someone else flagged: “I was told sausages usually have too much salt in for under 1’s?”;
At the same time, one mother questioned: “Are sausages not too salty or something? Always thought about giving them but thought you can’t!”;
To this, Bethan replied and shared: “I thought this with my first, but he really doesn’t eat much of it, if any at all (hence why he has half).
“Plus his main meal is his evening meal, which will be his salt allowance.”;
NHS advice
According to the NHS, when it comes to weaning, there are a number of foods parents should avoid giving to babies and young children – and salty foods such as sausages have been included in the list.
The NHS website reads: “Babies should not eat much salt, as it's not good for their kidneys.
“Do not add salt to your baby's food or cooking water, and do not use stock cubes or gravy, as they're often high in salt.
“Remember this when you're cooking for the family if you plan to give the same food to your baby.
It's a good idea to limit how often you give processed meat (such as ham or sausages) to your child
NHS
“Avoid salty foods like: bacon, sausages, chips with added salt, crackers, crisps, ready meals, takeaways.”;
Despite this, according to the NHS Better Health Start for Life guide, if you are going to give babies and young children sausages, you should cut them into “short strips”; and serve them in “small amounts”;.
The NHS further advises: “Cut them in half and then lengthways, or as thinly as possible.
“Peeling the skin off the sausages makes them easier to swallow.
“It's a good idea to limit how often you give processed meat (such as ham or sausages) to your child.
“However, small amounts are OK as part of a balanced diet.”;
Other foods to avoid
Not only is it advised to minimise the amount of salt you give to babies, but sugar is also a no no.
According to the NHS: “Your baby does not need sugar.
“By avoiding sugary snacks and drinks (including fruit juice and other fruit drinks), you'll help prevent tooth decay.”;
Additionally, parents should also steer clear of saturated fats.
“Do not give your child too many foods that are high in saturated fat, such as crisps, biscuits and cakes.
“Checking the nutrition labels can help you choose foods that are lower in saturated fat,”; the NHS recommends.
Unlock even more award-winning articles as Flying Eze launches brand new membership programme –Sun Club
