First 1,000 Days ♥

Pregnancy and the first two years of a baby's life are some of the most important in regards to nutrition and development. The First 1,000 Days is a concept launched by husband and wife team Neven and Amelda Maguire in June 2013, Neven being one of Ireland's most famous chefs. The First 1,000 Day represent a full term pregnancy, 270 days plus year one, 365 days and year 2 also 365 days, these first 1,000 days provide a unique window of opportunity to secure the long term health and development of an individual. Pregnant women are so cautious about what they eat, drink, etc during pregnancy, wanting to eat as healthily as possible for both themselves and their developing babies. When a baby is then born it is either breastfed or bottle fed, getting essential nutrients from milk. When the weaning stage happens it's both fun and exciting helping your little one discover new foods but finding foods and meals which provide some source of nourishment for them is very important. During the toddler stage it is important to maintain a healthy eating routine and a wide variety of foods which are not only tasty but nutritious too. To celebrate the launch of the First 1,000 Days movement Danone Baby Nutrition in partnership with the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute unveiled the First 1,000 Days Recipe Book, a charming little green book full of tasty, healthy recipes for each stage of the 1,000 days and mouth-watering images which will most definitely give you the inspiration to try these dishes out for yourself. This book aims to make optimising your baby's nutritional needs easier by providing a wide variety of recipes which are easy to make and tasty too.

My son is at stage three of the weaning stage so can just about eat the majority and foods available. We favour baby led weaning and I make all his meals fresh everyday, nothing is frozen down for him. This book is such a delight to have. The recipes are so inspiring, things which I have never made before and had never even thought about making him but I decided to give some a try. Our lunch time favourite is the avocado and kiwi puree, it's tasty, refreshing and packed full of goodness. It only takes a couple of minutes to make too so perfect for busy days. Today I was inspired to make the salmon fish cakes featured in the book, you can see my results below! I am not a fan of fish but I decided when I was pregnant that I really wanted by baby to eat fish. It's so healthy and provides Omega 3 something very important for brain development. This recipe was explained so easily within the First 1,000 Days Recipe Book that I didn't find it daunting to do at all and I'm delighted to report that they turned out wonderfully and were a big hit with my son. You can view the recipe here for yourself Salmon Fishcake Recipe. I think the First 1,000 Days movement is fantastic and is a great way to raise awareness to not only mothers but also mothers-to-be about what they can eat and cook easily to ensure that their baby is gaining optimum nutrition and healthiness in all that they are consuming.

 You can read more about the First 1,000 Days movement and browse through some great recipes of the First 1,000 Days website. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.