A mum feeds her two-year-old seafood to make sure she’s not a “fussy” eater – and says the tot loves smoked salmon, mussels and haggis. Erin Archibald, 31, has been giving her daughter Hallie, two, her dinner to try since she was six months old.
Erin and her husband, Charlie, 33, a SEO marketing contractor, use baby-led weaning – which involves jumping straight to finger food and bypassing purees. They give Hallie the same meal as them to try and let her have shellfish from 18 months.
Now Hallie loves prawns, smoked salmon, gherkins, olives and haggis – and has even tried mussels and fish sticks. Erin hopes letting her try the meals will mean she doesn’t grow up “fussy” and will help prevent food allergies.
Erin, a pharmacist, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, Scotland, said: “She loves fish – white fish and loves smoked salmon. Prawn is her absolute favourite. She’d scoff a whole packet if we let her.
“We plonked the mussels down in front of her and she scoffed the lot. I was teaching her how to use the shell and pick the mussel out.
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“Fish is one of her staples. She loves the fish from the chippy but doesn’t eat the batter. She picks out the fish.
“Fingers crossed she won’t be fussy.” Erin started letting Hallie try solid foods from just six months old – giving her foods such as soft-boiled carrots.
The family eat the same thing at mealtimes and Erin said Hallie was eating king prawns before she was one. Erin said: “We just offer her our stuff.
“If you offer her something new with olives and gherkins, she usually tries it. She has unusual taste buds.
“We’re urging her to try unusual things.” At 18 months old Hallie tried smoked salmon after seeing her dad Charlie was eating it for lunch.
She said: “My husband often has it for lunch. He was eating it and she was like ‘where’s my bit?’
“It was a hit from the start.” Erin often cooks with Hallie to encourage her to try things – such as eggs.
She said: “She loves a boiled egg but she’s not sure on the yolk. You get a lot of kids that only eat beige foods like chicken nuggets and chips.
“We’re trying to make sure she doesn’t always have that.” Although she loves seafood, Hallie is not a lover of avocado or broccoli but loves peas.
Erin said: “Lots of babies love avocado. People think it’s dead strange that Hallie likes mussels.
“They say ‘I don’t even like mussels.' People say ‘I pray for her future boyfriends. She’ll be an expensive date’.
“We got the mussels really cheap from Aldi.” Erin would recommend baby-led weaning to other parents.
She said: “Shellfish is best to do really early on - where they can try them in a safe manner. I’m hopeful she’ll go to a restaurant when she’s older and buy something different.”
Erin is continuing to try different foods with Hallie to develop her taste buds. She said: “I want to try lobster next.”
