3.94

4

May 25, 2007

While I recommend this book highly- there is invaluable information and hints for preparing your own baby food- I feel morally obligated to warn the world that the author is completely, totally nuts. You do have to wade through some looniness to get the goods. The woman is excited to have found a use for dryer lint, for the love of pete (its for playdough... not food. She's not that crazy.)

2

Jan 21, 2011

The basic premise, that you should feed your baby homemade baby food made from organic fruits/grains/vegetables is sound enough. The tips and directions for preparing said fruits and vegetables for baby consumption are also helpful. However, the author clearly has absolutely no qualifications, and is simply writing this overly preachy, at times bordering on ridiculous tome based on her own experiences. Aside from many typos and flat-out mistakes (like putting the registered trademark sign next The basic premise, that you should feed your baby homemade baby food made from organic fruits/grains/vegetables is sound enough. The tips and directions for preparing said fruits and vegetables for baby consumption are also helpful. However, the author clearly has absolutely no qualifications, and is simply writing this overly preachy, at times bordering on ridiculous tome based on her own experiences. Aside from many typos and flat-out mistakes (like putting the registered trademark sign next to saccharin, which is a chemical compound, not a brand name), some of the advice is way over-the-top: "Remember to keep your facial expression pleasant when you are changing your baby's diaper. He will notice any look of disgust on your face, which may teach him that his private parts are repulsive and lead him to believe that sex is "dirty" when he gets older." Wow, that is quite the pop psychology leap. I also remain completely unconvinced by her one paragraph explanation of why you should feed your baby a vegetarian diet, which just includes the usual five environmental/animal welfare/"healthier life" reasons, without anything specifically included for developing babies/toddlers. She highly recommends tofu to be introduced as early as 8-9 months (which is when most babies meet meat). I completely disagree, just based on the fact that I doubt soy's high estrogen content is all that great in large quantities for tiny people, but I'm not going to go write a book about it, since I have zero qualifications to say so. In any case, good reference for fruit/veggie/grain prep and many fun recipe ideas for toddler meals, if you can ignore the alarmist ridiculousness. ...more

3

Dec 04, 2008

This book has really helped me break out of my DIY shyness. I bought all of my first child's baby food. Now, after reading this book for baby #2 I have been cooking, puree-ing and freezing my own baby food now since he started eating vegetables. The only jarred baby foods I've bought for him are for traveling. I haven't quite made Ruth Yaron's "super porridge" from organic brown rice and all the other good (but probably nasty-tasting) stuff she puts in it, but I have been feeding the baby fresh This book has really helped me break out of my DIY shyness. I bought all of my first child's baby food. Now, after reading this book for baby #2 I have been cooking, puree-ing and freezing my own baby food now since he started eating vegetables. The only jarred baby foods I've bought for him are for traveling. I haven't quite made Ruth Yaron's "super porridge" from organic brown rice and all the other good (but probably nasty-tasting) stuff she puts in it, but I have been feeding the baby fresh wheat cereal in the mornings, and adding freshly ground flax seed to it. It doesn't take much effort to puree and freeze the vegetables ahead of time, and I can serve up the frozen food super fast whenever I want. I'm sure I've been saving a ton of money. I'm also inspired to feed the rest of the family more vegetables.

I was forewarned that the author is quite an extremist. However, I found her to be fairly down to earth. Her tips are very helpful and reasonable. How extreme can she be if she uses a microwave, anyway? (Then again, my household was vegan when I was a teenager, so I'm used to extreme.) The one way I did find her to be slightly overwhelming is in her very diverse menu. She makes sure her babies get quite a variety of foods every day. Some of the food/grains I'm not even familiar with. But, regardless of my ability to pronounce what I'm making for my baby, the author makes it very easy to accomplish getting it fed my baby. If you want to make your own baby food but you just need a push to get you started, this is the book for you.

Technically I didn't read the whole book cover to cover. I started out like that, but ended up just jumping around to whatever I felt like reading. The first chapters contained a lot of information about infant safety that might be good to review, but wasn't what I wanted to read at the moment. This would make a good reference book to keep around (especially the menus and recipes), but unfortunately I got it from the library. I'm tempted to buy it. ...more

5

Nov 05, 2008

A great book on introducing solids into baby's diet and making your own baby food. Making your own baby food is actually quite simple and not very time consuming. The book is very thorough and works well as a reference book to return to over and over again as questions arise.

The author does overdo it on her fear of bacteria, etc. but I figure that is just her personality type and/or she's writing a book about baby food and doesn't want to get sued.

One piece of advice that I would add, which I A great book on introducing solids into baby's diet and making your own baby food. Making your own baby food is actually quite simple and not very time consuming. The book is very thorough and works well as a reference book to return to over and over again as questions arise.

The author does overdo it on her fear of bacteria, etc. but I figure that is just her personality type and/or she's writing a book about baby food and doesn't want to get sued.

One piece of advice that I would add, which I don't think was in the book, is to introduce peaches or something with fiber in it as one of the first foods. That way when bananas or other foods come along that can cause constipation you already have a food to use to help solve the situation.

Also, if your child doesn't like a food, try adjusting the consistency or texture by adding or taking away liquid. Another thing to adjust is the temperature. Babies often don't like cold or room temperature food. ...more

1

Mar 30, 2013

This book is formatted like a homemade text book. Which is weird. Also, there's a 15 step set of instructions about how easy it is to make baby cereal, starting from grinding your own grains. Perhaps their definition of easy and mine are from different dictionaries? Anyway, I didn't make it much past that. I could tell that this was not a book for me.

5

May 27, 2011

The cover doesn't give it away but this is an EXCELLENT source for raising a vegetarian child. There is nutritional information, recipes for baby food, time-saving tips, and some fun activities thrown in for good measure (like growing an avacado plant). The writing is VERY informal (the author includes little smiley faces after jokes) so for that reason you are going to want another book (I suggest NEW Vegetarian Baby) for nutritional research.

Even for the non-veg parents out there this is a The cover doesn't give it away but this is an EXCELLENT source for raising a vegetarian child. There is nutritional information, recipes for baby food, time-saving tips, and some fun activities thrown in for good measure (like growing an avacado plant). The writing is VERY informal (the author includes little smiley faces after jokes) so for that reason you are going to want another book (I suggest NEW Vegetarian Baby) for nutritional research.

Even for the non-veg parents out there this is a great book on preparing your own baby food. The author provides a system for preparing and feeding your baby the right assortment of food. She also has a number of techniques for food storage. After reading the chapter on "Super Porridge" I made my own cereal for my daughter. She was never too keen on the store-bought stuff but she ate the homemade barley cereal right up!

This book has given me so many great ideas I can't wait to try them all. Recommended for any health conscious parent with a baby to wean!
...more

4

Dec 12, 2007

Life outside the jar. Baby food jars, that is. This book is good for health-conscious parents, especially those believe pre-made foods are truly time-saving, or just 'as good as' fresh, whole foods. The author gets a bit too obsessive with detail, but the focus on vegetarianism (nope your kid doesn't 'need' meat!), attention to developmental readiness, and tips on batch preparation and storage are worth it.

4

Jun 07, 2009

A slightly overwhelming, but imminently useful guide to making your own baby food. This is the book to start with if you plan to do this kind of thing.

4

Mar 31, 2008

This is like the exhaustive bible on baby food. I'm not sure I'd recommend everyone read it cover to cover as it's a little intense and thorough (and it covers other random topics like birthday parties, homemade household cleaners, and arts and craft ideas), but I found this book to be an invaluable resource.

When I wanted to know how old Cannon should be before I fed him pureed broccoli, I turned here. When I wanted to know exactly how to make and prepare chicken for Cannon this book had the This is like the exhaustive bible on baby food. I'm not sure I'd recommend everyone read it cover to cover as it's a little intense and thorough (and it covers other random topics like birthday parties, homemade household cleaners, and arts and craft ideas), but I found this book to be an invaluable resource.

When I wanted to know how old Cannon should be before I fed him pureed broccoli, I turned here. When I wanted to know exactly how to make and prepare chicken for Cannon this book had the answer. It gave me new foods to try with Cannon each month and told me more than I needed to know about buying, preparing and feeding them to him. So, I would highly recommend it as a reference book for your shelves - unless of course you're going the "Baby-Led Weaning" route - but that's a book for next month's review. ...more

3

Apr 09, 2010

First the negative. There is so, so, so much information in this book, and a lot of it is repetitive. You have to do some wading at times to get through the glut of info, not all of which is helpful, and you also have to take some of the author's recommendations with a grain of salt. Always go with what your pediatrician recommends. There are also some purely silly recommendations (see: uses for dryer lint).

And now the positive. I think the main thing I took away from this book is that you can First the negative. There is so, so, so much information in this book, and a lot of it is repetitive. You have to do some wading at times to get through the glut of info, not all of which is helpful, and you also have to take some of the author's recommendations with a grain of salt. Always go with what your pediatrician recommends. There are also some purely silly recommendations (see: uses for dryer lint).

And now the positive. I think the main thing I took away from this book is that you can and should think outside the traditional American diet when feeding your baby. It's not that difficult, but is extremely beneficial, to make your baby's food. And it's fine to give baby zucchini for breakfast. They don't know any different! Sneak it into their oatmeal, why not. The most useful recipe I found in here was how to cook brown rice and dried peas in the same pot.

The recipes are great, and the meal ideas are also good. Don't try to read this book straight through, skim and read the pertinent-to-you parts, and then use it as a reference guide. ...more

2

Mar 30, 2008

First of all, if you pick up this book and are semi-intelligent you can skip to chapter 19. I can't stand how in America everyone feels like they have to cover every tiny detail that should be common sense so that they don't get sued. That is what the bulk of this book is. There are 560 pages (all of which I did not read), and the useful information could be condensed down to maybe 100. For example, on the list of foods to avoid before you child is THREE are popcorn, marshmallows, blueberries, First of all, if you pick up this book and are semi-intelligent you can skip to chapter 19. I can't stand how in America everyone feels like they have to cover every tiny detail that should be common sense so that they don't get sued. That is what the bulk of this book is. There are 560 pages (all of which I did not read), and the useful information could be condensed down to maybe 100. For example, on the list of foods to avoid before you child is THREE are popcorn, marshmallows, blueberries, all berries, olives, peas, raisins, and the list goes on. My kids would starve if I were that paranoid. We'll just stay away from hard candy and meat gristle (also on the list), thanks.

What this book does have to offer is how to make super porridge and other recipes for homemade baby food. Great idea, but I hardly have time to read about baby food, much less make it. I definitely recommend it to first time moms that can start the habit of super porridge, then it won't be as hard to start with additional children. ...more

4

Jul 11, 2010

I think that the author is a tad over cautious, as in, there is a warning about something ever other line or so. There are also a lot of strange tips that I found a bit unnecessary and just plain weird.

That said, I really liked her philosophy, and the directions are pretty flawless. My kid is just NOT a good eater generally, so we didn't get much use out of the recipes, although I found them tasty - at 3 he's only now interested in pancakes and finger foods, so getting him to eat tofu balls any I think that the author is a tad over cautious, as in, there is a warning about something ever other line or so. There are also a lot of strange tips that I found a bit unnecessary and just plain weird.

That said, I really liked her philosophy, and the directions are pretty flawless. My kid is just NOT a good eater generally, so we didn't get much use out of the recipes, although I found them tasty - at 3 he's only now interested in pancakes and finger foods, so getting him to eat tofu balls any time soon is pretty unlikely.

I did and still do make the cereals for him, although we never put Kale in them. They are tasty, and hearty, and at least I know he is getting a good breakfast. I also used all the directions for cooking fruits and veggies, and I still puree things for him. You can sneak pureed Kale into lots of things.

I'd recommend it for any moms who are food conscious, or just trying to economize, as its a great, complete manual for making your own healthy baby food. ...more

4

Mar 04, 2010

Very good and quite thorough, however would love to see a companion site or forum setup for finding and sharing recipes as the recipes in the Appendix just give you a limited set of possibilities. Preparing, Cooking and Serving your child proper food with excellent nutritional value is becoming harder and harder every day. Processed foods are tough to avoid, as are the depressing introductions of genetiically modified foods into the human (and indeed the Earth's) food chain.

More advice on Very good and quite thorough, however would love to see a companion site or forum setup for finding and sharing recipes as the recipes in the Appendix just give you a limited set of possibilities. Preparing, Cooking and Serving your child proper food with excellent nutritional value is becoming harder and harder every day. Processed foods are tough to avoid, as are the depressing introductions of genetiically modified foods into the human (and indeed the Earth's) food chain.

More advice on organic and whole foods, where to find them, and key nutritients; as well as analyses of popular foods' expected/ideal nutrional value (i.e. Vitamins, Mineral content, Fat, Protein, Iron, etc) would all augment this book and make it a perfect nutritional guide. As is, it is a great eye-opener but needs to be supplemented with rigorous research on the web.

That said, it was a good read, and I don't think there's another book on Baby Food out there that covers this important material as thoroughly and usefully. ...more

2

Feb 19, 2011

Honestly, I haven't finished it. It's just not one of those kinds of books. It's one you skim through and use what works for you. For instance, recipes - I do want to try the "Super Porridge" and some other things, but my little one has been going 50/50 with homemade and (organic) commercial food. Not to mention, it goes into toddler stuff, which I'm not yet at with my 10-mo old. So no need (or time and memory) to bother with those sections yet. I say "it's ok" because I think the author is a Honestly, I haven't finished it. It's just not one of those kinds of books. It's one you skim through and use what works for you. For instance, recipes - I do want to try the "Super Porridge" and some other things, but my little one has been going 50/50 with homemade and (organic) commercial food. Not to mention, it goes into toddler stuff, which I'm not yet at with my 10-mo old. So no need (or time and memory) to bother with those sections yet. I say "it's ok" because I think the author is a little neurotic with her info in regards to some things. I understand her own beliefs, but she doesn't even go into meat. It's just not a part of the "Super Baby Food" diet, as she is purely veggie-oriented. That's simply her deal, but not ours (we're carnivores - well, ominivores - and the baby is into her protein that way too). There's a mix of good info and a some questionable-check-with-your-pediatrician info. For me, she kind of made the whole DIY food thing a bit more overwhelming and intimidating than it should be. Maybe borrow a friend's copy of the book, or check out in the library first before purchasing.... ...more

5

May 18, 2011

this is a wonderful, extremely helpful tool in learning how to feed your baby, toddler, children, family! A friend of mine gave it me when our 2 oldest were pretty little and I've used it with all four children. I made yoghurt in our gas oven in Texas using this book as a manual & it always turned out amazing. I now have a yoghurt maker which makes it a little easier but not neccesary with this book in hand. I think her perspective on meat is a little extreme and just a tad harsh but the this is a wonderful, extremely helpful tool in learning how to feed your baby, toddler, children, family! A friend of mine gave it me when our 2 oldest were pretty little and I've used it with all four children. I made yoghurt in our gas oven in Texas using this book as a manual & it always turned out amazing. I now have a yoghurt maker which makes it a little easier but not neccesary with this book in hand. I think her perspective on meat is a little extreme and just a tad harsh but the average vegetarian, Vegan or carnivour can learn lots from each chapter. I especially appreciate her chapters on freezing & storing food which I still use to this day. The chapters focusing on food timelines for babies were also very helpful in feeding our little ones. It's chock full of time-saving, money-saving, helpful hints that are food-related and non-food related. If you are into making your own bread, sprouted bread, crackers & other homemade mixes, this is the book for you. Also helpful, are the chapters on nuts/seeds and how to incorporate them into daily life. All in all, a step closer to a healthier eating lifestyle ultimately for the whole family- not just baby. ...more

3

Sep 21, 2011

A friend recommended Super Baby Food. While I'm glad I've read through it, I feel somewhat meh about it. There is good tactical info on introducing a baby to foods (such as give them one new food at the time, and give it to them in the morning, so if there's a reaction it's more likely to happen during the day, not the middle of the night).

However, recipes are difficult to find, and are not in standard recipe format (except for a larger listing in the back of the back). Much gusto is made about A friend recommended Super Baby Food. While I'm glad I've read through it, I feel somewhat meh about it. There is good tactical info on introducing a baby to foods (such as give them one new food at the time, and give it to them in the morning, so if there's a reaction it's more likely to happen during the day, not the middle of the night).

However, recipes are difficult to find, and are not in standard recipe format (except for a larger listing in the back of the back). Much gusto is made about a grain porridge, but there is so much explanatory information about the porridge, it's virtually impossible to find just the recipe!

The book is also packed with germophobic warnings that detract from its useful info. The author obsesses over things like boiling tap water and using "sterile" toothbrushes to wipe down can openers, and it's hard to take some of these "tips" and "warnings" seriously.

That said, we will check this book out from the library again when it's time to start our child on solid foods. We'll just dig through to the useful info as quickly as we can, and ignore the rest. ...more

3

Jun 28, 2008

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is about making homemade baby food for your infant and toddler. I found a lot of the book quite informational and a good resource for keeping your child's diet varied and nutritionally balanced. It also had easy ways to make stuff like homemade fruit rolls and arts and craft type of things.




However, she is a little alarmist about bacteria and meat. Sometimes you wonder how the human race managed to survive without refrigeration and anti-bacterial soap for so long. Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is about making homemade baby food for your infant and toddler. I found a lot of the book quite informational and a good resource for keeping your child's diet varied and nutritionally balanced. It also had easy ways to make stuff like homemade fruit rolls and arts and craft type of things.




However, she is a little alarmist about bacteria and meat. Sometimes you wonder how the human race managed to survive without refrigeration and anti-bacterial soap for so long. And I am of the belief that God put animals on the earth for us to use, whether for manual labor or food, they are here for us. I like meat. I also am not a clean freak. I wash my hands often but not every time they could have potentially come into contact with something that could cause bacteria to multiply rapidly and thus sicken us severely or kill us outright.




I like the take the WIC guy has. Whenever you cook for you, blend up a little for him and serve. That is what I have primarily done. Last night we made chicken alfredo with pasta. I scooped some into the blender and he loved it.




She also repeats herself a lot. The book could be half the length and she would still have been able to say all she wanted to say.




I'll get my own to have the recipes but other than that, most of it is basic knowledge. ...more

4

Jun 01, 2009

Incredible book with a range of topics. This is not a cookbook, although it does include many recipes. List of chapters:
Part 1: Feeding your Baby
1. Beginning solid foods: When? What's first? How much?
2. Feeding area and equipment-cleanliness and hints and tips.
3. Baby's very first meal-how to do it.
4. Food allergies.
5. Safety warnings. Ruth Yaron gives a plethora of them, but all of them are sound advice.
6. How much should my baby eat?
7. How much should she drink?
8. Vitamin supplements.
9. Incredible book with a range of topics. This is not a cookbook, although it does include many recipes. List of chapters:
Part 1: Feeding your Baby
1. Beginning solid foods: When? What's first? How much?
2. Feeding area and equipment-cleanliness and hints and tips.
3. Baby's very first meal-how to do it.
4. Food allergies.
5. Safety warnings. Ruth Yaron gives a plethora of them, but all of them are sound advice.
6. How much should my baby eat?
7. How much should she drink?
8. Vitamin supplements.
9. Mealtime-how to do it
10. Month-by-Month summary schedule for introducing which foods when.
11. Feeding your baby during the first few weeks.
12. Feeding at 6 months
13. at 7 months
14. at 8 months
15. at 9 months
16 at 10 months
17 at 11 months
18. Feeding your Toddler
19. The Super Baby Food Diet

Part II. Preparation and Storage. (This section is also absolutely packed with useful information. I have dog-eared and bookmarked every other page, it seems.
20. Kitchen equipment
21. Kitchen and food hygiene
22. Freezing food
23. Veggies & fruits
24. Super Porridge Cereals
25. Whole Grain foods
26. Legumes
27. Nuts, seeds & sprouts
28 Yogurt and Dairy food
29 Eggs
30 Misc. baby foods
31. Meat

Part III: Toddler (& grown-up) recipes

Part IV: Fun Stuff
33. Food decorating
34. Throwing a party/kids' birthday party themes/foods for kids and adults
35. Arts & Crafts the natural way

Part V: Reference and Appendices.

Total of 593 pages. ...more

3

Jan 21, 2014

There are some great pros to this book, but I think it also has some big cons.
The pros. This book really helped me figure out how to start feeding baby. I like how she lists foods for every month and baby's changing needs. This books is nuts and bolts. Absolutely anything you want to know about feeding your baby healthy food is in here making it a great reference book. I love how she lists just about every fruit and vegetable in the back and how to prepare them, how to ripen the specific There are some great pros to this book, but I think it also has some big cons.
The pros. This book really helped me figure out how to start feeding baby. I like how she lists foods for every month and baby's changing needs. This books is nuts and bolts. Absolutely anything you want to know about feeding your baby healthy food is in here making it a great reference book. I love how she lists just about every fruit and vegetable in the back and how to prepare them, how to ripen the specific fruits, how to store them, when baby can start eating them ect (for every type! She's so meticulous!)
The cons. She's pretty intense! There is just too much information in this book (she deviates from the subject of the book quite often...I don't enjoy all of the non related tip! Tip! Tip!s thrown in. It Boggs down her book. Also, it reads like a text book. Ugh, lady if I was going to grad school for feeding baby, then yes, I would read this cover to cover, but I'm not, so no. There are no baby food recipes! It's all toddler recipes...what?? And again, her recipe section is like an appendix I'd find in a grad level reading material. And no photos! Not one...really?? Sigh. I probably won't use any of her recipes for the mere fact that when I look at all the recipes crammed into one page, it makes me anxious and overwhelmed.
Bottom line, I use this as a (really great) reference book for preparing and storing certain fruits/vegetables and it helped me figure out how to start. However, I go elsewhere for recipes, which is really what I want at this point now that I have a feeding "plan" ...more

4

Jan 12, 2012

This book is geared toward parents who plan to make their own baby food; however, it could also be used as a resource for any parent preparing to introduce their baby to solid food. In addition to numerous baby food recipes and storage tips, it contains a lot of valuable information on things like nutrition and portion sizes, and when and how certain foods should be introduced. It gives parents meal ideas beyond the typical rice cereal, carrots, peas, and bananas fare in order to help them This book is geared toward parents who plan to make their own baby food; however, it could also be used as a resource for any parent preparing to introduce their baby to solid food. In addition to numerous baby food recipes and storage tips, it contains a lot of valuable information on things like nutrition and portion sizes, and when and how certain foods should be introduced. It gives parents meal ideas beyond the typical rice cereal, carrots, peas, and bananas fare in order to help them raise a child who is exposed to a variety of the healthiest “super foods.”
This book can be a little daunting at first glance; it’s a thick book with almost tissue- thin pages, and tiny print. Parents who are already crunched for time might be likely to pass it up for something more condensed, but this is not the type of book that needs to be read from cover-to-cover. I found that I was able to easily select chapters based on the information that I was seeking while skipping over the ones that repeated information I already had from other sources like my child’s pediatrician. I love that there are different recipes and meal ideas for different stages of eaters, and that the author provides many unique flavor combinations.
Most other baby food recipe books that I’ve read are good for providing a starting place, but they aren’t useful for much more than a basic guideline to getting a parent started with making their own food. I’d suggest borrowing any resource book from the library before deciding if it’s actually worth your money to purchase. This one is definitely a good resource to own.
...more

2

Mar 05, 2011

I have held off a while in writing the review to take some time to think about it and figure out how I was going to write this review and what I was going to rate it. I am conflicted because there is some really good content in this book, but there are two big issues with the book that really detract from the good content that it has.

The first issue is that throughout the book the author takes condescending attitude towards the reader, in talking down and essentially dictating how certain foods, I have held off a while in writing the review to take some time to think about it and figure out how I was going to write this review and what I was going to rate it. I am conflicted because there is some really good content in this book, but there are two big issues with the book that really detract from the good content that it has.

The first issue is that throughout the book the author takes condescending attitude towards the reader, in talking down and essentially dictating how certain foods, practices, etc.. are 'evil'. She also presents anecdotal observations as fact or as proof that her food and system are the source of healthy system.

The other issue I have with the book is the significant amount of repetitive information throughout the book and its organization. This makes it very hard to get through the book when you keep coming across the same information or statements throughout. I don't know if this is to make a large tome to help justify buying it or seeming that there is a lot more information in the book than actually is. The third part of the book which has a lot of ideas around making parties for kids, fun food presentation and such it really suffers from just cramming a lot of information on the page without an eye towards clean layout and organization and readability.

I think this book would be better served with some significant editing. There is some really good information on when to start presenting kids foods at the right age, how to prepare it, how to store it. There are also some really good ideas on recipes for toddlers, but it could be thinned to about a third of its size and a much better and easy to read book. ...more

5

Nov 17, 2008

This book is wonderful for making your own baby food. It's definitely the most comprehensive book I've ever seen. In fact, it probably (no, definitely) has too much information. It's broken up into chapters by age, and it tells you what to expect at this age and what different foods you can start introducing.

My favorite part of the book is in the back. It's got a huge reference that is in alphabetical order. Let's say you look up Avacados (surprisingly, this is a really nutritous food for This book is wonderful for making your own baby food. It's definitely the most comprehensive book I've ever seen. In fact, it probably (no, definitely) has too much information. It's broken up into chapters by age, and it tells you what to expect at this age and what different foods you can start introducing.

My favorite part of the book is in the back. It's got a huge reference that is in alphabetical order. Let's say you look up Avacados (surprisingly, this is a really nutritous food for beginning eaters. Does Gerber make it? I think not). Anyway, so you look it up, and it tells you exactly what you look for when you're picking one out in the grocery store, how to cook it (if needed) and how to freeze it into baby food cubes (just use your ice cube trays, pop them out and into freezer bags, and whala!! You've got baby food for a good while!)

The author is a big-time vegetarian, and talks about other forms of protein, such as Tofu (which I've used a ton of). My kids have turned out to not be really good meat-eaters, so I've tried to introduce more meats into their diets now. So anyway, you need to be aware of that. The other flaw of this book is that it's just TOO big -- way too much information. I recommend getting sticky notes and marking the sections you use the most (the author talks about birthday party ideas and games -- not stuff I'd expect from the title of the book. Like I said, too much info -- but the rest of the book is fantastic, so she's forgiven).

I used this book the most for Kayla, she never ate anything made by Gerber, and she is a really good eater (not so much on the meats, but like I said, we're working on that). But she'll ask for brocolli all the time, and she's just a real veggie lover in general. Jenna, on the other hand, was given a lot of Gerber, because lack of time, but I did SOME homemade. The result? Jenna is a way pickier eater, the only veggie she eats isbaby carrots. Coincidence?? I'll never really know, but something to think about. ...more

5

Nov 20, 2010

What I love about this book is that it presents a complete nutritional, homemade diet for your baby. It isn't just how to make baby food and store it , but it provides an entire meal schedule to ensure proper nutrition. This is what I love. It would be so easy to go to the store and buy some cereal and some fruit and veggies in jars and not get the proper nutrition. This book makes it easy for you to figure out how to do that.

She does have some bizarre dietary additives, but you can always What I love about this book is that it presents a complete nutritional, homemade diet for your baby. It isn't just how to make baby food and store it , but it provides an entire meal schedule to ensure proper nutrition. This is what I love. It would be so easy to go to the store and buy some cereal and some fruit and veggies in jars and not get the proper nutrition. This book makes it easy for you to figure out how to do that.

She does have some bizarre dietary additives, but you can always choose to go without. Not to mention she does add certain items into the diet at earlier months than a lot of books say to (e.g., cow's milk products), but she mentions to check with your pediatrician on almost every page. My pediatrician was very supportive of this diet with some minor tweaks of times on when to introduce certain items. Additionally, she has a very good section on food allergies and how to recognize it.

I would say my biggest complaint is that it appears that, since this is the 2nd edition, that not all page references were QA/QC'd against the new pages before printing. So, you wind up paging around to figure out what she is referring to. Additionally, if I had written this book I think I would have organized it a bit differently. I feel like every paragraph you read refers you to somewhere else in the book.

I have to say that I am a bit baffled by a lot of reviews that say she introduces certain foods too early or doesn't tell you when to introduce foods. Are we reading the same book? Not only is there a table with foods to introduce by month-age there is an entire index of foods that tell you when to introduce, how to cook, and how to store that food. Plus she mentions to discuss all of this with your pediatrician, ad nauseum, along with your history of family allergies. This is like most parenting/diet/self help type books. Take what works for you and your family and leave the rest. You don't have to follow this diet down to the letter.

Overall the book is very informative, airing on the side of too much information. I read sections of this book out of order, and I go back frequently to check on things. It is my baby food bible, but I do take some things with a grain of salt (dessicated liver, anyone? and annoying/condescending "tips"). I also check in with my pediatrician.

I recommend this book to anyone with a young child, expecting, or wanting to expect. Why not start teaching our children how to eat a healthy diet from day 1? ...more

5

Feb 15, 2017

My sister-in-law recommended this book, and I'm so glad she did!! It's a fantastic resource! I was quite nervous about introducing solid foods to my first-born kidlet because I had no clue what I was doing. This book explains baby nutrition in easy-to-understand language. When you first get your hands on a copy, you might feel a little intimidated- it's pretty thick. But it's a resource. You don't have to read it cover to cover. (I did, but I'm a literary weirdo.) There are easy-to-find My sister-in-law recommended this book, and I'm so glad she did!! It's a fantastic resource! I was quite nervous about introducing solid foods to my first-born kidlet because I had no clue what I was doing. This book explains baby nutrition in easy-to-understand language. When you first get your hands on a copy, you might feel a little intimidated- it's pretty thick. But it's a resource. You don't have to read it cover to cover. (I did, but I'm a literary weirdo.) There are easy-to-find sections on nutrition, what to feed your baby each month, and recipes. There's also a section on food/feeding safety. I definitely made a note of what foods to introduce each month, and followed that as a guide for many months. Now, you will still want to check with your pediatrician- the book recommended introducing eggs at 8 months, but my pediatrician wanted me to wait till 1 year. But I found the guide super helpful for brainstorming what fruits and veggies to introduce my kidlet to. I never would've thought to puree asparagus for him, and he ended up loving that! There are detailed instructions on how to cook and puree foods for your little one, and even some super simple "recipes" for toddler food. Of course there's also the instructions for making Super Porridge. I think a lot of people know about Super Porridge- I saw YouTube videos of various celeb moms talking about it and/or demonstrating how to make it. I never got good at it, but I'm not the most patient cook! I definitely recommend this helpful guide to feeding your baby solid foods. ...more

5

Oct 15, 2017

I absolutely loved this cookbook! I made my own baby food for my kids utilizing the recommendations in this book for what to introduce to your child at each age, and the various tables made it easy to look up the nutritional analysis in different foods to ensure that my child was getting all the required vitamins/minerals/proteins from the food groups. I used to give this cookbook as a gift at baby showers.