The Baby's Table

Book excerpt: The essential guide to giving your baby the best possible start in life. Why bother making your own baby food when there are so many choices conveniently located at your grocery store? Unfortunately, many people don’t realize just how easy (not to mention economical!) it is to make your own. Armed with a steamer, a blender and a little planning, in one afternoon parents can prepare a month’s supply of healthy, wholesome meals for their infants and toddlers -- food that’s bursting with nutrition and flavour. By introducing your baby to a wide range of fresh, stimulating tastes and textures, you will help establish healthy eating patterns they will follow into adulthood. Recipes such as Vegetable Ragout, Broccoli Risotto, Chicken Apple Delight and Gourmet Tuna Melts, all kid-tested and mom-approved, are grouped according to age: four to six months, six to eight months, eight to twelve months and twelve to twenty-four months. And most of the recipes are designed to be prepared in advance and frozen in single servings. It couldn’t be easier to provide your baby with great taste, freshness, variety and balanced nutrition. It’s also important to note that none of the recipes in this book contains any added salt or sugar, not to mention the starches and fillers found in many commercially prepared jarred varieties. The Baby’s Table was co-written by a teacher and a medical doctor, in response to patient demand and their own needs as parents. Creative recipes that stress the importance of whole foods and fresh ingredients, in combination with current medical/nutritional information that complies with the Canadian Paediatric Society’s guidelines, make this book the most comprehensive resource available for practical advice on feeding your baby. Your baby’s nutrition is critical for growth and development. Making your own baby food is a fun and cost-efficient way to participate in your baby’s health, offering the widest variety of textures and flavours, as well as many other nutritional advantages not available in commercial baby food. Give it a try and watch your little one grin from ear to ear! Also included are weekly and monthly meal-planners, growth and development charts, and detailed information on relevant topics such as: • Breastfeeding • Weaning • Formulas • Vitamin supplementation • Timing of introducing new foods • Food allergies and intolerances • Omega-3 fatty acids • Choking • Iron deficiency • Fluoride use