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Food

The Organic Baby Book

Tanyia Maxted-Frost
Green Books, paperback, 192 pages, £7.95

This is an excellent book that could help you turn your entire life organic, or just help out with tips to make a few changes.

Everything is covered, from organic babyfood brands to where to buy organic women’s bras, as well as organic toiletries.

There are comprehensive arguments about the merits of going organic plus detailed sources of more help and clever, quick tips.

Livening up the pages are anecdotes from people who have tried the organic lifestyle and want to recommend it. A must-buy if you are planning to raise a healthy organic baby. You can buy the book at www.theorganicbabybook.co.uk

So, what do you eat?

Liz Cook
Self-published, hardback, 72 pages, £12.95

This cookbook is aimed at letting you raise a vegan family, just as author Liz Cook has done.

Trained with a degree in catering management and nutrition, she used her expertise to come up with a wide range of recipes which can be finely pureed for the smallest baby but can also be used to feed the entire family.

If there is a flaw it is that Liz Cook's recipes generally feed six and therefore need to have the quantities divided down if you are feeding fewer, but you could just freeze the excess and have a very full freezer!

Recipes vary from pasta ideas to pasties, and from salads to hearty soups, as well as a range of desserts and ‘snack’ ideas.

And, best of all from a messy cook’s perspective, the cover of the book is wipe clean! 

Click here to read an interview with Liz Cook, and sample a few of her recipes in the babyworld food section.

The Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook

Daphne Lambert & Tanyia Maxted-Frost
Green Books, paperback, 112 pages, £6.95

Written by an organic chef and a journalist, this book packs in dozens of recipes for children, running from first weaning to a range of foods for picky toddlers.

There’s advice on keeping a child’s diet balanced, how to deal with a fussy eater and a section on health hazards and frequently asked questions.

A handy book as a supplement to other recipe books.

First Food – preparing food for babies and toddlers

first foodSara Lewis
Southwater publishing, paperback, 250 pages, £12.95

A very comprehensive book, dealing not just with recipes but also the equipment you might need, preparation and even hygiene.
The book has some excellent recipes and as well as innovative ideas for tiny babies, there are some wide-ranging recipes for toddlers and a smart section with more than 35 basic recipes which offer a puree for baby, a mashed meal for toddlers and tasty meal for parents, all at the same time.
If this detailed and very useful book has one flaw, it is its size. It’s nearly as tall as an A4 folder and can be cumbersome while trying to follow a recipe as a consequence.

Quick Children’s Meals

Annabel Karmel
Ebury Press, hardback, 192 pages, £10.99

Beautifully illustrated, easy-to-follow recipe book full of good ideas about how to persuade your kids to eat well.

Baby and Child: vegetarian recipes

Carol Timperly
Ebury Press, hardback, 144 pages, £10.99

Lots of good, varied vegetarian recipes and plenty of information about the nutritional needs of a vegetarian baby or toddler.

NCT Book of First Foods

NCT book of first foods Ravinder Lilly
NCT/Thorsons, paperback, 150 pages, £5.99

Essential information on when to introduce foods to your baby and how to go about it. Gives the nutritional background plus no less than 90 pages of fast and easy recipes.
Starting a baby on solids is a tricky time and this book not only helps you pick up on signs that your baby is ready for solids but also points out foods which are rich in iron, calcium and other nutrients.