Making your own baby food requires an investment in time, tools and refrigerator space, so for parents determined to bypass baby food jars for homemade purées, we reviewed some of the latest cookbooks that guide you every step of the way through educating yourself on infant nutrition, planning delicious meals and learning which thin-skinned fruits and veggies really must be purchased from the organic aisle.
Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious
By Lisa Barnes
$19.95
williams-sonoma.com
In this cookbook of 80 recipes, professional cook and mother Lisa Barnes shares how to transition baby from single fruit or veggie purées to solid meals with the rest of the family. From tips on freezing, reheating and storing to which foods are gas-inducing, Barnes covers the bases for feeding a 6–18-month-old an organic regimen. She also enlightens with answers we didn’t know we needed, such as which apple variety has less acid. Here’s the kicker: baby food need not be bland. Barnes encourages introducing herbs and spices to your baby’s food, letting your own diet and culture guide the way.
201 Organic Baby Purees: The Freshest, Most Wholesome Food Your Baby Can Eat
By Tamara L. Gardner
$16.95
bn.com
We love this book not only for its sheer number of recipes to keep even the most ambitious cook busy but also for its tips that take the guesswork out of feeding your little one. Its clear-cut labeling system makes it easy to quickly choose which recipe to make based on which foods you have in the fridge at the moment. Slow down, however, to read the three whole chapters dedicated to the importance of eating organic. You’ll learn how to decipher labels (“all-natural” does not mean “organic”), the foods that are most susceptible to absorbing pesticides and how to incorporate organics for the whole family.
Weaning: The Essential Guide to Baby’s First Foods
By Annabel Karmel
$10.95
bn.com
With more than 30 books to her name and special recognition from Queen Elizabeth, UK chef Annabel Karmel knows a thing or two about child nutrition. In Weaning, Karmel zeroes in on the intricacies of transitioning baby from milk to solids during that first year and answers many questions that may plague first-time mothers, from special diets and concerns about allergies to how long it should take to feed and teach baby to chew. Does she refuse to open her mouth or does he like the purées but not the spoon? Karmel explains her tested solutions and demonstrates through pictorial instructions how to feed baby that very first spoonful.
The Baby and Toddler Cookbook: Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start
By Karen Ansel, MS, RD, CDN and Charity Ferreira
williams-sonoma.com
Think baby can’t eat a Thanksgiving meal with the rest of the family? Learn how to purée turkey, cranberry and potatoes and discover 90 more creative meals for ages 6 months to 3 years in this cookbook that’s equal parts menu and nutritional guidance. Before delving into the 90 recipes, read through each section’s two pages of advice on topics, including portion control, transitioning your toddler from bottle to cup and why offering dessert as motivation won’t do you any favors.
The Wholesome Baby Food Guide: Over 150 Easy, Delicious and Healthy Recipes from Purees to Solids
By Maggie Meade
$15.99
bn.com
For parents who are looking not only for great recipes but want to know all of the ins-and-outs of infant nutrition, this book belongs on the nightstand, as well as in the kitchen’s cookbook holder. Meade compares traditional knowledge of foods doctors recommend to introduce earlier, instructs what color a child’s waste may turn in response to certain foods and encourages parents to stay in tune with their child’s cues. Don’t give up on new foods too quickly, though. Meade explains that baby’s likes and dislikes are in a constant state of flux.
Bountiful Baby Purées: Create Nutritious Meals for Your Baby with Wholesome Purées Your Little One Will Adore
By Anni Daulter
$19.99
bn.com
For the über-efficient parent with older children who also need their attention, look no further than this cookbook written by a mother of four, an advocate of sustainable living and creator of an organic baby-food line once preferred by Gwyneth Paltrow. Bountiful Baby Purées divides the recipes by the season and matches each of its 65 creative and tasty purées to a corresponding recipe for the whole family. Use extra acorn and butternut squash purée for your 7-month-old to make shepherd’s pie or leftover purée of banana, almond butter and flax for breakfast ice pops (a nod to another book by Daulter, Ice Pop Joy).
Top 100 Baby Food Recipes: Easy Purees & First Foods for 6–12 Months
By Christine Bailey
$9.95
bn.com
This petite and exceptionally user-friendly cookbook by nutritionist and health consultant Christine Bailey is designed to require only quick glances while you’ve got one eye on baby and the other on your food processor. Each recipe lists its health benefits and helpful tips for preparing the meal or feeding baby. Color-coded symbols denote which recipes are free of gluten, dairy, egg, nuts, soy and more foods your baby may be sensitive to. Meal planners wrap up each section, so you can prepare a day or a week’s worth of meals in one sitting.
The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet
Karin Knight, RN, and Tina Ruggiero, MS, RD, LD
$19.99
bn.com
Take advantage of the five-star ratings chart in the back of the book to keep track of the 200 solid food and purée recipes. Your own feedback will be useful when revisiting recipes later on. One point that wins a gold star in this cookbook for ages ranging 6–23 months: most meals are designed with a 10-minute or less prep time. A month-by-month chart guides you through the foods to introduce between ages 6 and 11 months, and a chapter on early nutrition addresses everything from dairy substitutions to what nutrients your child needs and how much.
Published March 2014
