Review by STACY DONG
(www.zainelicious.blogspot.com)
THE WHOLESOME BABY FOOD GUIDE
By Maggie Meade
Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style
Maggie Meade is the creator of the popular baby food website, The Wholesome Baby Food, which she started in 2003. It has since become a trusted resource for parents who want to learn more about solid foods and feeding babies.
Feeding a baby may not be rocket science, but it is always a daunting task having to wean a baby. Let’s face it, there are a lot of things to consider. Is my baby ready for solid food? What food should I start with? How much and how often should I feed the baby? Should I go organic or non-organic? What is the best way to cook the food? How about storage? Will my baby be allergic to the new food? Will my baby love the food? Am I doing the right thing?
These are just a few of the many questions I asked myself when I was weaning my baby boy.
In this book, Meade combines her wisdom, research and experience which she has gained from her popular website, with new material for parents who are looking for solid information about feeding their babies.
Parents would find straightforward, no nonsense information and recipes in this book. Meade discusses the introduction of solid food at the three important stages of your child's development, namely, when your baby is four to six months old, six to eight months old, and finally from eight months up to toddlerhood.
Parents would find information on how to spot the signs that your child is ready to start on solid food, the type of food that would be suitable at each stage, the type of texture that is suitable at each stage of weaning and the amount of food you could expect your child to consume.
Meade also addresses the many concerns regarding allergies, the nutritional information and the curiosities and myths in baby feeding. Readers also get information on the different types of tools that are most suitable and would make the process of making and storing food easier.
Readers also get a wide range of easy recipes for each stage.
New parents nowadays are faced with a lack of time, the enormous amount of not necessarily up-to-date and correct information, the much-too-wide selection of bottled baby food, all with the promise of convenience and how they are the best for the needs of your baby. So, it is no wonder that we parents get confused.
The good news is parents nowadays are smart parents, too. They know that they want the best for their children and would seek out the correct information in order to do so. They no longer simply take well-meant but incorrect advice. Instead they research, read and learn.
The Wholesome Baby Food Guide will provide the information that parents need to start the weaning or the solid food process. And, with so many years of experience in the preparation of food for kids, Meade provides readers with tried and tested recipes, processes and ways that would make the whole weaning process much easier and hassle-free.
I especially like the fact that Meade has provided recipes that are simple but include a wide range of food, including fruits, vegetables, meat, protein, legumes and grains. This would definitely help your child become an adventurous eater in the future.
I would definitely recommend this book to parents who are looking for wholesome information in starting the weaning process. Weaning is a big milestone and a fun journey and it should be enjoyed. Hopefully, through this book, parents will gain the confidence in making this journey an enjoyable and fruitful one for themselves and their children.