Get the white out of baby's first foods, pediatrician says

from By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY



Almost every child care book offers the same advice about a baby's first meal.

When infants are ready for solid food, experts say, start them first on rice cereal, available in a box, mixed with breast milk or formula. Babies have launched their eating careers this way for 60 years, says Alan Greene, a pediatrician at Stanford University's Lucile Packard Children Hospital.

In the 1950s, Greene says, baby food companies trumpeted the benefits of white rice cereal, telling mothers that it was easier for babies to digest than anything they could make at home. "The ads said, 'You can't feed children as well as we can,' " says Greene, author of Feeding Baby Green.


But David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children's Hospital Boston, says "there's no scientific basis for this recommendation. That's a myth."

Concerned about increasing childhood obesity and growing rates of diabetes, some pediatricians want to change how babies eat.

Greene is encouraging parents to abandon white rice cereal in favor of more nutritious brown rice cereals or even a homemade brown rice mash or vegetable purée. "They won't mind," says Greene, who launched a "WhiteOut" campaign last week. "They'll thank you for it."

He is concerned that babies are getting hooked on the taste of highly processed white rice and flour, which could set them up for a lifetime of bad habits, such as a weakness for cakes and cookies.

White rice — after processing strips away fiber, vitamins and other nutrients — is a "nutritional disaster," Ludwig says. It's "as processed as anything in the food supply" and "the nutritional equivalent of table sugar."
White rice and flour turn to sugar in the body "almost instantly," Ludwig says, raising blood sugar and insulin levels "while providing virtually no other nutrients."

The USA Rice Federation, which represents the rice industry, counters that white rice has no fat, cholesterol, sodium or gluten, a protein in wheat to which some people are allergic, says spokeswoman Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd. Even fussy babies can tolerate white rice without an upset stomach.

It's "as nutritionally sound as any other carbohydrate," she says.

Babies certainly eat a lot of it.

It's "the No. 1 source of calories for kids in the first year of life, other than breast milk or formula," says Greene, noting that, "by 18 months, most children get no whole grains each day."

Greene says parents don't have to abandon instant rice cereal, which offers the advantage of added iron, an important nutrient for babies, especially those who are breast-fed. Most cereal manufacturers already offer a brown rice alternative.

Though offering whole grains seems like a smart idea, nutrition expert Walter Willett says white rice is far from the only culprit in childhood obesity. Most kids also drink too many sugary beverages, such as fruit juice, punch and soda, says Willett, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the June diabetes study.

"I don't want people to feel guilty," Greene says. "I have four kids and I figured this out just recently. But it's time to change."

Organically Raised – Conscious Cooking for Babies and Toddlers

from Nature Moms Blog



Ever tried the little jars of baby food from the store? Yuck! Even before I knew much about whole foods I knew that those little jars were nasty. Not only do they taste quite bad IMO and not at all like the like real foods they are imitating, they are not fresh foods and they are packed with preservatives usually. From the beginning of my career as a mom I bypassed those jars as much as possible and opted to feed my babes what the rest of us were eating… pureed of course. I have a video of my youngest eating his first real meal at about 8 months old (breastfed before that). He devoured a puree of 13 bean stew… and I mean devoured. On the video he is trying to dive into the crock pot and he screams when the food is out of his reach. This is significant because this was just after my cancer diagnosis and my release from the hospital. My family was taking care of the little guy while I couldn’t and the breast milk bank was now permanently closed. They tried to feed him some store bought baby food and he did NOT like it. But the 13 bean stew? The boy was screaming (literally) for whole foods.

Recently I was sent a copy of the book Organically Raised – Conscious Cooking for Babies and Toddlers and I can’t say enough good things about it. Not only is it a beautiful book with tons of gorgeous pictures that had me drooling for baby and toddler food… the concept is so important for parents of young ones to grasp. Chemical laden baby food from jars is not really easier and more convenient than making wholesome organic, baby food yourself from whole foods. In my experience the opposite is true. I also believe that the BEST way to get your kids eating healthy whole foods, and tons of fruits and veggies as kids is to start by feeding them these foods as a baby in the freshest forms available. Is it any coincidence that my kids all ate REAL food as babes and that I now have zero problems in the getting kids to eat veggies department? I don’t think so. We went to a buffet recently and attracted much attention when my kids filled their own plates with broccoli, green beans, peas, mushrooms, and various fruits. Around me I saw several kids eating Jello and drumsticks for dinner… nuff said.



Also because they are so little and vulnerable, they benefit greatly from organic foods. They don’t need any more chemical exposure than they already get from their environment. This book gives lots of advice for feeding kids consciously with many delicious recipes. The toddler food is also great for encouraging adventurous eating. Greek falafel bites with cucumber-dill dipping sauce and quinoa primavera are healthy foods sure enough but they are also FAR from what kids who eat the SAD (Standard American Diet) are used to and that is a very good thing. Kids who are exposed to many different and unique foods as children will try more foods overall and have a more diverse diet as adults. That is code for saying they won’t be picky eaters. We all know those picky adult eaters don’t we? The ones who think anything but meat and potatoes is exotic and foreign.

I can’t wait to make some of these tasty toddler dishes for my youngest and thankfully there were lots of non meat recipes in the book because the boy isn’t big on eating things with faces. I know we will all love the food and I especially loved reading the book. The pictures alone made me sad that my young kiddo days are almost gone. If you are prone to baby fever you may not want to read it… the pictures of the babies and toddlers are just as delicious as the food ones.

This is THE cookbook for parents who want to feed their babies and toddlers organic, real, nourishing, whole foods. Thank you Anni Daulter for an amazing book!

Brown vs. White Rice (for babies): A Fork in the Road

from Dr. Greene



It’s time to change America’s first food. What if white rice helped trigger diabetes and brown rice helped to prevent it, regardless of lifestyle? That's just what a 2010 Harvard study suggests. Brown rice is a delicious whole food, packed with flavor and with protective nutrients. But all of the sugar-stabilizing fiber and all of the essential fatty acids are stripped out to make polished white rice, along with most of the magnesium, iron, B vitamins, and lignans, and half of the phosphorus and manganese. To make baby food rice cereal, the white rice is even further processed. And this depleted, out-of-balance, processed white flour becomes the eagerly-anticipated first bite of solids for most babies in the US.

How we feed babies in those early days matters for years to come. Most core food preferences are learned during critical early windows of opportunity (see Feeding Baby Green). In America we have raised a generation where most children learn to get zero servings of whole grains daily by the time they are 18 to 24 months old.

One in three babies born today is expected to develop diabetes in their lifetime, unless something dramatic changes. If we just made the simple switch from white rice to brown rice for babies we might cultivate a taste for whole grains and prevent millions and millions of people from developing diabetes.

For that very first bite of solids, though, I prefer choosing something that doesn’t come in a box or jar. Let your baby see a real whole food in its natural state, something she’s seen you eat before, such as a banana or an avocado. Let her handle the whole food. Let her smell it. Let her see you eat some, and then let her see you mash up a bit, perhaps with some breast milk. If you are nursing, she will already have experienced the flavor in your breast milk before.

Her strong desire to imitate you and to learn from you, coupled with this powerful combination of seeing, tasting, smelling, and touch creates a profound learning experience that is deeply satisfying and fun. Let a whole food mark this momentous occasion – or a whole grain cereal. But not processed white flour rice cereal.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed rice eating and diabetes in about 200,000 people. Those who ate white rice 5 or more times a week had a 17% increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate it less than once a month. Separately, those who ate 2 or more servings of brown rice a week had an 11 % decrease of type 2 diabetes. But the biggest difference came in those who chose brown rice or another whole grain instead of white rice – with up to a 36% reduced risk.

If we have a future population of 300 million in the US, with 100 million expected to develop diabetes, a 36% reduced risk represents a huge savings of life, limb, eyesight, money and health.

Shortly after babies begin to walk, neophobia begins to set in, the fear of new flavors, textures, or sources of food. Let’s teach a love for whole grains (and other whole foods) while they are still so eager to learn!

Read more: http://www.drgreene.com/blog/2010/06/15/brown-vs-white-rice-fork-road#ixzz0r3AugcgU

Lead Found in Children’s Foods and Baby Foods

from Environmental Law Foundation

I find this press release to be very disturbing!  You will find in this list even several organic brands and popular, normally safe, brands like Trader Joes.  Here’s another link with similar info.  Be sure to check out the list below and throw out any these you may have at home.

On June 9, 2010 the Environmental Law Foundation (“ELF”) filed Notices of Violation of California Proposition 65 Toxics Right to Know law, alleging the toxic chemical lead was found in a variety of children’s and baby foods. The specific food categories included apple juice, grape juice, packaged pears and peaches (including baby food), and fruit cocktail. A complete list of the companies and products named appears with the notice and is located on the ELF website.

LEAD-TAINTED PRODUCTS
1. 365 Everyday Value Organic 100% Juice Concord Grapes
2. Beech Nut 100% Apple Juice
3. Best Yet Bartlett Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup
4. Best Yet Chunky Mixed Fruit in Pear Juice
5. Best Yet Yellow Cling Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup
6. Chef's Review Fruit Cocktail
7. Del Monte 100% Juice Fruit Cocktail
8. Del Monte Chunky Mixed Fruit in 100% Juice (peach, pear, grape, etc.)
9. Del Monte Diced Pears in Light Syrup
10. Del Monte Freestone Peach Slices in 100% Juice
11. Del Monte Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peach, pear, grapes)
12. Del Monte Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added
13. Del Monte Lite Fruit Cocktail in Extra Light Syrup
14. Del Monte Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup
15. Del Monte Pear Halves, Bartlett Pears in 100% real fruit juice
from concentrate
16. Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in 100% Juice
17. Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup
18. Dole Diced Peaches, Yellow Cling in light syrup
19. Dole Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup
20. Dole Pear Halves in Juice
21. Earth's Best Organics Apple Juice
22. Eating Right Fruit Cocktail packed in Sucralose
23. Eating Right No Sugar Fruit Cocktail
24. First Street 100% Apple Cider from concentrate
25. First Street Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice
26. First Street Diced Pears
27. First Street Fruit Cocktail in heavy syrup
28. First Street Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice
29. First Street Sliced Bartlett
30. First Street Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup
31. Full Circle Organic Apple Juice
32. Full Circle Organic Bartlett Pear Slices
33. Gerber 100% Juice - White Grape Juice
34. Gerber 100% Juice Apple Juice
35. Gerber 3rd Foods Peaches
36. Gerber 3rd Foods Pears
37. Golden Star Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup (peach, pineapple, pears)
38. Golden Star Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup
39. Great Value 100% Grape Juice
40. Great Value 100% No Sugar Added Apple Juice
41. Great Value Bartlett Pear Halves in 100% Juice
42. Great Value Bartlett Sliced Pears in Heavy Syrup
43. Great Value No Sugar Added Fruit Cocktail
44. Great Value Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches
45. Hansen's Natural Apple Juice
46. Kedem Concord Grape Juice 100% pure grape juice
47. Kroger 100% Juice Apple Juice
48. Kroger Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
49. Kroger Grape Juice 100% Juice
50. Kroger Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice
51. Kroger Value Fruit Mix (Peaches, pears, grapes)
52. Langers Apple Juice 100% Juice
53. Langers Grape Juice (Concord)
54. Langers Red Grape Juice
55. Libby's Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)
56. Libby's Yellow Cling Peach Slices No Sugar Added (Sweetened with
Splenda)
57. Market Pantry Diced Peaches in light syrup
58. Market Pantry Diced Pears in light syrup
59. Market Pantry Mixed Fruit in light syrup
60. Maxx Value Fruit Mix in Light Syrup (peach, pear, grape)
61. Maxx Value Pear Pieces in Light Syrup
62. Minute Maid Juice Apple - 100% Apple Juice
63. Motts 100% Apple Juice
64. Mrs. Brown's Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peaches, pears, grap
es)
65. O Organics Organic Grape Juice from concentrate
66. O Organics Organic Unfiltered Apple Juice Not From Concentrate
67. Old Orchard 100% Apple Juice
68. Parade 100% Juice Apple
69. Polar Mixed Fruit
70. Polar Peach Slices
71. Polar Pear Halves in light syrup
72. R.W. Knudsen Just Concord Grape Juice
73. R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Concord
74. Raley's 100% Grape Juice
75. Raley's Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
76. Raley's Premium 100% Apple Juice not from Concentrate
77. Raley's Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup
78. S&W Natural Style Fruit Cocktail in Lightly Sweetened Juice
79. S&W Natural Style Pear Slices in Juice
80. S&W Natural Style Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Lightly
Sweetened Juice
81. S&W Premium Peach Halves Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup
82. S&W Sun Pears Premium
83. Safeway 100% Juice Apple Cider
84. Safeway 100% Juice Apple Juice
85. Safeway 100% Juice Grape Juice
86. Safeway Diced Peaches in Light Syrup
87. Safeway Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
88. Safeway Light Sugar Fruit Cocktail
89. Safeway Lite Bartlett Pear Halves in Pear Juice
90. Safeway Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice
91. Safeway Organic Grape Juice
92. Safeway Pear Halves in Light Juice
93. Safeway Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Pear Juice
94. Santa Cruz Organic Concord Grape Juice
95. Simple Value Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup
96. Stater Bros. 100% Juice Apple Juice
97. Stater Bros. 100% Juice Grape Juice
98. Stater Bros. 100% Juice White Grape Juice
99. Stater Bros. Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
100. Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Peach Halves
101. Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in heavy syrup
102. Sunny Select 100% Apple Juice
103. Sunny Select 100% Grape Juice
104. Sunny Select Fruit Cocktail in Juice
105. Sunny Select Pear Halves in Pear Juice
106. Sunny Select Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in Pear Juice
107. Trader Joe's Certified Organic Apple Juice, pasteurized
108. Trader Joe's Concord Grape Juice made from fress pressed organi
c concord grapes
109. Trader Joe's Pear Halves in white grape juice
110. Trader Joe's Yellow Cling Peach Halves in while grape juice
111. Tree Top 100% Juice Apple Cider
112. Tree Top 100% Juice, Grape
113. Truitt Brothers Pacific NorthWest Bartlett Pear Halves, in pear
juice from concentrate
114. Valu Time Grape Drink from Concentrate
115. Valu Time Irregular Bartlett Pear Slices
116. Valu Time Yellow Cling Peach Slices
117. Walgreens Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice
118. Walgreens Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice
119. Walnut Acres Organic Concord Grape
120. Walnut Grove Market 100% Apple Juice
121. Walnut Grove Market Grape Juice
122. Walnut Grove Market Natural Peaches Sliced Yellow Cling in
Light Syrup
123. Walnut Grove Market Natural Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup
124. Welch's 100% Grape Juice (from Welch's Concord Grapes)
125. Welch's 100% Red Grape Juice from Concentrate

Ways Expand Your Picky Eater's Taste Buds

from Parents.com



As an 8-month-old, your child ate mashed peas and carrots by the mouthful. But now that she's a toddler, she's staging a vegetable strike -- and would happily eat grilled cheese at every meal. How did mealtime go from a cute mess to an epic battle?

"Pickiness usually starts around 18 months and can last well into the school years," says Jennifer Shu, M.D., a Parents advisor and coauthor of Food Fights. "It's a time when kids tend to form their own likes and especially dislikes."

The best way to expand your child's palate? "Get her involved in meal decisions -- at the market, in the kitchen, at the dinner table," says Amy Hendel, author of Fat Families, Thin Families. You can also be more playful with your food prep, hide veggies in foods she likes, and more. Since there are many types of pickiness, you'll need to figure out what works for your child. The key: Keep trying.

8 Rules for Dealing With a Kid Who's Fussy About Food

Don't label him "picky." This is waving the white flag, and it reinforces his stubborn, attention-getting behavior.
Give your child choices. Asking "Would you like raw or cooked carrots?" makes him feel more invested in the meal.
Avoid substitutions. Serving your child something else will make her hold out longer next time to get what she wants.
Make this deal with your child. He must take one bite, but after that he may say, "No, thank you" to more.
Steer clear of bribes. If you offer chips or a sweet for trying a food, your child will expect a reward every time.
Go the stealth route. Add pureed veggies to spaghetti sauce your child likes. Then let her know she's eaten them and "survived." Gradually make the puree chunkier.
Practice what you preach. You've got to set a good eating example. After all, you can't snack on corn chips and expect your child to munch on baby carrots.
Treat "no" as a temporary answer. "It may take 15 times before she'll try a food and maybe even like it," says Dr. Shu.

10 Healthy Food Ideas Your Child Might Love

Fruit Parfait Spoon: layers of fat-free yogurt, fruit, and crushed cereal into a nonbreakable ice-cream dish.
Blind Taste Test: Cut up veggies, blindfold your child, and have him taste them. See if he can guess what each one is
Smoothie: Mix fruit with juice or fat-free yogurt or milk, Your kid will get a kick out of watching the color change.
Quickie Pizza: Let your child put tomato sauce and shredded cheese on a tortilla. Add veggies. Then toast and serve.
Extraordinary Eggs: Lay cookie cutters on a frying pan, fill with egg mixture, then sprinkle in veggies with your child.
Homemade Fruit Pops: Pour juice into ice-pop trays. Drop in chopped-up berries and oranges. Add a stick, then freeze.
Veggie Tic-Tac-Toe: Play this three-across game on a paper plate (so you can draw the grid) with cut-up veggies. Then munch away.
Waffle Face: Have your child create a silly face (or pattern) with strawberry or banana slices. It works with pancakes too.
Pepper Bowl: Fill a hollowed bell pepper with chicken salad or hummus. Slice up some carrot sticks for dipping.
Frozen Fruit: Icy grapes and blueberries are more fun than fresh ones because they seem like Popsicles, not fruit.

5 Kitchen Skills Toddlers Can Learn

1. Tearing lettuce.
2. Steadying a mixing bowl while you pour.
3. Washing fruit.
4. Handing you a nonbreakable measuring cup.
5. Stirring the ingredients (with your help).

6 Clever Tricks for Getting Your Closed-Minded Eater to Open Wide

1. Talk up tastes At family gatherings, mention how much you like the food (and have an older sibling or cousin do the same). "Hearing your enthusiasm may encourage your child to take a bite of something unfamiliar," says Hendel.
2. Work with your kid, not against her At every meal, include one dish you know your child will eat. She's more likely to try collard greens if she knows she can fall back on sliced turkey.
3. Give him a say Let each family member pick a preferred entree (or side dish) once a week. Ask your child: "Do you want chicken tomorrow? Should we use the slow cooker?" If he can't decide, ask if he'd like to search online together for a new recipe you can try.
4. Be creative about nutritious treats Dessert doesn't have to consist of empty calories. The next time your child asks for ice cream, set up a DIY banana-split bar with low-fat frozen yogurt, fresh fruit, and a little cereal sprinkled on top.
5. Eat breakfast for dinner Even picky kids tend to like whole-wheat toast with low-fat cream cheese, fortified cereal, and scrambled eggs. So let yours end the day with "brinner" now and then -- as long as he'll eat the peach slices on his waffle.
6. Make veggies sound cool One study from Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, found that when carrots were called "X-ray vision carrots," 4-year-olds on average ate nearly twice as many of them. So serve up some "power peas" and "zany zucchini."

9 Ways to Make Food Shopping More Fun

1. Focus on touch. Have your child hold a big, dimply orange or a fuzzy little kiwi. Ask her to describe how it feels, looks, and smells.
2. Let your child make some noise. Give him a box of pasta to shake, and then point out the difference between regular and whole-wheat pasta ("See, this one is darker and has more good stuff in it").
3. Look at labels. Once your preschooler recognizes numbers up to ten, have her pick the cereal with the most fiber (you'll need to point at the label for her). Say, "Fiber helps you poop better."
4. Be a tour guide. Point out all the food aisles, then say, "I like the produce area best, because fruits and veggies help you grow big and strong."
5. Offer choices. Ask if you should buy apples or mangoes for a snack. Also let him pick some new veggies for the family to try.
6. Play the color game. See if your child can find three kinds of purple produce (such as grapes, eggplant, cabbage, or potatoes).
7. Try a sample table. Your child is more likely to eat something if he sees other people lining up for a bite.
8. Check out a local farmers' market. Most vendors will be happy to talk to kids about their harvest.
9. Take a whiff. Vegetable stands are great places to have your child sniff garlic, green onions, cilantro, and mint. Ask him, "Do you think this would make our tuna salad taste better?"

Fixes for Common Picky-Eater

The Scenario: She eats only white foods, such as bread and pasta.
The Advice: Add some color to the mix. Stir a little pureed spinach into your child's bowl of mac 'n' cheese and say, "We're making it green today. It's like mixing paint." Getting her over the color hump may make her more open-minded about trying other foods in the future.
The Scenario: He wants food prepared only one way, like chicken in nugget form or potatoes as fries.
The Advice: "Adjust how you prepare foods to make them healthier," says Dr. Shu. Cut broiled chicken into a chunk and say, "This is a different type of chicken nugget. Try it." Or switch from regular to baked fries and then transition to baked potatoes.
The Scenario: Your child refuses to eat an entire food group, like fruit.
The Advice: Take inspiration from foods your child likes. If he eats Froot Loops, slice up oranges, blueberries, or strawberries, and add plain yogurt to mimic the colorful bowl of cereal. Instead of setting out his favorite pretzel rods, offer carrot sticks along with a bowl of salsa or ranch dressing.
Originally published in the February 2010 issue of Parents magazine.

Government Bans DHA/ARA Additives in Organic Baby Formula

from Safe Mama

I have to thank Janelle from Healthy Child for reminding me to post about this.  I read about it a few days ago and have been meaning to share it here.  Since we published our Formula Analysis, it became evident that just about all organic baby formula uses the DHA/ARA additive using a controversial extraction method that uses a potential neurotoxin called hexane.  With the exception of Nature’s One, which uses an aqueous process to extract the additive (although they do not add it to their formula – it is provided as a separate product you can add yourself) all organic formulas use the DHA/ARA extracted with hexane.  Almost all the companies I spoke to said much of the same thing.  That there is no detectable hexane levels in the formulas and that this hexane extraction method (most commonly coming from a company called Martex Corporation) is the “only FDA approved method of DHA extraction”, which I think isn’t the case but that’s another article.

The Department of Agriculture  had said three years ago that this DHA additive “violated federal standards and should be banned from products carrying the federal organic label“. That was of course overruled by a USDA manager who was being heavily lobbied by formula makers.

This decision by the Obama administration to ban the additives from organic food is a good step in the direction we all want things to go.  Better regulations on organic food and more confidence from consumers that the USDA seal actually means something and isn’t governed by deals and lobbyists. Of course, the executives who have a monetary interest in seeing these additives remain in organic food will lobby against this decision.  But in the meantime the USDA will craft guidelines in phasing out the additives.
SOURCE

Are Avocados Good For Baby?

from Food With Kid Appeal




The Why and How of Baby's Early Introduction to Avocados
This is a guest post by Joanie Whitman, a baby led feeding advocate.
Avocados are an excellent choice for baby’s first food introduction for several reasons:

• They are easy to digest and have the highest fiber content of any fruit or vegetable
• East to prepare. Avocados need only minimal preparation. Because of an avocado’s consistency they are easily mashed by an infant’s jaws.
• Rich in monounsaturated fat, the “good fat”, which is helpful in fattening up underweight infants. High calorie content- good choice for growing babies
• Good source of vitamin A, C and E which naturally boosts their immune system

Throughout the life of a child their taste buds are constantly changing. By introducing avocado early and often, baby will become accustomed to its flavor and learn to enjoy it.
Here are some easy tips to help your child enjoy avocados:

• Selecting a ripe avocado is imperative for flavor, texture and preparation. Choose unbruised, unscarred fruit with no wrinkles. Do not squeeze it or you'll bruise it. A trick to use when selecting an avocado is to look at the stem end; if it is ripe, the stem will pull right out.
• Let them help. My boys love to help with the preparation of dinner during which they are happily taste testing. They may eat most of their meal during this time so I make sure to leave small portions of each ingredient within their reach. I have always allowed my children to be part of mealtime preparation as soon as they could stand on a chair at the counter.
• Encourage them to have fun with their food. Avocados are a great green color with a wonderful large ball-shaped seed babies love to explore. Let your child smash and smear it around. If they learn to enjoy its texture with their hands, the love for its taste will soon follow.
• Serve it many different ways. Some of our favorites: spread on whole wheat toast, sliced into easy to handle wedge shape, with scrambled eggs or dipping our Play and Learn Spoon into guacamole.
• Go ahead and season: although we must limit baby’s salt and sugar intake, avocado is an excellent food to use when introducing seasonings to baby.

Hurray it’s a Giveaway! Happy Baby Food

A few short years ago, HAPPYBABY was the first premium baby brand to enter the market in 5 small stores in New York City—at a time when there were no homestyle options for parents to feed their children. Processed foods or homemade baby food—which can be time consuming for busy families—were the only options. A lot has changed, and they are now the leading premium brand of baby and toddler meals in the U.S.—sold in over 5,000 stores with 5 different lines of optimally delicious organic foods for your growing family.
They attribute their success to their dedication to only creating the very best products, their commitment to always doing what is right as a business, their amazing team of brilliant colleagues and advisors—and to you. You are the parents that demand that your children get foods that truly nourish their bodies and support their growth as healthy happy individuals for the years to come.
HAPPYFAMILY offers a complete line of organic nutrition made with 100% natural ingredients and no chemical pesticides or fertilizers and no GMO’s, all in BPA free packaging for your baby, toddler, and preschooler including:

Fresh frozen baby food line: HAPPYBABY

• 
  Each box has 12 individual cubes of baby food, so there is no waste and no heating in plastic. Just pop out what you need, heat, and enjoy. We created optimally nourishing recipes with Dr Sears, select the best organic ingredients, steam, puree, and flash freeze to lock in the taste, texture and color of real fresh foods, so you don't have to! 15 flavors with a variety of meats, fruits, vegetables and grains.
  

HAPPYBELLIES cereals

• 
  HAPPYBELLIES cereals are the first organic baby cereal to incorporate DHA for brain and eye development and the first baby food to incorporate the power of probiotics for baby's wellness.  Available in brown rice, oatmeal, and multi-grain.
  • Probiotic protection: Good bacteria specially formulated to help strengthen your baby's digestive system which can protect against the development of allergies
  • Enriched: with DHA for eye and brain development, plus iron, vitamins and minerals essential to baby's health
  • Doctor endorsed: Recommended  by and developed with Dr.Sears
  • 100% natural: We support sustainable agriculture. No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, no genetically engineered ingredients (GEIs). BPA FREE.
  

Whole grain PUFFS finger food

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  Made with whole grains, Our Puffs come in three organic flavors to give baby variety and build growing palettes. Supplemented with vitamins and minerals, our Puffs also come in green packaging that allowed us to reduce our imprint, offer 40% more in each container, and pass the savings on you!
  

HAPPYMELTS yogurt snacks

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  The only organic freeze dried yogurt snack on the market for babies and toddlers. And it's the only baby food with prebiotics and probiotics!
  HAPPYMELTS are a truly delicious and nutritious treat made with the goodness of organic yogurt and fruit. This yummy snack offers protein, low-sugar, and the added boost of pre and probiotics for digestive wellness.
  

Handheld toddler meals: HAPPYBITES

• 
  A complete line of nutrition for your toddler and young child, HAPPYBITES are yummy, balanced meals in easy-to-pick-up handheld sizes. They taste great with flavors kids love and are packed with hidden veggies in every bite!
  
• 
  Includes breakfast pockets, chicken bites, fish bites, mac & cheese, salmon stix & veggie tots
  

You can buy HAPPYFAMILY products at stores such as Super Target, Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Babies R Us and other retailers, as well as online at AMAZON.COM.

Enter to Win Free Happy Baby Food!

To enter to win a box of Happy Baby food that includes organic brown rice cereal, puffs, yogurt melts, and a bunch of coupons for savings on Happy Baby products, just send an email to abby@littlemiraclesbabyplanning.com with the subject Happy Baby.  If you’ve previously won you can still enter to win!  Contest ends Thurs March 18th at noon est.

Healthy Baby/Toddler Snacks On-the-Go

My son is the king of snacking.  He asks for crackers literally all day long and I’m really not a fan of just handing him Goldfish to gobble every day.  So I have found some other great munchies that fall into the very healthy category (as healthy as a processed snack can get anyway)!   Here are some of our favs:

Plum Organics Fiddlesticks

These organic fruit and grain snack sticks come in three flavors: berry, apple carrot, and banana.  They are gluten-free (but do contain milk and eggs), made with 100% organic fruits, baked with real fruits and veggies, and they are even made with BPA free packaging.  The first four ingredients in every package are organic brown rice flour, organic tapioca flour, organic garbanzo bean,  and flour.  They do contain organic evaporated cane juice but there is no plain sugar in them and there is only 2g of sugar per serving.  It’s hard to find a snack with that low of a sugar content that still tasted good!

Beechnut Let’s Grow 7 Grain Nibblers

These come in two flavors – mixed vegetable and sweet potato.  They are similar looking to rice cakes and dissolve very easily in baby’s mouth.  These are actually made with whole grains and have no added refined sugar, salt, artificial preservatives, or colors and flavors.    The ingredient list on these are fabulous!  Multigrain bits (whole grain corn, amaranth seeds, rice flour, whole grain wheat flour, whole grain oats, dehydrated cane juice, tricalcium phosphate) dried sweet potatoes, sunflower oil, millet, and quinoa.  Almost all things I try to feed my son but he doesn’t like on their own.  And less than 1 gram of sugar per serving!

Happy Baby Organic Puffs and Melts

Happy Baby puffs are organic melt-in-your-mouth whole grain snacks for babies.  They come in apple, banana, and green veggie flavor.  My baby LOVED the taste of these, but I love that they have 1/2 the sugar of the leading brands puffs, they are fortified with vitamins and minerals, they are made with whole grains, they are sweetened with fruit juice, and they are made with 100% organic ingredients.

Happy Baby Melts are the only organic freeze dried yogurt snack on the market for babies and toddlers. And it's the only baby food with prebiotics and probiotics.  They are gluten, soy, and wheat free and contain absolutely NO preservatives.  Good stuff for baby’s tummy!

Super Cheat Sheet on BPA Free Baby Food

from www.safemama.com, by Kathy
Having a 6 month old means I am in the midst of the baby food jungle.. starting to introduce cereals and purees, which he is really loving and doing so well on them. I’d love to say I carve time out of my day to make all my own baby food but realistically, we all don’t always have the time and need to rely on prepared baby foods.  I set out to find as many safely packaged baby food as I could and interestingly enough – most of the baby food packaged in BPA Free packaging was organic.  Yay! Many of these brands you can find at your local health food stores or Whole Foods.  Some you can find at the grocery store (Like Sprout Organics and Plum Organics). I’ve had some luck finding brands at Babies R Us as well. So here is a cheat sheet for those of you who need a little extra help finding something right for you.  I have not included baby food packaged in glass  jars due to the fact that jar lids have a BPA containing epoxy. To the makers of Earth’s Best – Get with it already!
Baby Food Packaged in BPA Free packaging

• Gerber 2 Packs
• Happy Baby Organic Baby Food – Frozen, small portions,
• Sprout Organic Baby Food – Single portions (resealable), delicious
• Yummy Spoonfuls Organic Baby Food
• Plum Organics (Plum Baby & Plum Tots)
• Homemade Baby So Smooth Baby Food (Just Apples, Just Pears, etc)
• Fifi Bear’s Frozen Organic Baby Food
• Tasty Baby Frozen Organic Baby Food
• Maddy’s Organic Meals (Online store currently closed)
• Pomme Bebe
• Yummy In My Tummy Baby Food
• Petite Palette Gourmet Baby Food
• Bella Baby Frozen Organic Baby Food
• Ella’s Kitchen Baby Food

BPA Free Baby Food Preparation Tools

• Beaba BabyCook Baby Food Maker
• The Wean Machine
• Green Sprouts Baby Food Maker Mill
• Norpro Stainless Steel Baby Food Maker Mill
• Williams-Sonoma Rosle Food Mill (stainless steel)
• Munchkin Food Mill Baby Food Grinder

BPA Free Baby Food Storage Options & Ideas

• Baby Cubes Baby Food Storage
• Evenflo Smart Steps Freezer Trays
• Fresh Baby Baby Food Storage Trays
• Kinderville Silicone Freezer Tray Sets
• Beaba BabyCook MultiPortion Silicone Freezer Trays
• ThinkBaby Feeding Set
• Thermos Foogo Food Jar
• BornFree Stainless Food Jars
• Onyx Stainless Steel Ice Cube trays

Make Your Own Baby Food Resources

• WholesomeBabyFood.com – Recipes
• Weelicious – Great site, lots of good info!
• Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel
• Blender Baby Food by Nicole Young and Nadine Ray ND
• Cooking For Baby by Lisa Barnes
• Feeding Baby Green, by Dr Alan Greene
• Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron
• Baby Led Weaning by Gil Rappley

Chew on This – Transitioning to Solids

from www.strollertraffic.com

written by --Catherine McCord, founder of weelicious.com

 

Introducing a baby to real-people food is totally fun. For about a week. Then the novelty wears off, and it can be anything from frustrating to terrifying—challenging, to be sure. For some tips on surviving the transition, we asked Catherine McCord, founder of the wildly popular baby-food blog Weelicious, for her top 10 things to keep in mind.

1. Change texture, not flavor. When you're cooking a meal for your family, make a little extra for baby . . . minus the spices and condiments. This way you are changing the texture—but not the taste—of the fresh flavors your baby is used to eating.

2. Invest in a pair of kitchen shears. They’re much quicker than a fork and knife for cutting things like fruit and pasta into tiny toddler-size bites.

3. Be careful with leftovers. Fresh is best: foods that sit in the refrigerator for more than three days start to lose their nutritional value.

4. Save the best for last. At mealtime, introduce new foods (or foods your baby doesn't usually prefer) first, so baby doesn't fill up on old favorites before trying healthy new fruits, veggies, and proteins.

5. Get them involved. Toddler utensils like these Bambu forks and spoons will allow your baby to feel like he’s part of the process—even if he’s not quite ready to eat with them yet.

6. Lead by example. If you eat the same foods as your baby, at the same time, she’ll be more likely to give the foods a whirl. You don’t need to be overly theatrical about the yummyness, either: kids naturally emulate their parents.

7. Be mindful of teething. If your little one is pushing away the bite-sized meal in front of him, it may be because his gums are hurting. Try offering a cool puree instead.

8. Have patience. Your baby won’t love everything the first time she tries it. You probably don't love every type of food either, so try not to get frustrated. Have fun helping your baby discover her own palate.
9. Don’t overwhelm your baby with too much food. Space out a few bites at a time on the tray, then replenish as necessary.

10. When all else fails, make popsicles. You may not like the sound of a spinach puree pop, but your kids . . . .

Which Prepared Baby Food Containers are BPA Free?

Here is some very useful and interesting information from http://thesoftlandingbaby.com/ regarding which jarred baby food do or do not contain BPA:
February 2, 2009 by Alicia
Concern about the harmful affects of bisphenol-a (BPA) in polycarbonate plastic baby feeding gear is spreading quickly. Unfortunately, BPA is also commonly found in epoxy resins used for protective linings in canned food, ready-to-feed infant formula and metal lids of baby food jars. A recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found such widespread exposure to BPA may result in levels of up to 11 times higher in infants than in adults. Research has suggested that young children are more susceptible to the harmful affects of environmental toxins and scientists are calling for more sensitive testing methods to determine what a safe level would be, specifically for children. And to top it all off, a recent UK study raised the concern that BPA may remain in the body longer than previously suspected.
Lowering our children’s exposure to environmental toxins is a necessity, but avoiding BPA can be difficult because it lurks in so many unsuspecting products. We have to wonder where it will show up next when the chemical industry is pumping out more than 7 billion pounds of the stuff per year.
We’ve started the search for BPA-free baby food containers to help you out. If you need information on baby formula, please review the Environmental Working Group’s helpful list here.
Commercially Prepared Baby Food in BPA-free Containers
■Sprout Baby (brand new – just announced by Healthy Child 2/3/09)
■Yummy Spoonfuls
■Happy Baby
■Plum Organics
■Homemade Baby
■Tasty Baby
■Fifi Bear’s
■Maddy’s Organic Meals
■Parent’s Choice (they don’t make baby food in glass jars)
■Gerber (all baby food products except glass baby food jars are BPA-free)
■Beechnut (plastic containers used for juices, Stage 2 fruits, Good Morning, Good Evening and DHA plus+ juices are BPA-free; glass baby food jars do contain BPA)
Baby Food Containers using BPA
■Earth’s Best (they told us that BPA is used in minute amounts in the glass jar lids, but that independent testing showed no BPA contamination in the baby food. Use your own discretion here)
■Beechnut (they told us that their glass baby food jars contain trace amounts of BPA)
■Gerber (glass baby food jars only)
■Nature’s Goodness