Books on Feeding Your Baby or Toddler

From Starting Solids to Planning Family Meals

If you're familiar with Jennifer McCann's Blog at all, you're going to love this book. It's my new lunch-time bible and I'm not even vegan. The book is less like a recipe book and more like a blueprint for your toddler or preschooler's every lunch, whether taken at home or at daycare or school. One of the hardest things about lunches containing a lot of meat or dairy is food safety, which is one reason why vegan lunches are a blessing to parents worried about bacterial growth and spoilage. These meals are easy to prepare and are based on simple, whole foods. The bonus is how eye-popping and fun they will be to your toddler. Every meal is as visually enticing as it is nutritious. ISBN 9781600940729

Michael Pollan, Peter Singer and Jim Mason write books for grown-ups about the industrialization of our food supply and getting back to our roots. This book by Ruth Yaron is in the same vein as it relates to feeding our babies and toddlers. She asks parents, "Would you feed yourself and your family TV dinners every night because they are so convenient?" And then she offers a wealth of information about preparing your child's food at home using wholesome ingredients. Included are instructions on making homemade yogurt, breads and even your own baby cereal made from brown rice rather than refined white rice. For parents interested in making everything from scratch, this is the most comprehensive manual out there. ISBN 9780965260312

I'm not sure why this book is called SuperFoods and it should certainly not be compared to Ruth Yaron's book Super Baby Food. There's a level of wholesome this book is just lacking. There are recipes for fried and battered foods. Recipes call for white bread, refined sugars, flours and many recipes are loaded with cheeses, butter, oils and ketchup. If the recipe started out somewhat healthy and there's any doubt that your child will eat it, it seems like the remedy is to put a cheesy sauce on it. The bottom line is that while Yaron's book will appeal to many in theory, this book is more like what's really happening in kitchens across America. If you're not afraid of a little fat and sugar, this book will taste like home. ISBN 9780743275224

This book is actually funny with a fair share of snark. Some of the pictures made me laugh out loud. Really. These are recipes that are meant to be enjoyed both in the cooking and in the eating. This is not boring old macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets. Authors Jennifer and Matthew Carden offer food that's fun. You may not want to cook this way every day, but interject some of these recipes in your toddler's menu whenever you can. I bet it will shake things up and get him to try foods he might not have otherwise. I bet it will also increase your child's vocabulary and offer some teachable moments at the table as you talk about what a lily pad is or where frogs live while eating "Lily Pad Pancakes" or "Swamp Soup." ISBN 9780811859271

At first, this book from Lisa Barnes struck me as a little odd with the recipes like "Dilly Ricotta Dip" for babies or "Baby Ginger Carrots" for toddlers juxtaposed with microwave instructions for nearly everything. But why not? Just because you're a convenience-loving (or needing) parent doesn't mean you should have to sacrifice taste. To be fair, these recipes may sound complicated and have flowery names, but when you get down to it, they're very simple and delicious. The easy-to-spot icons on every recipe are my favorite feature of this book. They allow you to easily find out whether a recipe requires cooking, is vegetarian or vegan, or contains wheat, eggs, gluten or sugar. ISBN 9781557884534

This book from Nicole Young is great for the parent who thinks they are just too busy to make their own baby food. The recipes are simple -- anyone who can boil water and run a blender can make them. Part of the beauty of this book, too, is in the ingredients used. There isn't anything here that's extremely exotic, but you will definitely find yourself expanding your child's repertoire past the standard peas and carrots of Gerber with foods you may not have considered for your baby like greens, parsnips, figs, turnips and avocado. And don't let the blender moniker fool you; this book has plenty to offer for kids of all ages and is broken down into five age groups ranging from babies just starting solids to toddlers. ISBN: 9780778801184

Cathe Olson's book starts where few baby food books do - in the womb and at the breast. But while this information is helpful, it only comprises the short, opening section. To me, the book's subtitle -- "Whole Foods to Nourish Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women and Their Families" -- is misleading. Mothers who did not breastfeed (and their children) will find just as much benefit from the wonderful recipes in this book. Many of the recipes will work for both vegans (as she offers alternatives to dairy and egg throughout) and for those who are not vegan or vegetarian at all. (Most of a baby or toddler's diet is not meat-based after all.) A wonderful glossary educates vegetarian newbies about unfamiliar ingredients. ISBN 9780972469067

Annabel Karmel has written a ton of books about feeding children, especially babies and toddlers. This particular volume is bright, colorful and interesting to read. It's less like a cookbook and more like a baby food self-help book or narrative. It's great for those visual learners who want to see exactly what they're going to get. It's easy to see just how thick or thin purees should be and the difference between a chunky adult stew and a child's stew is obvious. Some of the best recipes are the noodle dishes and stews, using toddler-sized ingredients like couscous and pasta stars. ISBN 0789441772

Diana Kalnins and Joanne Saab start this book out with some top-notch information about general nutrition. Beyond pureed carrots and green beans, however, there's very little for the youngest babies. This book would be better off named Better Toddler Food since that is where its strength lies. The pudding recipes were a big surprise. After making these, vanilla and chocolate pudding cups aren't even asked for at my house any more. I never imagined my kid would like rice or semolina pudding better, but they're a big hit. Pull this book out when you're tired of your standard meal rotation and you're sure to find something to add a little variety. ISBN 9780778801955