The Homemade Baby Food Recipes Blog

Around 4 million Inflatable Baby Floats are being recalled because the leg straps in the seats can tear, possibly causing a child to fall into the water and posing a drowning hazard.

The recalled floats were sold in a variety of colors and designs and can be viewed here. They were sold at a variety of retailers across the US from December 2002 through June 2009 for between $8 and $15.

You should stop using these floats if you have them and contact Aqua-Leisure toll-free at (866) 807-3998 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday for a refund. Alternatively, you can visit the firm’s Web site at www.aqualeisure.com

Tags: recalls

Simplicity Drop Side Cribs are being recalled because they pose a suffocation hazard. The problem is caused by the plastic hardware of the crib, which may break or deform. This may cause the drop side to detach, creating a space between the drop side and the mattress. Babies or young children could roll into this gap and could become trapped, potentially leading to suffocation.

Tragically, one child has already died as a result of becoming trapped in this way and there have been 25 more reports of the drop side detaching from the crib. Images of the hazard this gap presents are shown here.

A recall of Simplicity Drop Side Cribs took place in September 2007, but this recall includes all cribs with the newer or different plastic hardware from those involved in the original recall. You can identify the newer style of plastic hardware by looking for a flexible plastic tab at the top of the lower tracks.

The model numbers involved in this recall include but may not be limited to: 8050, 8325, 8620, 8745, 8748, 8755, 8756, 8765, 8778, 8810, and 8994, 8995, 8996.

These cribs were sold for between $150 and $300 at department stores, children’s stores, and mass merchandisers nationwide from January 2005 through June 2009.

If you have one of these cribs, then you should clearly stop using it immediately. You should then return the crib to the store you bought it from for a full refund, replacement or store credit.

Tags: recalls

The Baby Bjorn Baby Sitter Balance, sold across Australia from September 2008 to June 2009, is being recalled. This is because two Japanese consumers have found small metal pieces in the fabric. The covers of the products involved came in the following colours - black/silver, white/air and black/air.

If you have one of these items, please send the Balance cover only to:

Scanbrands, Reply Paid
PO Box 2816, Cheltenham, VIC 3192

You will then be sent a new balance cover. If you have any questions, please call 03 9585 8199.

Source: www.recalls.gov.au

Tags: recalls

Fears over E.coli contamination have sparked a recall of beef products in Canada. The products have Best Before dates of April 29 to June 16, 2009 inclusive, so consumers are being asked to check their freezers to see if they may have any of the affected meat at home.

For full details of all the products affected - and a list of the retail stores involved - please visit www.inspection.gc.ca

Tags: recalls

The Peapod Indoor/Outdoor Portable Travel Bed is just what you need for days out and about with your baby this summer and is the perfect space-saving accessory for a vacation!

As its name implies, you can use this bed inside and outdoors - and the UV protective screen means that it does double duty as a shade tent for the beach or back yard! It’s lightweight and portable, very comfortable for your tiny traveller - and we’re giving one away FREE!

All you need to do is send in your review of your favorite baby care accessory. We love to hear about anything and everything you have found invaluable when caring for your little one, from cool feeding accessories or toys to useful travel gear or strollers. The sender of our favorite review before July 29th will win the travel bed - simple as that!

We have been running similar contest for several months and now have lots of wonderful reviews on our site that can be a real help if you’re deciding on the most useful items to buy for your baby.

So to read all existing reviews - and to send in yours for a chance at winning this super prize - visit our Baby Product Reviews page now!

Tags: competition, contest, product reviews

It’s the first of July - and that means we have a brand new Baby of the Month!

A big thank you to everyone who sent in their babies’ photographs for this month’s contest. Our winner was lovely little Niña from Manila in the Philippines - you can meet Niña and see lots more of our favourite pics from last month’s contest on our Baby of the Month page!

And if you’d like to enter your baby’s photo for next month’s contest, just scroll to the bottom of the Baby of the Month page and you’ll find the simple entry form, where you can tell us all about your little one and upload your photo.

We look forward to receiving your entry.

Yesterday we received a message from Jennifer in Miami, US, regarding her daughter Olivia (6 months). Jennifer was happy for us to publish her message and our reply here, in case there are other parents in the same situation who may find the information useful.

Jennifer told us

I introduced Olivia to solids 2 weeks ago. So far, she’s just had cereal and banana. At first, everything went well, but since Olly had her shots a few days ago she’s become badly constipated. She screams when she poops and yesterday I noticed there was a little blood on her poop. I tried giving her some pureed peach but she’s been irritable ever since. I feel like such a bad mommy and I’m not sure what to give her next. By the way, she’s still breastfed 4 times a day.

First, Jennifer, PLEASE don’t feel like a bad mommy! It’s hard seeing your little one constipated, but it’s not your fault. You may want to just check with Olivia’s pediatrician that there is no underlying reason for the constipation - the blood in her poop is most likely caused by a tiny tear to her anus, triggered by all the straining. It can be quite painful, so it’s important to try to soften her stools as quickly as possible.

The cereal/banana combination may well be causing the constipation as they can be quite binding foods - our Baby Constipation page identifies some of the most common culprits and suggests some ways of getting things moving.

But little Olivia has a few things going on at the moment and it’s possible that the grouchiness you mentioned after giving the peaches may have been associated with a reaction to her shots, rather than to the fruit itself.

My advice in this situation would be to put solids on hold for a bit.

Just because you’ve started solids doesn’t mean that you have to persist with them every day at this stage - Olivia would really benefit at this point from  a few extra nursing sessions. These will not only help soften her stools, but will also simultaneously provide the nutrition AND the comfort she needs.

Putting a brake on solids after making the decision to start can feel a little bit like taking a step backwards, but sometimes it really is the best solution. It allows baby’s digestive system to settle down again and it gives both mum and baby a break from the anxiety that the constipation is causing.

Once you decide to resume solids, then you may like to consider alternatives to rice cereal. We have lots of suggestions for ideal foods to try here…

The best first food for baby

Your message has also highlighted the fact that it’s a good idea to avoid introducing any new foods around the time of baby’s shots , as it can be hard to determine if any ensuing irritability is caused the new food, or by the shots!

Jennifer, we hope that Olivia is feeling better very soon.

Tags: constipation, rice

If you have older children, then summer is one of the busiest times of the year, with everyone at home just waiting to be entertained! Consequently, finding the time to make baby’s food may be a little more challenging than usual!

So you’ll be pleased to hear that we have four new readers’ recipes this month that require little in the way of preparation, yet are still nutritious and tasty!

Congratulations, then, to Kristin Metcalf from the US - we chose her Blueberry Pear Finger Cereal idea as our winning recipe this month. Kristin wins a $20 voucher to spend at Amazon.

You can see Kristin’s recipe - plus our other favourite quick and easy ideas sent in throughout June - on our Baby Food Ideas page.

YOU could be next month’s winner…

Just send in your original baby food recipe - and if it’s chosen as our winner, then we’ll send you a $20 voucher (or local equivalent) to spend on anything you choose at Amazon.com!

Here’s the form to submit your baby food recipes

Tags: competition, contest, recipes

We love hearing from parents around the world about how and when babies are introduced to solids in different cultures. So we enjoyed a message we received this weekend from Natalie, an Australian expat living with her Chinese husband and his family in Beijing.

She told us about congee - a rice dish that’s often served plain to babies in China as a first food.

The preparation of congee involves cooking rice with more water than usual - and for longer than usual - to a point where the grains break down. The result is a thick, somewhat smooth mixture and - whilst it’s usually cooked unseasoned for babies - Natalie tells us that other ingredients are added to provide flavour and nutrition for older babies (she mixes congee with pureed veggies for her daughter!).

Congee (also known as rice porridge) is simple to make and Natalie describes how…

For every cup of rice, we use 10 cups of water. Wash the rice before you start until the water runs clear, then put the grains in a pot with a heavy base. Pour in the water and heat until boiling. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook partly covered until the congee reaches the texture you want (around 2 hours). Stir occasionally.

Natalie told us that congee is more than just a baby food, though - there are a great deal of congee variations which use all sorts of extra ingredients (including veggies, meats and fish) and are enjoyed all over China by adults.

We read some more about congee and found that it is sometimes made using stock instead of water (sounds like a good idea, as we’re certain our little ones would have found plain congee a little bland!). It can also be made with brown rice, which would be more nutritious - although we guess the cooking time would need to be extended to some degree.

Interestingly, other grains - such as oats, barley or millet - are sometimes used instead of rice.

Thanks, Natalie, for telling us about congee - perhaps you will inspire some of us western mums to try it and introduce our baby food connoisseurs to a little taste of China!

And if YOU’VE used congee as a baby food, we’d love to hear your comments! We’d be particularly interested in hearing about your results in making congee with the nutritious grains mentioned above!

More baby food ideas using brown rice

Tags: barley, brown rice, millet, oats, rice

Today we have a recipe for baby that tastes really good - yet can be whipped up very quickly and easily. Made with nutritious pumpkin and with the added benefits of garlic, it makes a richly flavoured and healthy lunch or dinner for your tiny diner, or could even be served as a dip for those enjoying finger foods!

For Baby’s Extra Special Pumpkin Puree You Will Need…

1 lb (2 cups) pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed and cut into chunks (cut them the same size so they cook evenly)
2 gloves garlic (unpeeled)
olive oil
pinch cumin
pinch dried nutmeg
pinch freshly ground black pepper
chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C).
Spread out the pumpkin pieces in a baking tray and place the unpeeled garlic alongside them.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the seasonings.
Bake for 20 mins, then remove the garlic and set aside.
Return the pumpkin to the oven and bake for a further 15-20 mins, or until all the pieces are tender.
Place the pumpkin in a food processor, then make a slit in the cooked garlic cloves and squeeze in the roasted garlic.
Blend to a puree, adding enough chicken stock to reach the texture you desire.
Serve warm - and to make the dish look extra tempting, swirl in a little natural yogurt or cream!

More pumpkin baby food recipes here