The Homemade Baby Food Recipes Blog

Tesco is recalling two batches of its own-brand wholegrain brown rice. This is because the products may be contaminated with insects (yuck!).

If you’ve recently bought any brown rice from Tesco, please check the packaging – the recalled product is Tesco wholegrain brown rice, 1kg, with ‘Best before’ dates of 15 September 2011 and 16 September 2011.

No other brown rice products are affected.

If you have any rice from the recalled batches, please visit the Tesco Customer Service desk for more information.

Source: www.food.gov.uk

Tags: recalls

We love receiving tips and ideas from other parents and we were sent a great one yesterday by Jill from Cheam in south-east England.

She told us how she’s come up with a good alternative to bibs when feeding her messy 10 month old, Tegan!

Tegan likes to feed herself (we don’t do purees) but she gets in a huge mess and most bibs don’t protect her clothes enough. Also, she pulls them off – especially the Velcro ones! So now I use large burp cloths – I wrap them around her and secure them at the back with my butterfly-style hair clip (but you could use clothes pegs or any other kind of clip).

I was also given a pile of thick, old-fashioned cotton cot sheets which are too small for her cot, so I use those too! They cover her up much better than bibs, then I clean her face with them afterwards and throw them in the washing machine.

Thanks for sharing, Tegan – that’s a good solution and a great way to put those sheets to use!

We agree with you about most bibs – they tend to be fine if you’re spoon feeding, but once your little one starts self-feeding, then the food just seems to end up everywhere!

Bumkins make a really good Sleeved Bib that we wouldn’t be without – in fact, whenever we use it outside the house, everyone asks where we got it – which just goes to show that the problem of keeping a messy eater clean is a common one! Fortunately, we live in a warm part of the world, so we tend to feed our little one in just a diaper whenever we can!

Please do keep the tips coming – especially for those that help you deal with mess of baby’s mealtimes!

Tags: bibs

You may be familiar with okra as an ingredient in curries… or as a vegetable that’s breaded and deep fried… or you may not be familiar with okra at all!

This weird and wonderful vegetable – which, bizarrely, is part of the mallow family and related to cotton! – is loved by many and detested by others, primarily because of its unusual texture once it’s cooked.

But that odd texture has hidden benefits – and there are many other nutrients in okra, which may just persuade you to give it a try!

Visit our latest page to find out more about using okra in your homemade baby food recipes,  with tips for when to offer it to your baby, how to prepare it  - and just what it is about okra’s texture that makes it special…

Okra baby food recipes

Tags: okra

Cleaning your little one’s teeth and gums is important from birth – but particularly so once you introduce solids.

Dentists actually recommend wiping baby’s gums with a piece of gauze from his very first days of life, in order to remove milk residues. Even before your little one’s teeth emerge, dental care is important – and getting started early helps familiarize your baby with the whole procedure and helps prevent problems later on.

A common misconception among many parents is that caring for baby’s first teeth – the milk teeth – is less important that caring for the permanent teeth that emerge later in childhood. Sadly, this is borne out by the rising number of cases of dental caries in infants being presented to dentists.

So it’s essential to realize that those little teeth your baby has now (or will have soon!) play a vital role in his dental health in later life.

If you’re just getting started with brushing your baby’s teeth, you will probably have a lot of questions, such as…

• Which types of toothpaste are suitable for my baby?
• Which is the best type of toothbrush to use?
• How on earth do I get my baby to open his mouth?

Whilst the best person to speak to will always be your child’s dentist, we do have some tips for you to help you get started, along with some simple steps you can follow to keep your baby’s teeth nice and healthy!

Read more about brushing baby’s teeth here

And if YOU have any tips for making teeth-brushing time a little easier, then please do share them here!

Tags: teeth

It’s common knowledge that refined sugars are a big no-no in the diets of babies and young children. Quite aside from the harm that they do to emerging teeth, refined sugars are renowned for contributing to behavioural problems such as hyperactivity, attention deficit disorders and mood swings.

But did you know that – from a biological viewpoint – refined carbohydrates are very similar to sugar – and that their effect on the body is similar, too?

White bread contains refined carbohydrates

And so do many foods that are made with white flour. When wheat grains are processed to make white flour, the bran and the germ are removed. These are the healthiest parts of the grain, packed with fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Once they’re removed, you’re left with simple carbohydrates which are – essentially – empty calories. These simple carbs cause raised levels of blood glucose immediately following consumption, leading to the inevitable ‘crash’, which explains the behvioural effects noticed by many parents.

Scarier still, doctors advise that the fluctuating blood sugar levels caused by consuming refined carbohydrates may lead to overeating, and may also increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease in later life.

Unrefined carbohydrates, on the other hand, contain the whole grain. This means that this still contain all their natural nutrients and are far healthier for your baby.

The following foods are all examples of refined carbohdrates. Try to avoid offering these foods to your baby wherever possible…

• white flour
• sugary cereals
• white bread
• pasta made with white flour
• white rice

The following foods all contain whole grains and are the BEST nutritional choices for your little one…

• whole wheat bread (known as wholemeal bread in the UK)
• whole wheat pasta
• whole grain (brown) rice
• porridge oats/oatmeal

Don’t be misled by labels

When you’re choosing commercially baked foods for your baby – or items like pasta – it’s important to pay careful attention to the labelling to see if the products contain refined carbohydrates.

Tips for avoiding refined carbohydrates in your baby’s diet…

• Remember that ingredients are listed by weight. This means that the ingredients listed first will be present in the food in the largest quantity.
• You’ll often come across the term ‘enriched’, which somehow sounds healthy…. but isn’t! It simply means that the food has been refined, then some of the nutrients that the refining process removed have been added back in! For complete nutrition, you want products containing unrefined, whole carbohydrates.
• Any time that you see grains listed as an ingredient, ensure that the word ‘whole’ is in front of them.
• Don’t be fooled by the term ‘wheat flour’. It’s actually a refined carbohydrate and is NOT the same as whole wheat flour.

Tags: bread, carbohydrates, fibre, grains, minerals, pasta, protein, rice, sugar, vitamins, wheat

Barley is a type of grain you may not have considered serving as a breakfast cereal. Rich in fibre and minerals, it also contains B vitamins – and it has a lovely nutty flavour.

Most of us are familiar with pearl barley, which is most commonly used in soups and stews. And whilst pearl barley may be nutritious, an even better choice (if you can find it) is hulled barley, which undergoes the least processing and retains the most nutrients. That being said, hulled barley takes longer than pearl barley to cook – and its texture is a lot more chewy.

Today’s recipe calls for pearl barley, which is more widely available and a bit easier for baby to cope with (from around 6 months+).

The resulting dish makes a really tasty breakfast, which you can pop into a food processor and blend if your baby prefers (just add milk or extra yogurt for a smoother texture). Although we’ve suggested some tasty additions to include with the barley, you can experiment to discover a flavour combination that YOUR baby really enjoys!

Note: This recipe isn’t ideal if you’re rushing about first thing in the morning, because the barley takes a while to cook! You could try cooking it advance and warming a portion when needed, or you could freeze portions to thaw overnight and then warm in the morning! If you choose to freeze the barley, do so BEFORE you add the yogurt – that’s best done just before serving!

To Make Baby’s Creamy Barley Breakfast You Will Need…

8 fl oz (1 cup) apple juice
6 fl oz (3/4 cup) water
2 tbsp dried apricots, chopped
4 oz (1/2 cup) pearl barley
good pinch of cinnamon
natural yogurt

Pour the apple juice and water into a pan and add the chopped apricots and cinnamon.
Bring to the boil.
Stir in the barley, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
Cover the pot and cook for around 1 hour until the barley is tender. If the mixture looks too dry at any point, add more apple juice. By the end of the hour, the barley should have absorbed all of the juice.

The barley is now ready to eat, but to create a creamier texture for baby, stir in a good dollop of natural yogurt. You might also like to try stirring in mashed banana or applesauce, a combination our little one loves!

Don’t forget to let us know whether your little one enjoys his Creamy Barley Breakfast!

Looking for more breakfast ideas for baby?

Then check out…

15 Breakfast Ideas for Baby

Baby Oatmeal Recipes and Tips

Baby Breakfast Recipes from Our Readers

Tags: apple juice, applesauce, apricots, B vitamins, banana, barley, breakfast, cinnamon, fibre, yogurt

We received a message this morning from Deborah in Oxford, England, asking if cucumber is safe for babies to eat.

My mother-in-law was making salad and gave my son Reece a wedge to chew on which (I must admit) he loved! But he’s never had cucumber before – is it safe for babies to eat it? He’s 8 months old and has been eating finger foods for a month.

The good news, Deborah, is that cucumber isn’t considered to be a highly allergenic food and offering your baby a taste after 6 months of age shouldn’t cause any problems. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to be on the look-out for reactions to any new food – because, of course, it is possible for your baby to react to a certain food, even if that food isn’t well known for causing reactions!

Related to squash and muskmelon, cucumbers are mild in flavour, with a VERY high water content. Whilst they offer some nutrition – primarily in the form of vitamin C – they are not a particularly nutrient-dense food and don’t add a huge amount of value to your baby’s diet.

However, they ARE great for the very purpose that Deborah’s mother-in-law used them for… and that’s providing something cool and soothing for baby to chew on whilst he’s teething!

If  you decide to offer your little one a piece of cucumber, check the seeds it contains – whilst some are so tender that they’re barely noticeable, in other varieties they can be quite firm and could pose a choking hazard. If the seeds seem tough, just cut them out.

The skin, too, can be a bit on the tough side, although our babies have always managed to chew on cucumber slices WITH skin without any difficulties, from around 8 or 9 months of age.

The skin contains lots of fibre – but it’s preferable to remove it if you are concerned that your baby may have difficulty in chewing it, or if the cucumber has been waxed (more information here).

And one last thing to consider…

Cucumbers are notorious for causing gassiness and burping – a variety called the ‘burpless cucumber’ (which apparently contains less of the burp-provoking compound) has even been developed to avoid this problem!

So you may notice that your baby experiences an increase in gas as a result of eating cucumber – and if this causes him any discomfort, then it would be a good idea to hold off on the cucumber until he’s a little older!

Tags: cucumber, finger foods, vitamin C

Canned tuna is one of the best-selling forms of seafood worldwide. Tuna contains many important nutrients, including protein, B vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 essential fatty acids. These fatty acids are called ‘essential’ because they are vital to human health, but cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from food.

You should – of course – speak to your doctor before introducing tuna to your baby. In general, babies can be introduced to tuna once they’re already enjoying a range of fruits and vegetables – usually from around 7 months plus.

Research recently published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood showed that introducing fish before 9 months of age may reduce baby’s risk of eczema – so it may be beneficial to introduce it sooner rather than later – but it is important to check with your doctor first as there may be reasons why fish is not appropriate for YOUR baby just yet.

As fresh tuna is not readily available in all areas, canned tuna is the common choice for most families. But before introducing canned tuna into your little one’s diet, there are five important point to think about…

• Some fish contain high levels of mercury, which is harmful to health. For this reason, the FDA warns that young children should not eat King Mackerel, tilefish, shark or swordfish. It lists tuna as one of the fish lowest in mercury and one of the best choices for young children.
• Guidelines from the FDA state that pregnant women may eat up to 12 oz (2 average meals) of low-mercury fish per week and that parents should
  

  Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to (their) young child, but serve smaller portions.

  Therefore, one or two ‘baby sized’ meals per week containing tuna would be acceptable.

• Canned ‘light’ tuna is lower in mercury than albacore ‘white’ tuna, so it’s the best type to feed your baby. It’s also the cheapest of the two, which is fortunate!
• Canned tuna packed in water rather than oil is believed by some to retain more of those Omega-3 essential fatty acids. This is because the natural oils in the tuna blend with the oil in the can… so when you drain the can, you lose these natural oils. But because oil and water don’t mix, the fatty acids in the tuna are less likely to leach out when the fish is packed in water – and the tuna will be more nutritious as a result.
• Canned tuna may contain more than just tuna! Check the labels carefully – some contain a lot of salt or other ingredients, such as soy or the milk protein casein, which may cause reactions in sensitive babies. Look for low sodium or salt free varieties and make sure that your child is able to safely consume any other ingredients listed. If in doubt, check with your doctor.

Once you’re satisfied that your little one is ready for a taste of tuna, here are two simple and tasty tuna baby food recipes for you to try…

Tuna cakes with sweet potato

Nutritious tuna pasta with avocado mayonnaise

Maclaren USA is recalling around a million strollers following reports of 12 children losing the tips of their fingers in the strollers’ hinge mechanism.

All Maclaren single and double umbrella strollers are included in this recall, which includes the following models…Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

These strollers were sold for between $100 and $360 at Babies“R”Us, Target and other juvenile product and mass merchandise retailers nationwide from 1999 through November 2009.

If you have one of these strollers, please stop using it and contact Maclaren USA toll-free at (877) 688-2326 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday to receive a free repair kit. Alternatively, you can visit their website.

Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10033.html

Tags: recalls

Breakfast has always been one of our babies’ favourite meals of the day, probably because it comes after a good night’s sleep (we hope!) and our little ones are happy… and hungry!

Now that our youngest family member (Joe) is 10 months of age, he’s REALLY enjoying his finger foods – and never more so than first thing in the morning.

We prepared this French Toast recipe for him last weekend and he loved it (as did we all) – so we thought we’d post it for you today in time for the Sunday breakfast which, if you’re like us, tends to be the most elaborate one of the week!

To Make French Toast with Vanilla and Applesauce for Your Baby You Will Need…

2 slices of bread (whole wheat if possible)
2-3 tbsp vanilla yogurt
2 tbsp whole milk
1 large egg yolk
little drop of vanilla essence
pinch cinnamon

Mix everything except the bread together in a bowl until well blended.
Dip each slice of bread into the mixture, making sure it soaks right in.
Heat a little unsalted butter in a frying pan/skillet over a medium heat.
Cook the bread slices for a couple of minutes until the undersides are golden, then turn and repeat on the other side.
Cool and serve with a blob of delicious homemade applesauce.

Do let us know if your little one enjoys this recipe as much as Joe!

More breakfast ideas for baby

Baby breakfast ideas sent in by other parents

Tags: apple, applesauce, bread, breakfast, cinnamon, egg, finger foods, French Toast, milk, recipes, vanilla, whole wheat, yogurt