Baby Food Recipes, News and Information

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Spaghetti squash has a delicate flavour and can be found in creamy or orange coloured varieties. The orange type is ideal for your baby as it is high in beta-carotene and also has a sweeter flavour. The easiest way to cook spaghetti squash for your baby is to bake it whole (pierce the shell in a few places first) at 375 deg F, until it feels tender.

What gives spaghetti squash its name is the way it produces spaghetti-like strands once its cooked - just halve it, remove the seeds and run a fork down the length of it to separate and remove the strands. You can use these in your recipes in place of spaghetti, or chop them to add a little texture to food for older babies.

This recipe is suitable for babies from 7 months of age and is really delicious - as well as a great meal for baby, it would also make a nice vegetable side dish or a vegetarian main meal for the grown-ups!

Cheesy Baked Spaghetti Squash For Baby

1/2 small baked spaghetti squash, separated into strands and placed in a sieve to drain
2-3 tsp butter
3tsp flour
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
6 fl oz milk (you can use breast milk or formula for younger babies)
2oz cheddar cheese, grated
good pinch fresh, chopped chives
2oz bread crumbs
1 tsp wheat germ

Heat the butter gently in a small pan and stir in the flour and garlic. Keeping the heat low, cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously.
Bring the milk to a boil, then slowly pour into the flour, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
Stir in the chives and half the cheese.
Squeeze the strands of squash to remove excess moisture and place in a small baking dish. Pour the sauce over the top, mixing well.
Mix the rest of the cheese with the bread crumbs and wheat germ and use this mixture to top the squash.
Flatten gently with the back of a spoon and bake at 375 deg F until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown.
Cool to a safe temperature for your baby and serve, chopping as necessary to achieve the ideal texture for your little one!

Our vegetarian baby food recipes page for older babies contains lots more ideas for healthy and delicious treats without meat! Read more...

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March 13, 2007 21:55 - Children's Necklaces Recalled Due To High Lead Levels (US)

Children's Mood Necklaces are being recalled in the US because they contain unsafe levels of lead. If you have older children at home who may have one of these necklaces, you should take it away from them - lead is toxic and can cause adverse health effects if ingested by a crawling baby.

The necklaces, pictured below, have multi coloured pendants in the shapes of dolphins, shamrocks, teardrops, spiders, hearts, crosses, moons, feet, stars, flip-flop sandals and butterflies, hanging from a black cord. The words "Mood Necklace" are printed on the front of the packaging and Item #AP-R428 is printed on a sticker on the back.

The necklaces were sold exclusively at: Accessories Palace in Lake Worth, Fla., and at the Accessories Palace Web site, from September 2006 through February 2007 for around $1.

If you have one of these, please return it to the Accessories Palace store for a full refund. If you are unable to do this - or if you bought it online - please contact United Imports Inc. on (800) 457-3545 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday to Friday, or visit their web site at www.unitedimports.com to arrange for a refund.

Source: http://www.cpsc.gov

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March 14, 2007 07:45 - Children's Stationery Sets Recalled (US)

Another product recall to be aware of if you have older children - a children's stationery set is being recalled because it contains a razor blade cutter with a dangerously sharp edge, which poses a laceration hazard to young children.

The Cooky Stationery Sets include a pencil, different colour markers, plastic scissors, erasers and the razor blade cutter. On the back of the packaging is printed "Cooky Stationery (sic) Set". The words "Cooky Stationery" are written on the erasers and markers. The sets (pictured below) were sold at Dollar stores in northern California from January 2005 through March 2007 for around $1.

Please throw the cutter away if you have one of these sets and return the rest of the set to the store to receive a refund.

If you need more information, please contact the CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 anytime.

Source: http://www.cpsc.gov

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March 14, 2007 14:34 - Another Toy Recall Due To Unsafe Lead Levels (US)

Toys R Us are recalling their Elite Operations Toy Sets because the paint contains unsafe amounts of lead and the toys also have sharp points, which pose a laceration hazard to children. The lead levels in toys that your older children may have are a particular concern if you have a crawling baby who may place these toys in his mouth.

Three styles of Elite Operations brand toy sets are involved in this recall. The military-style play sets contain action figures and accessories and light and sound vehicles. The models subject to recall are Super Rigs Transport Vehicle (Item # 087286), Command Patrol Center (Item # 920625) and Troop Carrier (Item # 773967). You can find the item numbers on the back of the packaging above the barcode.

These toys were sold at Toys R Us stores nationwide and toysrus.com from January 2006 through early February 2007 for between $15 and $30. Sets sold before January 2006 are not included in this recall and no other Elite Operations brand toys are affected.

If you have these toys, please return them to Toys R Us for full credit. For further information, please contact Toys R Us at (800) TOYSRUS (869-7787) between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, or visit their website.

Source: http://www.cpsc.gov

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March 15, 2007 07:38 - Giving Your Baby Corn

Many parents ask us about when they can introduce corn to their babies. Guidelines often recommend avoiding corn kernels as a finger food, because of the choking hazard they present - but what about adding corn to your baby's purees or other dishes?

Corn isn't an ideal choice as a first food for babies and is best avoided altogether during baby's first year. Besides being somewhat nutritionally inadequate for babies, it is difficult for their little tummies to digest and is also a potential allergen... Read more...

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March 16, 2007 09:14 - High Rate Of Diabetes In Under 5s

If you needed persuading that sugary drinks and convenience foods are bad for your little one, then a BBC article in the UK about the soaring rate of diabetes in the under fives will surely do it. The report, based on a study around Oxford, has revealed that the number of children with Type 1 diabetes has risen hugely in the last 20 years, with five times more children affected by 2004. This means that 1 child in every 1,000 has the condition.

Apparently this trend is true right across the UK and Europe - and although researchers say that genes are to blame in some cases, there must be other factors contributing to this alarming rise.

Lead researcher Professor Polly Bingley suggested that fewer mothers choosing to breastfeed their babies could be one cause and also that children's diets have changed to include unhealthy, sugary foods. She also thought it possible that over-sanitization has led to children being exposed to fewer germs, which affects the development of their immune systems.

Not all the factors contributing to diabetes are within our control, of course, but our children's diets certainly are. So-called "convenience" snack foods are no more convenient that cutting up a piece of fruit for a tasty treat between meals! And remember that giving babies juice is one of the leading causes of health problems for infants today, including obesity and dental decay. When appropriate, offer your baby water instead!

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March 16, 2007 21:42 - Claire's Necklaces Recalled

Children’s necklaces which were sold exclusively at Claire’s Stores are being recalled because they pose a risk of lead poisoning. No injuries have been reported yet - but if you have any of these necklaces at home, you should take them away from your children straight away.

The necklaces have metal pendants in various shapes, including monkeys, dolphins, and frogs holding colored marbles, a fleur de lis painted in various colors, a silver and black fairy, silver-colored letters "BFF" with rhinestones, and tiny handcuffs painted in various colors. The pendants have silver coloured chains and either "Claire’s" or "Claire’s best friends forever" is printed on the packaging.

The necklaces were sold exclusively at Claire’s retail stores nationwide, from December 2005 until December 2006 for between $5 and $11.

Please return this jewelry to any Claire’s store, where you will be issued with a full refund or a free replacement product. If you need more information, please call Claire’s Boutiques Inc. toll-free at (866) 859-9281 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, or visit their website at www.claires.com.

Source: http://www.cpsc.gov

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March 16, 2007 22:03 - Preventing Poisoning Within the Home

This year's National Poison Prevention Week in the US runs from March 18-24. For the past 46 years the education and information provided during this week has contributed to a large drop in the number of child deaths related to poisoning.

Still, statistics for unintentional poisoning within the home are scary. Between 2002 and 2004, around 36 children below the age of 5 died each year after ingesting a poisonous substance that they'd found in or around their home. And in 2005 around 91,000 young children were taken to emergency rooms due to accidental poisoning.

Babies, of course, at a particular risk of poisoning because of their habit of mouthing any items they encounter as they explore their surroundings. So please take a moment to read through this article produced by the CPSC in conjunction with National Poison Prevention Week, which contains important yet simple advice about protecting YOUR little one from potential poisoning hazards around the home.

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March 16, 2007 22:47 - Can I Add Cereal To My Baby's Bottle?

We received a message today from Liz in Illinois, who asked

My daughter is 7 weeks old and wakes every 2-3 hours to be fed during the night. My mother suggested putting cereal into the last bottle of milk my baby has each day, to fill up her tummy and help her sleep for longer. Is this safe?

This advice is often given to parents by baby's grandparents, because adding rice cereal to milk bottles was common practice when they were raising their babies. And it seems logical - your baby is waking to feed frequently, so feed him something more substantial than milk and he will wake less often.

But thickening babies' milk with cereal is not recommended - except in special circumstances, if baby is suffering from infant reflux, for example - and only on the advice of a pediatrician.

Why is it unsafe to add cereal to your baby's milk?

• Introducing ANYTHING other than breast milk or formula to your baby before 6 months of age can lead to food allergy.

• At such a young age, your baby's sucking and swallowing skills are not fully developed. This means that he may inhale the cereal into his lungs.

• His immature digestive system may struggle to cope with rice cereal, leading to discomfort. And if your baby is experiencing digestive discomfort, then he is likely to cry more... and wake MORE often at night!

• Thickening your baby's milk with cereal can cause obesity and lifelong weight problems.

  How?

  Well, your baby has a natural ability to gauge how much food he actually needs (you can read more about this on our page "How much should my baby be eating?"). When he is only consuming milk, he can tell when he is satisfied by the quantity that he drinks.

  When you add cereal to the milk, you are adding calories - and "tricking" your baby into taking in more calories than he really needs.

  Not only can this cause immediate problems with excess weight, it can cause your baby to struggle with his weight throughout his life. This is because his ability to tell when he has had enough to eat will ba damaged.

It can be difficult to explain your refusal to thicken your baby's milk to well meaning grandparents who didn't encounter any problems when THEY did it.

So gently point out that rates of obesity are at an all-time high... and rising - and that perhaps this outdated practice is the cause.

Alternatively, try to avoid discussing your baby's sleep issues with relatives who are likely to offer this advice as a solution.

And remember - the broken nights won't last forever... for the first few months, your baby needs small, frequent feeds. By accomodating this basic need, you are doing the very best for your baby.

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