Baby Food Recipes, News and Information

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The European Food Safety Authority has (at last) decided that the food additive red 2G should be regarded as being a "safety concern".

Red 2G is a food colouring which is banned virtually worldwide and is one of the colours that the Hyperactive Children's Support Group says should be avoided in the diets of children. Nevertheless, it is still permitted for use in foods like burger meat, sausages, jams and some dairy products in the UK.

But the EFSA's re-evaluation of food additives has concluded that red 2G may cause cancer, because it converts into a carcinogenic substance called aniline in the body.

Let's hope that this announcement is followed by a banning of this food additive in the UK. In the meantime, be sure to check food labels of products you buy for your family, to ensure that red 2G (usually listed as E128) is not present.

Source: http://www.just-food.com

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July 9, 2007 15:33 - Recall of SMA Progress Powder (UK)

Batches of SMA Progress powder are being recalled in the UK because the powder is darker in colour than it should be and does not meet quality standards.

The cans involved in this recall are SMA Progress Powder 900g, with a batch number of Q7H284R26. You can find the batch number stamped on the bottom of the can. Only SMA Progress 900g with this batch number are affected - no other SMA products or batches are involved in this recall.

If you have any of the affected cans at home, please call the SMA Careline freephone number on 0800 081 2000 to make arrangements to replace the product. You can also call this number if you need further information or advice.

Source: http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk

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July 10, 2007 15:43 - Risk to Babies and Young Children From Pet Turtles

Did you know that pet turtles present a risk of salmonella infection to children? We usually associate salmonella poisoning with food, but - according to a report by the CDC - a 3 week old baby died in March after contracting a salmonella infection from a small turtle.

Although the sale of small turtles in banned in the US to prevent tragedies like this, the ban is sometimes ignored. In fact, the CDC says in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that "All turtles, regardless of [shell] size, should be handled as though they are infected with salmonella."

They also suggest that "Reptiles and amphibians should be kept out of homes of people with children younger than 5 or people with weak immune systems."

For more information, and tips for avoiding salmonella infection from turtles, please click here.

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July 10, 2007 15:56 - How To Make Teething Biscuits

Whilst many parents love to make their own baby food, few actually make their own teething biscuits or rusks and tend to buy the commercially made varieties, instead.

Yet making your own teething biscuits can be very simple and we have lots of different recipes to help you create the most appropriate biscuit for YOUR baby.

• Our main teething biscuit page tells you how to make treats like vanilla teethers, Italian cookies (both dairy free) and cinnamon cookies.

• If you want (or need) to avoid eggs in your recipes, then give these egg free recipes a try!

• Trying to avoid wheat? Then here are some great ideas for wheat free teething biscuits

• Have you ever thought of making nutritious bread sticks for your baby? Then visit our baby bread sticks page, which provides some delicious bread recipes, with instructions to help you create crunchy sticks from the loaves.

• And, of course, we also have a great recipe for zwieback toast.

If you have a good teething biscuit/rusk recipe, then why not send it in for our monthly recipe competition for your chance to win a $20 Amazon voucher!

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July 11, 2007 14:35 - Using Homemade Stocks and Broths In Baby Food

Some of the recipes on our site include stock or broth as an ingredient - and we always suggest you use the homemade variety!

But is using homemade broth or stock really necessary when using a stock cube or commercially prepared broth is so much quicker?

In our opinion, nothing beats the taste and benefits of a good, homemade stock! You can use it as the basis of a range of recipes - soups in particular - or you can use stock to cook other foods for your baby. Vegetables simmered in a beef broth may appeal to a baby who would otherwise refuse them... and plain rice is so much more interesting when cooked in a tasty vegetable stock rather than water.

Commercial stocks tend to be very salty, so they are not ideal for use in baby food - and their taste simply doesn't compare to that of a stock you've made yourself.

Does making your own stock feel like one job too many?

It really doesn't take long to make at all - the length of the preparation time is mainly influenced by the LONG cooking time. So, once you've thrown all the ingredients into the pot, you won't need to do much else except enjoy the fruits of your labour! And if you prepare plenty of stock in advance and freeze it, then you'll have some available whenever your recipe calls for it as an ingredient. We recommend storing your meat bones in the freezer throughout the month, which will enable you to cook up a big batch of stock in one go!

Homemade broth is also very nutritious - so why not take a look at some of the stock/broth recipes on our site and see how easy it is to make a batch for YOUR family's meals.

Chicken stock
Beef stock
Vegetable stock
Chicken broth - a cure for baby's cold?

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July 13, 2007 15:13 - Noisy Toddler Kicked Off Plane

If you've ever flown with your baby, then you'll understand that keeping little ones quiet on a plane is NOT always an easy task.

Usually, though, the worst that can happen is that all the other passengers will glare at you and make nasty comments loud enough for you to hear!

We've never actually heard of a flight attendant joining the disapproval party - but that's what apparently happened when Kate Penland of Atlanta flew with her 19 month old son to Oklahoma last month on a Continental Express flight.

According to this report, little Garren started saying 'Bye, bye plane,' repeatedly and the flight attendant told Kate that she needed to "shut her baby up". She went on to suggest that Kate give Garren baby Benadryl, which some parents use to sedate their children during long flights.

A debate ensued, with other passengers speaking up on behalf of Kate... but the flight was turned around and Kate and Garren were let off the plane.

The airline is investigating - and if Kate's allegations are confirmed, we really hope that this particular flight attendant is suitably punished.

Preferably by being put on a flight with an excitable, chatty toddler that she must keep quiet until landing!

If you'd like some tips to help you deal with flying with YOUR little chatterbox, please visit our Air Travel With Baby page.

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July 13, 2007 15:30 - Baby's Table Manners

Your baby's table manners (or lack of them!) are the subject of our newest page!

Many parents get very frustrated by the amount of mess their babies cause at mealtimes. The purpose of our page is to help you understand WHY your little one favours his fingers over a spoon... it also gives you a few tips to help keep stress to a minimum!

Read more...

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July 14, 2007 00:27 - Gerber Cereal Recall (US, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean)

Gerber is recalling all of its packages of organic oatmeal and organic rice cereals. This is because the cereal in some packs may not dissolve properly in water or milk, causing "clumping". This could pose a choking hazard to babies.

This recall involves all codes of the two products, which were sold in 8 ounce boxes. The UPC code for the organic rice cereal is 15000 12504 and the UPC code for the organic oatmeal cereal is 15000 12502.

If you have either of these types of cereal, please don't use them. Instead, call Gerber on 800-443-7237 or 231-928-3000 to arrange to return the product for a full refund.

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