• Would you and your baby like to appear on our website?
• Should I peel fruits and veggies for my baby?
• New and updated pages
• Competition winners
• The Flair Elite Highchair
• Baby care "tip of the month" - Cooking succulent chicken breasts for baby
• Safety recalls
• Our featured product review - the Ergo Baby Carrier
• Visit our "website of the month"
• This month's subscribers-only recipe - Sweet apple and couscous breakfast

Would you and your baby like to appear on our website?

With this in mind, we'd like to encourage you - our readers - to become more involved in our site.

We are looking for a few parents of babies just starting solids, who would be interested in keeping a little "journal" of their babies' experiences. Ideally, the journal would follow your baby's progress with solids throughout his first year, with information about what he's eating, when he moves on to lumpy textures, when he starts to feed himself, etc.

We would publish your baby's updates on our site each month (along with any relevant photos) so that other parents can hear about, learn from and share your experiences!

If you would be interested in taking part, we'd LOVE to hear from you. Simply complete our contact form with your details and tell us a little bit about your baby! We'll get back to you with more information about getting started!

Should I Peel Fruits and Veggies For My Baby?

New and updated pages

• Homemade broths or stocks are not only healthier for your baby - they taste far better than the store-bought varieties! And it needn't be a time-consuming task to make them - if you make a large batch once a month and freeze it into individual portions, then you'll have a supply on hand whenever you need it. This month we have added a recipe for vegetable stock - and, if you missed them, we also have recipes for chicken and beef stocks, too!

• Messy mealtimes are par for the course throughout your baby's first year... and beyond! But does the mess cause you stress? Then check out our new page of tips for coping with a messy eater!

• If your baby gets bored in his highchair once he's finished eating, then why not take a look at this list of our favourite highchair toys? They may keep him happy just long enough for you to finish YOUR meal in peace!

• Have you thought about introducing bell peppers to your baby? Then visit our new page all about preparing bell peppers for baby, which is packed with nutritional information, cooking tips and delicious recipes.

Competition winners

We've had some wonderful entries in our baby food recipe competition this month. The winning recipe - for baby's vegetable muffins - along with our two runners-up - linguini with yogurt sauce and mashed root veggies - are now available on our Baby Food Ideas page.

The Flair Elite Highchair (US)

If you're looking for a good quality highchair for your baby, then you might like to take a look at our review of the Flair Elite highchair, which appeared on our blog this month.

Be warned - this is not an "economy" highchair by any means, but it's unique and stylish design sets it apart from many models on the market right now... and we just love the pneumatic lift for adjusting the height!

Find out more here!

Tip of the month - Cooking Succulent Chicken Breasts For Baby

Chicken breasts are very nutritious and a great source of protein for your baby.

Lots of recipes on our site include chicken - and the simplest way to cook a chicken dinner for your baby is to combine cooked chicken with cooked veggies and potato, then mash well.

But one problem that you may encounter when preparing boneless, skinless chicken breasts is that they tend to dry out quite easily. This can make them tough or stringy, difficult to puree... and very unappealing to your baby!

So, other than cooking chicken breasts as part of a main recipe (in stews or casseroles, for example) what are the best ways to prepare them alone and achieve a moist and juicy result?

• Cook them in foil. This is known as "moist heat" cooking, because the foil holds in the steam. This produces very tender chicken - and the fact that there are no pots to wash afterwards is a big plus, too!

  Just cut a large square of foil (extra thick foil is best) and place your chicken breasts on it in a single layer. Cook them alone, or top them with whatever your baby enjoys. You could use fresh herbs and a dot or two of butter - or even throw in some diced veggies (like sweet potatoes and carrots) and cook a whole meal in one package!

  Wrap the foil LOOSELY around the breasts and fold the edges together tightly to prevent the steam escaping.

  Bake at 400 deg F for around 30 mins, until the chicken is cooked throughout.

• Cook them in homemade stock. Place your chicken breasts in an oven-proof dish and cover with homemade chicken stock (or broth). Bake at 400 deg F for around 30 mins, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

• Steam them. Try steaming chicken breasts on the bottom rack of your steamer for around 20-30 mins. You can, of course, add your baby's favourite veggies to the steamer during the cooking process to make an entire meal in one go!

• Use a high heat. If you prefer to cook chicken in a frying pan/skillet, then it will retain its juices if you cook it over a high heat. Cooking slowly over a low heat gives a much drier result - but it is important to check that the breasts are thoroughly cooked, of course - the FDA recommends cooking chicken breasts to an internal temperature of 170 deg F (77 deg C).

• Marinate the breasts in yogurt or milk. This is a practice favoured in many cuisines, particularly Indian, because it is believed that the lactic acid contained in dairy products acts as a mild meat tenderizer.

• Marinate the breasts in apple juice. Apple juice, too, can help tenderize meat and you can even simmer the chicken in the juice to cook it for your baby. For more advenurous diners, add a little sliced onion and garlic - yum!

If you have any tips for preparing juicy and delicious chicken breasts, please let us know and share your ideas with other parents.

This month's safety recalls

Shape-Sorting Toy Castles are recalled in the US because they may present a choking hazard to babies.

Yet another recall involving magnetic toys - Mag Stix are recalled in the US because of the hazards posed by loose magnets.

Children's metal jewelry is recalled in the US because it contains high levels of lead.

Baby Walkers are recalled in Australia because they pose a choking hazard to young children.

SMA Progress Powdered Formula is recalled in the UK because it does not meet quality standards.

Organic oatmeal and organic rice cereals are recalled by Gerber in the US, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean because they may present a choking hazard to babies.

Payless Toddler's Shoes are recalled in the US because they may pose a choking hazard to young children.

Children's Earrings are recalled in the US because they contain toxic levels of lead.

A previous recall of Soldier Bear Toy Sets is expanded because the sets contain toxic lead levels.

Playskool Sippy Cups are recalled in the US because they pose a risk of choking to babies.

An expanded warning is given about falsely labelled Similac formula in Canada.

A range of baby toys are recalled in Australia because they do not meet safety standards.

Crib bumpers are recalled in the US because they pose a risk of entanglement to babies.

Pacifiers decorated with crystals are recalled in the US because they pose a choking hazard to babies.

Our featured product review - The Ergo Baby Carrier

Wearing your baby. It's been practiced for thousands of years in traditional societies, but only recently has it gained acceptance in Western culture. Companies everywhere are now springing up with their own line of baby carriers, many of them run by moms who had designed their own and found them to be popular with other parents. In the past, the Snugli was the most well-known brand, and Baby Bjorn today continues to be the best-selling carrier. However, a relative newcomer is taking the industry by storm - the ERGO Baby Carrier.

Karin Frost, the designer, wished to carry her baby, but couldn't find a single all-encompassing carrier for her child's growing needs. With a background in clothing design, she created her own. Curious parents who tried it begged for one of their own, and with word of mouth spreading like wildfire, the ERGO Baby Carrier was born.

As the namesake suggests, the design concentrates on ergonomics, both for baby and the parent. Baby sits in a healthy position on the wearer, eliminating the spinal stress that could happen when they simply dangle on the wearer, as seen with most front carrier designs. The balance of weight on the parent's hips alleviate back and shoulder stress. To top it all off, the Ergo can be worn on the front (recommended for newborns to six months), the hip and the back. It also looks stylish and modern, so sling-shy dads will have no problem wearing what looks like a rugged hiking backpack!

If you are thinking of wearing your baby, this is the only carrier you'll ever need. Ergo also gives any buyer a ninety day comfort guarantee. The ERGO Baby Carrier is currently available from Baby-Wise.com priced at $92.


This month's product review is by our guest author Chris Molnar, a new dad and editor of www.babyinasling.com, a site devoted to baby carriers, reviews, and babywearing tips.

Visit our Website of the Month

MommySavers was established in early 2000 by Kimberley Danger. Whilst on maternity leave, she spent lots of time reseaching ways in which parents could live on a single income, save money AND earn extra money. During her research, she noticed that there were no websites set up to deal with ALL these issues simultaneously... and MommySavers was born!

There are tons of articles on the site to help you with a variety of aspects of frugal living! With advice on everything from making your own baby products to decorating your home on a budget, this really is a one-stop resource for keep the family finances in check!

You can also join in the chat on the MommySaver forums, read the profiles of other parents - or complete a profile of your own!

The only problem we encountered with this site was that the pages seemed to take a while to load (although that could have been down to our connection, of course!).

But hang in there... MommySavers is worth the wait!

This month's subscribers-only recipe - Sweet Apple and Couscous Breakfast

Here's an interesting recipe for a yummy breakfast for baby - or even a healthy dessert. If this recipe is a little too "lumpy" or textured for your baby at this point, you could try pureeing the apple and raisin mixture before you combine it with the couscous.

Please note that couscous is made from rolled semolina, which is coated with wheat flour. This means that it is NOT suitable for a wheat-free diet, nor should it be given to babies until they are at least 6 months of age.

You will need

3fl oz apple juice
3fl oz water
3oz couscous

For the apple sauce mixture...

2 sweet apples (you will not be adding sugar to this recipe, so it is important that the apples are nice and sweet)
1tsp cinnamon
1oz raisins
1fl oz water
pinch arrowroot powder

Preheat the oven to 375 deg F.
Peel the apples then dice them. Mix them in a bowl with the cinnamon, raisins, water and the arrowroot, then place the mixture in a small baking dish.
Bake for around 30-45 mins, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender.
Whilst the apples are baking, pour the apple juice and water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, then stir in the couscous and cover.
Let stand for around 10-15 mins until the couscous has absorbed all the juice, then fluff with a fork.
Once the apple mixture is ready, pour it over the couscous, cool and serve.

You can also chill this mixture and serve it cold - it tastes delicious and would make a great start to a summer's day!