What's in this issue...

• Visit our baby of the month
• The best first food for babies
• One-pot baby meals
• New and updated pages
• Cooking spaghetti squash for your baby
• Baby care "tip of the month" - Sweeten baby's foods the healthy way
• Safety recalls
• Our featured product review - The Peapod Travel Bed
• Visit our "website of the month"
• This month's subscribers-only recipe - Fruity oatmeal breakfast

Visit our baby of the month

We have very much enjoyed looking at your photographs and reading about your babies and it is really great to hear how they are tucking into such a wide variety of healthy foods!

It is very clear from many of your letters just how much YOU enjoy cooking for your babies... and the lovely smiles in your babies' photographs show just how much they appreciate it!

So who is April's Baby of the Month? Find out here, where you can also meet our three gorgeous runners-up...

If you'd like to send in YOUR baby's photograph, please visit the Baby of The Month page above and complete the simple form.

The best first food for babies

But is baby rice really an ideal first food - or are there other options available?

Our blog article this month looks at the pros and cons of offering infant cereal as a first food - and explores some healthy alternatives.

One-pot baby meals

No matter how much you enjoy making your baby's food, there will be busy days when it may seem hard to find the time to prepare a separate meal for your little one.

Thre are a few different time-saving techniques that you can use when cooking for your baby - and the best one, of course, is to cook "in bulk" on a quieter day and freeze individual portions of food. But this month we're looking at another time-saving method - and that's one-pot cooking... which also saves time in washing up!

One-pot meals can be created in a variety of ways, although the basic principle always involves combining a variety of ingredients in one cooking vessel. When preparing a one-pot meal for your baby, try to make sure that the meal is nutritionally balanced by including one type of food from each of the following food groups

• group 1 - meat, fish, beans, cheese or tofu
• group 2 - rice (brown or white), pasta, barley or other grain
• group 3 - vegetables

The healthiest method of one-pot cooking for your baby is by steaming the foods. This can be a little tricky, because some foods take longer than others to cook. With a little experimentation, though, it's possible to produce a very healthy and complete meal in your steamer!

The secret is to add food in layers - start by steaming foods that take the longest to cook (potatoes and carrots, for example), allow to steam until close to being done, then add other veggies that cook more quickly (such as broccoli and leafy vegetables).

A great way of using your steamer to prepare a balanced meal for your baby is by making foil parcels containing fish and veggies. Try this quick and easy recipe for steamed cod - remember to check the fish VERY carefully for bones, both before and after cooking, even if it is labelled as "boneless".

Easy steamed fish parcel recipe

6oz cod fillet (you could also use another white fish or a small piece of salmon)
4 asparagus spears, chopped and with the woody stems removed
1/2 small sweet potato, diced
1oz sugar snap peas
several slices of courgette/zucchini
1/4 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp butter
tiny dash of freshly ground black pepper
1tsp fresh, chopped parsley

Bring around an inch of water to the boil in your steamer pot.
Place the vegetables in the centre of a square of foil, sprinkle with the black pepper and half the parsley, then place the cod on top.
Sprinkle with the remaining parsley, then top with the butter.
Bring the edges of the foil together to create a parcel and seal tightly, then place in the steamer basket.
Replace the cover and steam for 15 mins.
Remove from the steamer, allow to rest for a few minutes, then carefully open the package (beware of the escaping steam).
Chop or mash to a texture your baby enjoys and serve!

One-pot rice meals

Cooking rice together with your veggies and meat (or alternative) is very easy. Try this simple brown rice and veggie dinner, which requires very little preparation.

4oz brown rice
2oz cooked chicken strips
8fl oz homemade chicken stock (you can just use water, but stock gives a tastier result)
1oz broccoli florets
1oz sliced courgette/zucchini
1/2 tsp fresh, chopped parsley
little pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2oz cheddar cheese, grated

Pour the stock into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the rice, stir and bring to the boil again.
Reduce the heat to very low, cover tightly and cook the rice for 30 mins.
Remove the lid briefly and add the chicken strips, veggies, herbs and seasoning.
Re-cover and cook for a further 10 mins.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the grated cheese and set aside for a few minutes.
Chop or mash as necessary and serve.

Soups

Soups, of course, are also nutritious and tasty one-pot baby meals and are easy to puree if your baby isn't up to coping with lumpy foods. Our soup recipes page includes lots of ideas for yummy soups that your baby will enjoy - and don't forget to subscribe to our blog to receive all our new baby food recipes as they are added. You will find some more great soup recipes listed there right now!

Stews and casseroles

Stews and casseroles can be a great way to introduce your baby to meat. This is because the extended cooking time can break down the connective tissues in the meat, producing a more tender result than other cooking methods. You'll find a variety of stew/casserole recipes here, which are great for babies from 10 months of age.

Have YOU discovered a quick and easy one-pot meal that your baby enjoys? If so, then we would love to hear about it! Simply visit our contact us page to share your recipe and we will feature our favourites in a future edition of our newsletter!

New and updated pages

We've updated our Baby Food Processors page this month with a few more "purpose" built models, designed specifically for blending small quantities of food for your little one - just what you need if your kitchen space is limited!

Those of you who have been receiving our newsletter for several months may remember our article about giving babies corn. We have developed this article into a permanent page on our site - so for those of you who missed it, or would like a little more information, please visit this page which aims to answer your questions about introducing corn to babies.

Cooking spaghetti squash for your baby

Spaghetti squash has a subtle flavour and the orange variety is high in beta-carotene, making it a worthwhile addition to your baby's diet. Our cheesy baked spaghetti squash recipe from this month's blog will be a big hit with your baby... and with the rest of the family, too!

Sweeten baby's food the healthy way

However, a healthy and subtle way of sweetening foods for your baby DOES exist - so the next time you are considering using a touch of sugar in his food, reach for blackstrap molasses instead.

Not only does blackstrap molasses make a useful sweetener for infant meals, it is so packed with nutrients that it makes a superb dietary addition in its own right.

So what exactly is blackstrap molasses - and what makes it nutritionally superior to regular sugar?

The name "blackstrap" is made up in part from its deep colour and in part from the Dutch word "stroop", meaning syrup. Blackstrap molasses is simply one type of molasses and is the residue left when sugar cane is refined into table sugar. Most of the sucrose from the sugar syrup has been crystallized, so instead it is composed of the nutrients that are "stripped out" during the refining process that produces white sugar. Blackstrap molasses is the most nutrient-rich sugar related product available and contains

• Iron - probably the most widely known benefit of blackstrap molasses is its rich iron content. Iron plays a very important role in your baby's development and, once solid feeding is established, a diet rich in iron is essential. Babies from 6-36 months of age need around 10mg of iron per day - this is close to the requirements of an adult! But bear in mind that babies are growing and developing rapidly at this stage, making plenty of iron essential.

  Adding blackstrap molasses to your baby's food is an easy way to boost the levels of iron in his diet.

• Calcium - blackstrap molasses is also an excellent source of calcium, which your baby needs to help him develop strong bones and teeth.

• Other benefits - it is a good source of copper (which helps your baby's body utilize iron), potassium (which helps the body store carbohydrates), magnesium (needed for energy and healthy bones) and manganese (which helps your baby's body utilize fatty acids and also produces energy from carbohydrates and protein).

It should be kept refrigerated in a sealed container and lasts for about 6 months after opening.

Introducing blackstrap molasses to your baby

Fortunately, allergies to blackstrap molasses are pretty rare, although you should check with your doctor before you introduce it to your baby. You should also watch for any sign of allergic reaction.

You can start including it in your baby's meals from around 9 months of age, but don't overdo it! For one thing, it does have a strong flavour and if you use too much it can be a little overwhelming. It also has a mildly laxative effect and is often used to treat constipation - therefore too much could cause diarrhea.

Sulphur is sometimes used in the production of blackstrap molasses - look for unsulphured varieties to add to your baby's food.

Because of its strong taste, we don't recommend using blackstrap molasses as a sweetener for "topping" foods (in the way that you would use maple syrup, for example) - instead, you should mix it into other foods. Try

• stirring it into your baby's fruit purees
• adding it to oatmeal (throw in some wheat germ, too, for an extra powerful boost of nutrition!)
• using it in your recipes when baking for baby
• stirring a little into pure, natural yogurt

This month's safety recalls

Ladybird Baby Touch - Busy Books are recalled in the UK and Australia because they pose a choking hazard to young children.

Parents were asked to check containers of Nestle Good Start in Canada, following an incident of tampering.

Children's Mood Rings are recalled in the US because they contain unsafe levels of lead.

Children's Stationery Sets are recalled in the US because they pose a laceration hazard to young children.

Elite Operations Toy Sets are recalled in the US because they contain too much lead and also have dangerously sharp points.

Claire's Necklaces are recalled in the US because they contain unsafe amounts of lead.

Infantino SlingRider Infant Carriers are recalled in the US because the strap supporting the carrier can release, meaning that infants can fall from the carrier.

Various toys are recalled by Dimmeys Stores in Australia because they pose choking hazards to young children.

Baby Trend Back Pack Carriers are recalled because the stitching on the strap is not secure and there is a risk that babies can fall from the carrier.

Stuffed Ball Toys are being recalled in the US because they contain toxic lead paint.

Our featured product review - The Peapod Travel Bed

"PeaPod Indoor/Outdoor Travel Bed by KidCo"

If you're looking for a great all-round piece of travel equipment for your baby this summer, then look no further than the Peapod Travel Bed by Kidco.

The Peapod bed is - in essence - a bed with a tent on top! The tent offers protection against UV rays from the sun, wind, blowing sand and bugs. This means that it's not just useful for sleeping, but is also perfect for camping, use in the garden, vacations and on the beach.

The tent zips up, meaning that the bed is nice and secure for young babies. Unlike some travel cribs and beds, this one is very comfortable - thanks mainly to its inflatable mattress rather than the "board-like" base more commonly provided.

The Peapod Travel Bed is very easy to assemble - in fact, it's a good idea to stand back as you open it, as it tends to spring into shape rather forcefully! Like so many other things, we found it easier to assemble than to put away afterwards - but with a little practise, we soon mastered the technique! One of the best things about this bed is the compact size of the case it folds into - you could actually slide this bed very easily into a suitcase or the trunk of your car.

The Peapod Travel Bed comes with a manual hand pump for inflation (although you could use an electric pump for speed if you have one).

The "PeaPod Indoor/Outdoor Travel Bed by KidCo" is priced at $49.94 - excellent value for a travel bed, play pen and beach tent all rolled into one!

Website Of The Month - Amby's Nursery Rhymes

Are you struggling to remember the words to all your favourite childhood nursery rhymes, so that you can share them with YOUR little one? Then struggle no more - we've found just the site you need! Amby's Nursery Rhymes is a British website that sells nursery rhyme DVDs - but also has some fun, free features!

As well as some simple and colourful online games (really only suitable for older babies, of course), you'll find clips of the nursery rhyme DVDs that Amby's have created, plus a musical notes section. But the most useful aspect of the site is its searchable database of the lyrics for a large list of nursery rhymes. To instantly remind yourself of the rhymes you used to love, simply enter any word from the rhyme or its title and hit search! Being a British site, some of these rhymes may be unfamiliar to you - but there will be many titles you'll recognize!

This is a fun site and worth a visit if you enjoy making music with your little one!

This month's subscribers-only recipe - Fruity Oatmeal Breakfast

All the ingredients in this recipe are suitable for babies from 6 months of age - but if more than one of the ingredients are new to him, then be sure to introduce them separately to your baby beforehand. This helps you spot any potential food allergies or digestive problems.

You will need...

1tbsp oats
3 fl oz water
1/2 small ripe banana, mashed
1 small apple, peeled, cored and diced
1tbsp sultanas, chopped
pinch nutmeg (optional)

Combine the oats, water, banana, apple and sultanas in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover.
Simmer gently for 10 mins.
For older babies, happy with textures, you can serve the oatmeal at this point. For younger babies, place the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
Sprinkle with the nutmeg just before serving.