Issue #015
3 Oct 2007

What's in this issue...

• Show off your baby!
• Can babies eat raisins?
• Visit our new pages
• Competition winners
• Our survey - what YOU told US!
• Baby care "tip of the month"
• Safety recalls
• Our featured product review
• Visit our "website of the month"
• This month's subscribers-only recipe - Cheesy Pumpkin Sauce

Show Off Your Baby - Join Us As A Baby Food Blogger!

Back in August, we asked if any subscribers to our newsletter would be interested in keeping a journal of their babies' experiences with solid foods.

We had such a great response, we decided to streamline the process of submitting your information and open the invitation to all our readers!

So we've added a brand new page to our site - Your Baby Food Blogs - where you can find out how to quickly and easily set up a simple blog about how your baby is getting on with solid foods.

You can add to your blog as little or often as you like - and it's a great way of sharing your baby's progress with friends, family - and, of course, visitors to our site - from all over the world!

PLUS - readers of your blog can leave comments - so if you're having any problems with feeding your little one, you may get some great advice from other parents!

Setting up your blog is quick, easy and FREE - so why not go ahead and get started!

If you don't have time to keep a blog, but you'd like us to publish a page on our site about your baby... no problem! Visit the Your Baby Food Blogs page for information on how to create your baby's page.

Can babies eat raisins?

This article has been moved and you can now read it here.

New and updated pages

• Sometimes, the purees that you make for your baby just don't turn out the way you'd hoped! If your puree is so thick you could stand a spoon up in it - or so thin that your baby could drink it from a cup - then check out our new pages...

  How to thicken baby food purees
  Tips for thinning your baby's food

• If your little one suffers from infant reflux, then you know the misery that the condition can cause... both for your baby AND for you.

  In addition to our page about Introducing Solid Foods To a Baby With Reflux, we've just added a NEW, interactive page for parents to share their tips about Feeding a Baby With Reflux.

  Please do contribute if you have ANYTHING you'd like to share - have you found that certain foods help - and certain foods seem to make things worse? Your experiences may be a big help to another parent in the same situation.

• We've revamped our Highchairs page this month to include some great new models! If you want to make sure that YOUR little one is dining in style, come and take a look!

• If your baby is just starting solids - or if you are thinking about how to make nutritious meals for your older baby - then make sure you read our new page all about brown rice! It includes lots of yummy recipe ideas, from simple starter cereals to one pot brown rice dinners!

Competition winners

Thank you, everyone, for sending in your ideas for our baby food recipe competition. We've just added September's winning recipes - for Stewed Mango, Pumpkin Rice Porridge and Chicken and Vegetable Puree - to our page packed with Your Baby Food Ideas! Take a look and be inspired!

We want to hear YOUR ideas, too, so why not submit a recipe? It doesn't have to be elaborate (although it can be, if you prefer!) but please make sure it's original, healthy and tasty! If we pick yours as our favourite entry, then we'll send you a $20 voucher to spend at Amazon!


AND, of course, we have a brand new winner for our Baby of the Month competition!

Who is it?

Find out here - plus complete the simple form at the end of the page to find out how you can enter YOUR baby's photo!

Results of our Baby Food Survey

We recently ran a survey on our site to find out YOUR opinions and experiences of introducing solid foods to your babies.

Guidelines across the world recommend that breast milk or formula provide all the nutrition that babies need up to the age of 6 months.

But this hasn't always been the case - before the guidelines were revised, parents were encouraged to introduce their babies to solid food at 4 months... and sometimes earlier (particularly in the days when infant formula was less nutritious than it is now).

There are still many pediatricians who advise giving solids to babies from 4 months. We also receive messages from parents who face pressure from older relatives to introduce 'real' food before 6 months of age - mainly because that's the way that 'things were done in their day' - often with no ill-effects.

So we thought it would be interesting to see just how current guidelines affect the decisions that parents make these days about transitioning their little ones from a 'liquid diet'.

When did you introduce solids to your baby - and why?

And 14% of parents actually gave their babies solids BEFORE 4 months of age.

The most common reason for introducing solids before 6 months (in 64% of cases) was that parents felt their babies were ready - and 26% of parents were following the advice of their doctor or other medical professional (showing just how often the early introduction of solids is still recommended!).

The amount of parents that chose to follow their babies' cues rather than medical advice is interesting - perhaps parents are becoming so baffled by the range of conflicting information that is given about baby food that they prefer to follow their instincts!

And, as we mentioned on our blog last month, some babies MAY need more than milk in their diets a little earlier than recommended and just aren't prepared to wait!

However, a sign that parents often interpret as an indication of readiness for solids is increased waking at night. If your baby was previously sleeping through, then it's perfectly understandable that - in order to ensure a good night's sleep for everyone - you might consider starting solids to fill your baby's tummy!

BUT - this can make the problem worse!

Discomfort from teething can cause babies to wake at night - giving a baby solids before his digestive system is ready for them can lead to EXTRA discomfort, causing him to wake more often.

In fact, 57% of the visitors we surveyed found that introducing solids purely to help their babies sleep through at night DID NOT HELP AT ALL!

26% of our visitors waited until their babies were between 6 and 8 months to introduce solids - and 6% actually waited until their babies were older than 8 months. This was because they felt that their babies' nutritional needs were being fully met by their milk.

Interestingly, though, 60% of those who delayed solid feeding past 8 months faced opposition from friends/family or medical professionals - whereas the early introduction of solids seems to be widely accepted, the delaying of solids is still seen as unusual!

What was the first food you introduced to your baby?

But is it the BEST first food for babies?

A small number of our visitors took an alternative approach, with 6% offering banana, 5% offering sweet potato - and 2% offering avocado (our personal favourite!). We have received a lot of emails recently about suitable alternatives to rice cereal - perhaps we'll run this survey again in a year's time to see how things have changed!

If you DO decide to start solids BEFORE 6 months...

It is also important to avoid gluten altogether before 6 months of age, as it is believed that the early introduction of this protein can lead to Celiac disease, a serious condition that can cause malnutrition.

Have your say!

Tip of the month - Make your own highchair cleaner

One of the less enjoyable aspects of your baby's foray into the world of solid foods is cleaning up his highchair afterwards!

This is particularly true if your baby is attempting to feed himself - by the time he's finished his meal, it seems like every exposed surface is covered with gunk! At times like these, plain water just doesn't seem up to the job, so you may feel tempted to reach for some kind of disinfecting spray. But some of the chemicals in these sprays can be very harsh - remember, your baby will more than likely be eating food directly from these surfaces once you have cleaned them.

So why not mix up your own cleaning solution, using safe and natural ingredients - at a fraction of the cost of commercial cleaning products?

Here's a very simple 'recipe' for a natural disinfectant spray using tea tree oil and lavender oil, both of which have great antiseptic and antibacterial properties!

You will need

32 fl oz (4 cups) water
1/2 tsp tea tree oil
1/2 tsp lavender oil
4 fl oz (1/2 cup) white vinegar

Simply combine all the ingredients and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Give it a good shake and use it to spray the entire highchair - you can also use this solution to spray your kitchen countertops, tabletops etc!

Safety Recalls

As we mentioned earlier in our newsletter, there has been a rash of toy recalls this month, many of those associated with lead paint hazards.

The links below take you to our blog, where we try to post all relevant recalls as they are announced and give you more information. Please check if any of these recalls may apply to you, or to someone you know.

Moderne and Loft cribs are recalled because they are found to pose strangulation and entrapment risks to children.

Barbie Accessory Toys are recalled in the US because they violate lead paint standards. For Mattel recalls in Australia, please see this post.

Geo Trax Locomotive Toys are recalled in the US because their surface paints are high in lead.

Fisher Price Bongo Band Toys are recalled because they contain too much lead.

Kids R Cool Musical Fun Sets are recalled in Australia because small pieces can pose a choking hazard to children.

First Aid Kits are recalled in Australia because they contain antiseptic wipes that may be contaminated by bacteria!

Tesco Frozen Steam White Rice is recalled in the UK because of the presence of undeclared egg.

Tesco's 'My First Drum' is recalled in the UK because it may pose a choking hazard to babies.

Asda Cereal is recalled in the UK because some packs contain small insects.

Batches of tofu are recalled in the US and the recall is then expanded to include more products, due to contamination by Listeria.

Apple Flavored Baby's Bliss Gripe Water is recalled in the US because it may be contaminated by bacteria.

Eezy Peezy Slides are recalled in Australia because they are liable to break in extreme weather or under normal use.

Coco Pops Creations are recalled in the UK because they may be cross-contaminated by peanuts.

Simplicity and Graco Cribs are recalled following the tragic deaths of at least two babies.

Mothers Choice Inner Spring Cot Mattresses are recalled in Australia because some of the mattresses may be undersized.

A further 7 toys are recalled in the US because they are too high in lead.

Kolcraft Playards are recalled in the US following the death of a baby by strangulation.

Doll Strollers are recalled in the US following several incidents where children received serious injuries.

Toad from Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway Sets is recalled in the UK because surface paints are high in lead.

5 Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Toys are recalled in Australia because they contain excessive lead levels.

Boys' rattles are recalled by Target in the US because they may pose a choking hazard to babies.

Our featured product review - The Stackable Steadycup

Here's a perfect cup for babies 12 months and up, which was actually recommended to us by one of our visitors!

The Stackable Steadycup is a good alternative to a regular sippy cup which, although fine in moderation, pediatric dentists feel may contribute to dental decay due to liquids 'pooling' around baby teeth from the spout.

Although it's possible to move straight to an open beaker, the thought of all the mess from repeated spills can be a little off-putting! This is where the Steadycup comes in handy, because it has a wide base for extra stability and is less easily knocked over. Its small size is not just ideal for little fingers - it also means that if your little angel DOES decide to turn it upside down, not TOO much liquid will be spilled.

Its 'stackability' is a nice feature, too, because you can store several cups in a small area - ALWAYS handy when your kitchen cabinets are packed with baby gear!

This IS an open cup, of course, so if your baby decides to shake it up and down you WILL be in for a meal-time shower - but we think this is a great transitional cup and certainly helps keep spills to a minimum!

The Stackable Steadycup is from One Step Ahead, priced at $5.95.

Website of the Month

Considering the number of toys being recalled lately because of lead paint hazards, shopping for Christmas presents for your little one this year may be difficult. With many recalls involving trusted toy companies like Fisher Price, it's becoming hard to know which toys are truly safe to buy for your baby!

Whenever baby food items have been recalled in the past, we've always been thankful that we chose to make our OWN baby food - after all, we knew exactly what went into it!

So why not apply the same logic to your baby's TOYS? If you've made them yourself, then you'll KNOW they're safe!

So, with that in mind, we set about finding a good site to help you make cute and cuddly gifts for your baby - and we were delighted to come across Kimberly Chapman's site.

This site is for those who knit (and for those who don't, Kimberly provides a link to another great site - Learn to Knit - to get you started).

Kimberly's site has masses of free knitting patterns for some of the most unique and adorable homemade toys we've seen! Take a look at her gallery (you need to scroll down a bit) - it's really amazing and includes toys we didn't even know it is POSSIBLE to knit - like little woolly eggplants and ears of corn! And we love the stacking rings - what a wonderful alternative to plastic ones!

There are lots more ideas here for your baby besides toys - you'll also find patterns for hats, bibs, dresses and more!

Even if you don't have enough time to knit right now, take a look at Kimberly's site anyway... just to marvel at her creativity!

Halloween Baby Food Idea - Cheesy Pumpkin Sauce (6 months+)

This sauce pairs up perfectly with pasta - either pour it over cooked noodles or serve it on the side as a delicious dip!

Don't be tempted to use the flesh that you scooped from your Jack O'Lantern to prepare this dish, as the large pumpkins tend to be very stringy. Instead, opt for the smaller, tastier sugar pumpkin.

You won't need a whole pumpkin for this recipe unless you plan to increase the quantities and cook it for the whole family (it's delicious, so they won't be disappointed!). So you can always bake the pumpkin, take what your baby needs - then use the rest for a dish of your choice!

How to bake a pumpkin

How to make baby's cheesy pumpkin sauce

4 fl oz homemade vegetable stock
1oz cottage cheese
4oz mashed pumpkin
little garlic powder
tiny pinch ground ginger

How to make it

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and place over a low heat. Warm it through completely, without boiling.
Cool to a safe temperature for your baby and serve!

Don't forget, we have some more great pumpkin baby food recipes here - plus we tell you how to make great use of the seeds!