Competition corner

The Homemade Baby Food Recipes Competition

Namrata Telugu from the United States was the winner of December's Homemade Baby Food Recipes Competition with her creative and tasty recipe for Yummy Cheesy Egg Parcels - a great finger food for older babies! Congratulations, Namratu - thank you very much for sharing your idea with us.

Namratu's recipe - plus the runner-up recipes for ...

• Broccoli Tofu and Cheese Patties
• Blueberry Muffin Cereal
• Fresh Pumpkin Applesauce

Do you have an original baby food recipe you'd like to share with other Mums?

Then send it in using this simple form - you could be January's winner of a $20 voucher from Amazon!


January's Baby of the Month

Thank you SO much for all the wonderful entries last month for our Baby of the Month competition. We now have our first winner of 2009!

You can visit this month's winner and see more of our favourite entries received throughout December on our Baby of the Month page. You'll also find the entry form and details you need to submit YOUR baby's photograph!

Tip of the Month - Crock Pot Cooking For Babies

This month's tip was kindly provided for us by guest writer Lisa from www.a-crock-cook.com.

In these modern times when moms struggle to balance between looking after the needs of the family and pursuing a career, buying commercial baby food has increasingly become a popular option. Its relative ease and convenience however, does not mean that it is necessarily better or healthier for babies.

Baby’s Health Is Top Priority

Several baby foods sold commercially contain preservatives that your baby certainly does not need. A recent incident of melamine contamination in baby milk formula and baby food products caused thousands of infants to be seriously sick. By preparing your baby’s food yourself, you can choose and add only the ingredients that are safe and of high nutritional value.

It is also best to choose organic foods for your baby. Since babies are in their prime developmental stage, exposure to toxins found in food can pose grave danger to your baby’s mental abilities. Reduced intelligence and disturbed behavioral patterns are possible side effects.

Slow and Easy Cooking

There is actually no need to do complicated stuff to be able to feed your baby right! If you are one of the busy moms who only want the best for your babies, do not worry -- there are ways that you can provide the best nutrition for your baby without having to give up on all of the other stuff.

You can feed your baby fresh vegetables simply by using your Crock Pot at home. Slow cooker vegetables done in a Crock Pot can make the vegetable tender enough and to release its natural flavor so that your baby gets to enjoy the full flavor as well as the full nutritional value of the vegetables. Since the vitamins of the cooked vegetables can also be found in the water after cooking, you must add the water to your baby’s food so that your baby can get all its available nutrients.

The vegetables may require a little amount of preparation before cooking. Carrots and potatoes need to be peeled to produce a smoother texture and to eliminate contaminants including soil and chemical residue that tend to be present on the surface.

Feeding your baby fresh fruits is also good. Peaches and bananas can be simply blended and served fresh to your baby while pears and apples may need a few hours of Crock Pot cooking.

Leftovers can be stored in the freezer up to 2 days. Allow a few hours to thaw the frozen food. Of course, you must not use your microwave oven to defrost it. That can lead to a whole new string of complications.

Meeting Your Baby’s Unique Needs

Another good thing with preparing your baby’s food yourself is that you can adjust the consistency of the food according to your baby’s preferences. People are different. Some babies may prefer a different texture or formulation that better fits their unique personalities. Commercial baby food is usually made to fit the general preference.

We are now in this period when modern equipment and techniques have made the act of balancing family and career a bit easier for busy moms. The challenge lies more on analyzing which are the ways that can be easy for you and still healthy for your babies. Although sacrifices may be called for in some situations, remember that when it comes to your baby’s health and well-being, there should be no compromising. By using a Crock Pot to cook your baby’s food, you will find that there the question of compromising just does not come up after all!

Article courtesy of Lisa from http://www.a-crock-cook.com home of some of the best crock pot recipes you will find.

Safety Recalls

Here we have this month's round up of recalls and warnings posted to our blog. If you (or someone you know) has any of the items listed below, then please click on the link to visit our blog for more information.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone else who you believe may be affected by these recalls.

Warning over Irish Pork (UK and Ireland)

Phil & Teds Strollers (US)

Evenflo Majestic Highchairs (US)

despereaux Stuffed Toys (Australia)

Twinkle Tots Soft Sports Balls (Australia)

Twinkle Tots Duck Family (Australia)

Pacifier Chains (Australia)

Newport "Rubbed Black" Cribs (US)

Dried Apricots (UK)

Boys Reversible Vests (US)

Featured Product - Mate Stay Put Place Mat and Plate

This month's featured product is the gorgeous Mate Stay-Put Place Mat and Plate - we just love this cool, contemporary design!

The mat - which is also available in orange and raspberry pink - includes a white plate, knife and fork which pop out easily from cutouts. The entire product is free of nasties like PVC, phthalates and BPA and is safe to put on the top rack of the dishwasher. You can also put the plate in the microwave, but only at the lowest setting.

The plate itself has three compartments - ideal for keeping certain foods separate from each other if your tot is a little picky about mixing his food together - and the compartments are also helpful for little ones learning to get to grips with feeding themselves from a spoon.

This fun and colourful set is skid-resistant, soft and strong - a great addition to the family dinner table!

The Mate Stay-Put Place Mat and Plate is available in the US from Shop.com and is currently reduced from $30 to just $20!

Featured Website - LocalHarvest

This month's featured website was established to help consumers in the United States find the very best organic food, by giving details of family farms, farmers' markets and other sources of sustainably grown food available in particular areas. In addition, LocalHarvest, which was founded in 1988, is helping avoid total domination of the food market by massive supermarket chains, by encouraging us to have a more personal relationship with our food and with the people who produce it.

Visit the site's home page, specify the area in which you live... and in seconds you will have a list at your fingertips of farms, farmers' markets, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms and Food Coops close to you. You can even access a list of restaurants that use regional and seasonal ingredients in their cuisine!

With a comprehensive calendar of food/farm events, a community forum, a monthly newsletter (with recipes) and links to a variety of entertaining farm blogs, this is a site not to be missed by readers from the US who really CARE about where their food comes from and how it is produced.

Recipe of the month - Acorn Squash and Apple Soup

This warming soup is ideal for the colder winter days and is a favourite recipe in our household! The combination of flavours is very appealing to baby and the use of lots of veggies makes this a nutritious and wholesome dish!

You will need...

1 acorn squash
1 small leek, finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 small carrot, cubed
12 fl oz (1 1/2 cups) vegetable or chicken stock
1 small apple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
1 bay leaf
pinch dried parsley
little pinch ground cinnamon
grated cheese

Peel the squash and remove the seeds, then cut into small chunks.
Steam until tender.
In a frying pan (skillet), saute the leek in oil.
Stir in the stock, then add the carrot, apple, squash, bay leaf, parsley and cinnamon.
Simmer steadily until the vegetables are tender.
Remove the bay leaf and puree in a blender.
Serve when cooled to a safe temperature, topped with the grated cheese.