Competition corner

The Homemade Baby Food Recipes Competition

Rajeshree Joshi from the United States was the winner of July's Homemade Baby Food Recipes Competition with her recipe for Vegetable Khichdi - a nutritious dish combining baby's favourite veggies with rice and lentils.

Thanks for sharing, Rajeshree - and congratulations on your win!

The winning recipe - plus other recipes for

• Cheesy Zucchini Pasta
• Indian Mango Lassi
• Sweet Potato Porridge

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 August's winner of a $20 voucher from Amazon!


Baby of the Month

Thank you SO much for all the wonderful entries last month for our Baby of the Month competition.

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


Baby Product Reviews

Grace Lee was June/July's winner of a Peapod Indoor/Outdoor Travel Bed. Grace told us

"Oh! I can't believe it! I am SO excited! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
We will be traveling a lot at the tail end of this summer, and I know this will help him sleep better because it will be the same sleeping arrangement wherever we go. It will also provide a safe place for him to sleep because he rolls around a lot! Thanks again!

Learn Vital Infant CPR Skills at Home

Would you know what to do if your baby started to choke?

It's every parent's worst nightmare - yet knowing how to react in such a situation can be crucial to a good outcome. Most health organizations across the world offer courses to help parents learn these vital skills - but, if you're in the US - you use the Infant CPR Anytime kit to learn lifesaving skills at home.

The kit - developed by the American Heart Association in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics - includes an inflatable 'Mini Baby' manikin to practice on, sanitizing wipes, a replacement lung for the manikin, a DVD and 2 fold out quick reference guides in different sizes.

It enables anyone - including grandparents, siblings and anyone else who cares for your child - to learn core infant CPR skills and how to relieve choking in just 22 minutes.

Watching the instructions on DVD whilst practicing on the manikin makes this a very effective way of learning these oh-so-important techniques.

Infant CPR Anytime (available in the US)

Safety Recalls

Here's a round up of recalls and warnings posted to our blog since our last newsletter. 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.

Various beef products (Canada)

Bjorn Baby Sitter Balance (Australia)

Baby Floats (US)

Leap Frog My Pal Scout (Australia)

Jaloma Pacifiers (New Jersey/New York)

Play Yards (US)

Jeep Sahara Limited XT Portable Cots(Australia)

Evenflo Switch-A-Roo Telephone Toys (US)

Natural Greek Yogurt (US)

Golden Raisins (US)

Gel Filled Teethers (US)

Cilantro (US)

Garfield Pacifiers with Holders (Australia)

Heinz Baby Food (UK)

LeapFrog Dog Toys (US)

Baby Bouncers (US)

Oeuf Baby Loungers (Australia)

Featured Product - The Bibbity Rinse & Roll Bib

There's one accessory you just HAVE to have when it's time to feed your baby 'real' food - and that's a good bib!

The trouble is that the very purpose that bibs are designed for - protecting baby's clothes from his colorful blueberry puree or mashed carrots - means that the bibs themselves become horribly stained!

Of course, just because a bib is still stained after laundering doesn't mean it's dirty - yet you just can't help washing and scrubbing it until you've eliminated all traces of baby's dinner.

Well, scrub no more - because the perfect solution to messy bibs is the Bibbity Rinse & Roll Bib from Kiddopotamus.

At only $4.95 - less than many fabric bibs - the Rinse and Roll is quite a bargain, particularly when you consider that (as it's endlessly reusable) you'll only need to buy one or two. It wipes clean in seconds - no laundering required - and what we really like about it is the large pocket which collects everything that baby drops and prevents a lap-full of soggy food!

Unlike many similarly designed bibs, the Bibbity Rinse & Roll Bib is - as its name suggests - soft and flexible enough to roll up. This means that it is comfy to wear, because the softness prevents it chafing against baby's neck.

It also means that it's perfect for popping in the diaper bag when you're on your travels!

Recommended by the manufacturers for ages 8 months to 4 years, the Bibbity Rinse & Roll Bib is available in blue, pink or green.

Featured Site... Plus a GREAT Giveaway!

With parents everywhere turning more and more frequently to baby products made with safe, sustainable and bio-degradable materials, we think that Bum Boosa™ Bamboo Baby Products will be the company to watch!

Bum Boosa™ was founded by Polly Tobin Goddard, Bob Wilds and Sonja Sheasley in order to meet the needs of parents looking for affordable baby care items that don't negatively impact the environment. They are actively developing products made from bamboo - a totally renewable and 100% bio-degradable resource (you can learn more about the sustainability of bamboo here on their site).

Their first product - currently available at selected stores - is the soft 'Bum Boosa™ Baby Wipes', which also contain purified water and essential oils.

And though you might be forgiven for thinking that baby wipes made from bamboo might be somewhat... scratchy! - you'll be pleased to hear that THESE wipes are very soft and extremely kind to baby's bottom!

Available later this year will be the Bum Boosa™ Diaper Rash Ointment, which contains fine bamboo powder with anti-inflammatory properties. You can contact Bum Boosa™ for details of pre-ordering this product.

Would you like to try Bum Boosa™ Baby Wipes for yourself?

We have five packs of these innovative Bamboo Baby Wipes to give away, courtesy of Bum Boosa™!

Just tell us one simple thing that YOU do as a parent to help protect our environment - and, just after the closing date of August 12th, we'll randomly select FIVE entrants to receive this great gift!

To send in your entry, use our contact form and type "Bum Boosa", followed by your tip, in the comments box.

Recipe of the month - Vegetarian Penne with Butternut Squash

A great dish for vegetarians and meat eaters alike, this month's recipe is super for babies from 6 months+ who are ready for a little texture!

When you add the cooked pasta to the dish, you can either chop it up nice and small to spoon feed your baby - or, if he prefers to feed himself - leave it whole and let him 'dig in' with his fingers.

Gloriously messy - but absolutely delicious!

To make Baby's Penne with Butternut Squash you will need...

6 oz (3/4 cup) cooked, warm, mashed butternut squash - here are a few suggestions for cooking methods
4 oz (1 cup) uncooked, whole grain penne pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 stems fresh oregano
pinch freshly ground black pepper (optional)
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the penne according to the directions on the pack, then drain. Save around 4 fl oz of the cooking water (or, if you cooked your butternut squash in water, save that instead).
In a small frying pan/skillet heat the oil, then saute the garlic until golden.
Add the fresh oregano and saute for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat.
Put the cooked penne into a bowl, along with the butternut squash, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil mixture.
Mix well, adding enough of the reserved cooking liquid to prevent the pasta/sauce combination from being too dry.
Top with the Parmesan cheese and serve.