The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler

This book is great! Not only do I cook from it for my own family, but I keep coming back to buy it for all my friends who are expecting. Everyone has their own opinions; however I disagree with the reviewer who said the book has contradictions. I couldn't find a recipe with honey in it until the 12 - 24 month chapter. In fact it's the Graham Crackers which is one of my two year old's favorites. The author outlines cautions about allergies and explains how to introduce single food items. Also the book cautions the reader about these potential allergens and differing advice (amongst pediatricians) as to when to introduce. I find the first chapter "Using This Book" very helpful for information about baby's stage of development, instead of the age. So I can decide when my child is ready for a new food based on her actions and eating habits. There's always the suggestion of talking about diet and nutrition with your own pediatrician too. For a cookbook I was satisfied with the medical references, including Ellyn Satter, who is a wonderful author and nutritionist (a big favorite of mine). Plus a lactation consultant even wrote the forward. I hope other parents buy the book and give the recipes a try before judging. You and your family will be glad you did.

I borrowed this book from my local library, to test a few of the recipes. I am very impressed! Every recipe that I've tried has turned out absolutely delicious! The book begins with an informative section about the meanings behind the buzz word "organic," and the recipes are neatly organized according to age (in case one needs a guideline). The author has even included little labels that point out which recipes are vegan, vegetarian, and allergy friendly. As a very picky mom with little patience for recipes that take too long/don't turn out, I highly recommend this book and have purchased my own copy. The recipes are not only delicious, they are easy and pretty foolproof! And nothing can top the feeling I get when watching my little boy hungrily gulp down a meal I prepared just for him....eager for each spoonfull. The recipes aren't just yummy for babies either......I made some of the recipes for my teenage sisters, and they ate every last bite! If you purchase this book, you won't be disappointed!

I bought this book along with Baby Blender Food, and I really like this one the best. It has practical information RE: safe food handling, the meaning behind nutritional and organic terms on product packaging, suggestions for stocking your pantry, and ideas about how to incorporate meals for the family from the recipes for the baby. It's not rocket science, but sometimes I get caught up in the baby food process and don't think about how to modify some of the ingredients for my own meal. She also has a helpful key that lists vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free recipe options. The recipes are pretty simple, and I've found that it's easy and fun to make food for my son. It also feels really good to know exactly what's going into his food. I like the layout of the book, and I appreciate the information in it. Another review mentioned that she doesn't outline food hazards like nitrates in the body of the recipes, but if you read the book from the beginning, she has pretty comprehensive explanations of what is safe to prepare and when it's safe to prepare it.

I've had a chance to make zucchini and butternut squash purees for my 6 month-old and so far so good! I like that the recipies give you an option for how to cook each recipie, for example, you can either steam or microwave zucchini. Also, you can use a blender or food processer for most dishes. The book also gives really clear instructions for saving food for later. I put the squash in ice cube trays; it is so easy to pop a "cube" into the microwave. If you have an automatic ice maker and don't have any ice cube trays on hand, I highly recommend buying silicone trays. You can even buy pink ones from Sur La Table (www.surlatable.com). Cubes come out cleanly with no fragments left in the tray. Get this cookbook if you want a little work on the weekend with the rest of the week as easy as opening a jar! The only down side I can think of is she is not as explicit about foods to avoid because of allergies or nitrates (spinach, carrots, etc.) on the recipe pages.

I was looking for a comprehensive book to help me get started making my own baby food. I invested in three books and this by far was the best. It has a wealth of information from preparing your kitchen and necessary tools to definitions of organic food to very friendly recipes. The best part is that there are variations for all of the recipes including microwave directions. They are very easy to make and do not require tons of time or a master chef. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good book to get started making baby food.