The Everything Organic Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book: 300 Naturally Delicious Recipes to Get Your Child Off to a Healthy Start Paperback – November 18, 2008

This is exactly what I wanted in a baby food book. I wanted more longevity then the simple purees and I love the organic info and eating healthy. Lots of info in simple quick paragraph/pages. I don't need chapters and pages full of why you should feed/eat organics like most books do - bore you to death. I wouldn't have gotten the book if I didn't want to do organic. This one is precise, doesn't overdo the organic theories and just gives you the info you need to make the food. It gives recipes for up to ages 3 but really most of these recipes past 12 months are great for any kids 10 or younger - heck even adults. I have tried a few on my 8 year old (lentil soup, lemony rice, veggie lasagna, cherry coconut rice pudding) and she loves them. Me too! My 7 month old has had more then 10 recipes and they are great. Also, the items do not have to be organic if you can't afford them. The recipes are different but almost all of them have the items in a basic grocery store. All you need is a blender.Chapter 1: ORGANICS 8 pages explaining what constitutes organic, what items are a must, what items are not as important, what items to get pesticide-free, when to get canned, frozen, fresh, How things will last in fridge/freezer.Chapter 2: INTRO TO FEEDING Gives you a layout on when to start items, best times to introduce, watching for allergies, how long to wait to try new items, what items can cause constipation/diarrhea, food safety, sample kitchen equipment, etc...Chapter 3: 4-6 months that are common sense but still needed to be written. When to mix with water or formula/breast milk. Most are one items for starting out but some are mixtures like banana pumpkin mash, pear mango puree, avocado and barley cereal.Chapter 4: 6-9 months and WOW there are so many types of various recipes here. Coconut chicken and banana, kasha with peach and pear puree, lamb and pumpkin mash, orzo and sweet pea puree, island breakfast cereal, beef stew mash, etc...Chapter 5: 9-12 months and the recipes keep coming. Mango honeydew sorbet, quinoa & peaches, turkey chili, happy birthday vanilla cake, carrot and zucchini muffins, lentil soup, etc...Chapter 6: 12-18 months. Spaghetti squash and herbs, caribbean baked risotto, chicken pot pie muffins, cinnamon yogurt fruit dip, lemony rice asparagus salad, etc...Chapter 7: 18-24 months: Broiled pineapple with frozen yogurt, zucchini yachts, cherry apple coconut rice pudding, eggy boats, veggie stir fry, pinto bean roll-up, etc...Chapter 8: 24-36 months: veggie lasagna, white chili, breakfast pizza, beef brochettes, sunflower seed butter cookies, tofu stuffed shells, lemon rasberry ice pops, etc...Appendix AShows sample weekly organic menues for all of the ages above. (I LOVE this!!!)Appendix Brecommended websites to refer to if neededAppendix CNutritional info for all the common baby foods (LOVE this too!!)Appendix DGlossery of basic cooking termsThen an INDEX of all the recipes by name and also listed by ingredients.Hope this review helps - I love the EVERYTHING books and this does not disappoint - highly recommend this book.

My fiance and I plan to (someday soon, hopefully!) have children and raise them on a vegetarian organic diet. I wanted a book that would not only give basic recipes but also some dietary information as to what children need. This book is AWESOME! It gives a month to month guide from birth to toddlerhood of what and how much your child should be eating and how to best introduce certain foods. As far as the organics side of things it does make sure to drive the point home of what organic is, why organic is so important, and what foods you should buy if you choose not to go on a fully organic diet because some vegetables and fruits retain more pesticides than others. Also listed within the book are foods that children under 4 should avoid as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics; when and how to introduce meat if you choose to; nitrates and nitrate poisoning; and recommended foods to keep stocked in an organic pantry. Now the recipes! The recipes are divided up by age group and are very very simple. There is a nice selection of breakfast, dinner, snacks, and smoothies for children. For us, I found the meat recipes can be easily substituted with tofu or something similar.Here's a peek at some recipes. There are lots of breakfasts, simple sides (like roasted carrots, etc), more basic main courses, and drinks but I tried to pick out the more interesting things that I found even if they aren't vegetarian! Enjoy!:4-6 MonthsDried plum and barley cerealBanana pumpkin mashGreen beans and avocado mash(Assorted vegetable and fruit purees. Too many to list!)6-9 MonthsChicken, banana, and coconutLamb and pumpkin mashPeaches and quinoaIsland breakfast cerealMashed turnip and sweet potato9-12 MonthsTofu bitesRoast lamb, rice, and tomato compoteCoconut pineapple rice puddingBBQ tofu and quinoaOrganic farmers pieWhole-wheat rotini with bolognese sauceHappy birthday vanilla cake12-18 MonthsMushroom barley casseroleChicken pot pie muffinsArrounce verde con frijoles negroBaked honey pescadoTurkey divan muffins18 to 24 MonthsBBQ chicken pizzaChicken & Udon NoodlesPumpkin risottoQuinoa primaveraCheesy polenta with roasted vegetablesHappy second birthday carrot cakeChocolate pomegranate dip24-36 MonthsTofu lasagnaBeef brochettesShepherd's pieSweet potato friesSecret beef burgers (psst! The secret is prunes!)Asparagus and swiss cheese quicheRoasted red pepper hummusGuacamoleLentil-stuffed green peppersAfter all the recipes it gives a suggestion of meals for the week from 4 Months all the way to 36. All in all its a great book. I am VERY happy I purchased it.

I purchased this cook book to make home made baby food for my son when he started solids. Unfortunately the recipes for little ones are pretty basic and pretty much self explanitory. Meaning, a recipe was not needed to make any of them. It was just mashing up a fruit or a veggie. So I was disappointed in it. Now my son is older and I think the book is great! I am getting a lot more use out of it w/ him eating solid foods. I would reccommend a person buying it not as a baby food cook book but a toddler cook book.

I own so many baby & toddler cookbooks. I have always made my own organic baby food. Honestly, until probably 10 months you don't need a book because you can only try one new thing every few days - you've got to try them before you can combine them. This is the one book I wish I would have had when he was around 10 months. He loved organic lentils out of the jar (we used when traveling) but I had no good baby lentil recipes. This book provides a lot of vegatarian recipes that contain mostly things I already had on hand (had to buy coconut milk & flax oil). I was really happy to see several recipes using quinoa & lentils for protien sources - it's hard when my little guy only wants eggs & peanut butter for protien. I only wish they had some pictures.

I love this book, thank you!