Annabel’s inspirational new book urges mums to play around with flavours and not to stick to bland, processed jar food. Weaning babies (aged five months or more) could be missing a precious window of opportunity to develop their tastebuds at an age when they are likely to be receptive to new tastes.
Thanks to gorgeous new images and fantastic new recipes, Annabel makes it easy for mums to give their child the best start in life with fresh home cooked food. Plus she offers time-saving menu charts to help you shop and plan ahead, and takes you effortlessly through each stage of feeding your baby and toddler all based on her experiences as a busy mother of three.
Furthermore, some of the new recipes for purées work a treat for mums and dads too! Simply add fish or meat stock accordingly to make really tasty soups. Some mums have even told Annabel that they’ve served up adult versions of the recipes at dinner parties too!
Since it was published in 1991, Annabel’s essential guide to feeding babies and young children has become a word of mouth classic. For 16 years this book has remained the number one best-selling book on feeding children, it has been translated into over 20 languages and consistently appears in the Top 20 Hard Back Non Fiction titles in the UK. This is unprecedented for a title in this genre.
Why it’s important to get stuck into home-cooked weaning
Processed or jar food is sterilised which removes a lot of the nutrients and taste.
The introduction of lumpy foods can really help to develop your baby’s speech development, as the muscles your baby uses to chew are the same muscles your baby uses for speech.
N.B. As per most HP advice, babies should not be weaned before 17 weeks.
Annabel says, “I believe that every baby is different and that you have to follow your instincts as a mother when it comes to tastes and flavours. Get stuck into trying out different tastes and meals – I bet you love them too!”
More general myths and truths
Why should babies only like bland food? Since we cannot add salt to baby food it’s a good idea to add garlic herbs, cheese etc… to add flavour. In my experience just like us, babies enjoy food that tastes good.
They shouldn’t be given too much fibre either as it tends to be bulky and can fill them up before they get all the nutrients they need for proper growth and development.
After the first few weeks of weaning, make sure that as well as fruit and vegetable purees, you give foods that are higher in calories like mashed avocado, fruit mixed with Greek Yoghurt or vegetables in a cheese sauce.
Babies need meat, chicken and fish introduced into their diet soon after they are 6 months old. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in babies. Babies are born with an iron store that lasts for about 6 months. This is a critical time for the growth of the brain.
The actual incidence of food allergy in babies is very small (about 6%) and many babies grow out of their food allergy by the age of two - so go ahead and introduce the widest range of foods possible as early as possible provided there is no family history of allergies. Introducing solids later at 6 months will not decrease the risk of a potential allergy for normal babies.
Cow’s milk is fine to give in small doses as part of cheese sauces and mashed potato.
Low-fat yoghurts aren’t good for babies and young children – they need whole milk yoghurts to fuel growth and ensure healthy bones and teeth.
EXCLUSIVE NEW RECIPE!
Salmon with carrots and tomato
This makes a good, creamy-textured fish purée. Makes 4 portions.
225g / 8 oz carrots, peeled and sliced
150g / 5 oz salmon fillet
2 tablespoons of milk (or enough to cover the salmon, see method below)
30g / 1 oz butter
2 ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
40g / 1.5 oz Cheddar cheese, grated
Put the carrots in a steamer set over a pan of boiling water and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, place the fish in a microwave dish, add the milk, dot with half the butter and cover, leaving an air vent. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Alternatively, put the salmon in a pan, pour enough milk to just cover, and simmer for about 4 minutes or until cooked.
Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the tomatoes and sauté until softened and slightly mushy. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Blend the cooked carrots with the tomato mixture. Drain the cooking liquor from the fish and reserve. Remove the skin, flake the fish and check there are no bones. Mix the flaked fish, cooking liquor, carrots and tomato. For younger babies you can blend the fish together with the carrots and tomato.
Annabel Karmel is the world’s leading expert and best-selling author on baby and children’s food and nutrition. Since 1991 she has written 15 books, selling over 2 million copies worldwide. She was recently awarded an MBE for her work. Her website,
www.annabelkarmel.com, has become one of the fastest growing resources for mothers, with thousands of members chatting on the live bulletin boards every day. It is the number one site for information and recipes on healthy food for children.
Since it was published in 1991, Annabel’s essential guide to feeding babies and young children has become a word of mouth classic. For 16 years this book has remained the number one best-selling book on feeding children, it has been translated into over 20 languages and consistently appears in the Top 20 Hard Back Non Fiction titles in the UK. This is unprecedented for a title in this genre.
Published by Ebury Press, £14.99
