Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby Reviews

• Not what I was looking for...but I'm still glad I ordered it!

  
  By A2ZZPA3PJHQMKM on 2006-07-04
  My daughter is turning eight months this week. She is not eating textured foods yet or finger foods, but she is getting bored with one-ingredient foods and bland food like just sweet potatoes by themselves, so I'm starting to make her some varied purees with different ingredients and spices. Hence, why I ordered this book!
  
  What I was expecting to find was exactly what the title said...100 puree recipes. Not a book divided into ages with age-appropriate recipes. The first section tells you how to steam and puree vegetables and fruits. Then moves on to 6 month old foods, and then 7-9 month foods and then 9-12 month recipes which aren't even purees. They look more like recipes I would make for my husband and I, not that it's a bad thing at all, because we want her eating what we're eating in a few months!
  
  I'm not returning the book, because some of the recipes look awesome and I can't wait to try them, but it's not what I was looking for at all when I ordered it. It really should be retitled to something other than Top 100 Baby Purees when that's not really what it is.
  
  But the BEST part of this book that is so different than other books is that it has some great puree recipes for chicken and beef and fish, and I haven't been able to find that anywhere else. And the recipes call for onion and garlic, which are two ingredients that my husband cook a lot with, so it's going to be a good cookbook for us. So, three stars for the quality of the book and the ease of the recipes which I can tell already by reading them since I'm an experienced cook, but a two star deduction for the bad title.
  
  

• Excellent Resource, Wonderful Recipes, But Be Careful

  
  By A30OKI4HL14X8M on 2006-12-29
  I am so glad I bought this book; it agrees with my philosophy about shaping children's palates early, using whole foods, and organic eating in general. The recipes are easy and delicious, and give you ideas for all the way into toddlerhood. I love the inclusion of recipes using meat, fish, and chicken. My daughter has loved everything I have made from this book so far; my husband and I have even eaten a few- with salt and seasoning added for adult taste- and enjoyed them.
  
  I do, however, agree with Lynn W.- USE WISDOM with certain recipes, since the author does not seem to follow the AAP's recommendations about when to introduce certain foods, and seems to lack a current understanding about food allergies in children. There are lots of recipes with cow's milk, tomatoes, and citrus, for example, for very young babies.
  
  Otherwise, I highly recommend this book as an excellent resource.
  
  

• Good Book, Great Food

  
  By A9T8101R82R6X on 2007-02-01
  I bought this book looking for homemade baby food recipes and got so much more. Besides having lots of tasty recipes for each stage of your baby's development it provides valuable nutritional iformation. Each recipe is easy to follow and easy to make. The best part is that they actually taste good! I usually spend 3-4 hours over 2 days to make enough baby food to last a month. A tip, pick a few recipes that use similar ingredients and as Rachel Ray says, "Use it twice, chop it once."
  
  To make my life easier most recipes are suitable to freeze. I freeze them in 1 ounce ice cube trays (mostly the fruit purees to add to yogurt, cottage cheese, or baby cereal) and in 4 ounce portions (for the more complete meals). Some of my baby's favorites are the Lovely Lentils, Apple-Mango Puree (mixed with plain yogurt), and the Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas. I love this book and I love knowing my baby is eating healthy, tasty food that I've prepared.
  
  

• Excellent Book, But Use With Caution

  
  By AE9AAXYIFYVTO on 2006-06-27
  This is a great baby cook book. My son liked almost all the meals I made out of the recipes and they even tasted good to me. It is a fine book with colorful pictures which made it fun to read and use.
  
  But it is more a book for babies who are less likely to develop food allergies or negative reactions because of the use of some ingridients like cow's milk, orange juice and various spices. Furthermore, trust your own judgement and that of your doctors' on when to introduce certain foods because the author's opinions do not always comply with the recommendations made by The American Academy of Pediatrics.
  
  If you are free of those concerns, I would highly recommend it to you!
  
  

• Excellent Resource

  
  By AU96B4UVRJGJ2 on 2006-03-23
  These fresh and healthy purees sure beat the processed foods I used to buy in the jar. The recipes are not time consuming and I never imagined baby food could taste so good.
  
  
• Beware!
  By A3H7TJP0JHTXM on 2007-03-26
  They suggest red berries in some of the early baby purees (6-7 month recipes)- I was just informed that it is unwise to feed babies red berries before one year of age, as they could develope an allergy.
  
  Thought I'd pass this note on!
  
  
• Nice book, BUT be careful with some recipes
  By A8L52AH5XCSDA on 2007-11-23
  For example, there are recipes with fish and cheese for ages 7-9, while fish are not reccomended for babies until 2 years of age and cheese for babies until 12 months. Then scrambled eggs for ages 9-12 months - babies should not have egg whites until 12 months and the later you introduce them the better. The author might be a good cook, but she definitely doesn't know anything about what are babies NOT supposed to eat to prevent allergies and other problems.
  
  
• Fussy little book
  By ACGA1AYPGT2FD on 2007-10-27
  Some of the vegetable and fruit combinations were creative in this book, and it certainly has pretty pictures, but in terms of providing useful information and recipes, it was somewhat disappointing, and at times even insultingly simplistic: I.e., How to make banana mush: take a banana, peel it, and mash it with a fork and serve. Now, why would someone need to explain this in a book? I suppose if you really are at a loss in a kitchen, this book might offer some useful advice, but it is not for anyone who has even a minimum of cooking experience. Because some of the food combinations were so unique, this might be a good second or third choice for a baby food library, but I suppose I was looking for a more authoratative book with information on the whys and hows of food introduction.
  
  
• This book proves it's easy to DIY!!
  By A3P6GGW5EVB19 on 2007-02-08
  I decided to try making my own baby food for my third child and I am SO sad that I waited!! Using recipes in this book I have made all sorts of different foods and he LOVES them. He is 7 months old and today he had broccoli and sweet potato and he couldn't get enough. My other kids never did like broccoli -- still don't.
  
  The fruit purees are so yummy that I have been known to steal a few bites myself. And I love knowing exactly what is going into my little guy's body. These recipes are easy, add alot of variety to their diet, and are simple to understand. I spent two hours yesterday and two hours the day before and now I have a freezer full of little cubes. They are ready to thaw and eat and I have enough to last about six weeks. And I think I spent about $20 on ingredients. With my older kids I would spend that much in a week on the jarred stuff.
  
  Give homemade baby food a try. This book is a great start, and the recipes aren't "out there" like some of the other books. I highly recommend it.
  
  
• Great book!
  By A345IANTPN2DLX on 2007-08-02
  This book is awesome. A quick word of advice for breastfeeding mothers. If you don't plan on feeding your baby a lot of solid foods until fully weaned do not make a lot of this food at one time. I made 5-6 recipes one day to stock my freezer, one month later I'm going to have to toss out some of it to make room for new foods as she is now 7 mo. old and ready to eat heavier stuff. The Trio of Vegetables recipe is a HIT and she voraciously eats it whenever I put that one in front of her. I love it too as it relieves any constipation she may get while breastfeeding.
  I bought this book along with the "Blender Baby Food." Both are great, however this is my favorite as I like being able to see pictures. If you want to make your child's food please note, it IS easy and fun to do...I can't tell you how many people gave me a hard time for wanting to make my own and are now jealous that I don't have to go to the store, nor deal with all those empty jars. Ice cube tray's and ziplock bags are all that are needed to store the food. Highly recommended. You can probably get away with just this book as there are SO many recipes I doubt I'll ever get around to making them before she begins eating the real deal!
  
  
• EXCELLENT for easy first time moms
  By A1XOPFNA9O4GYT on 2008-04-29
  I am a full time working basically single mom. I thought, "there is no way I can add making baby food to my list of things to do! I am just too busy!!" But as soon as I got this book, I began. And it's been 3 weeks straight of preparing my own home-made food for my 7 month old son....who has LOVED EVERY SINGLE THING.
  I made the pears-apple-cinnamon recipe...and took leftovers to work for myself! hehe
  It is very easy to follow, great recipes, easy to read through, organized well, and I don't have a single complaint. Thank you Ms. Karmel for giving me the tools to do it myself. :-)
  
  
• Incredibly Easy, Healthy Food for Your Baby
  By APB75MATAN989 on 2007-05-11
  I just bought this book and made my first batch today. It was so easy and tasted really good. I know that jarred baby carrots don't taste nearly as good as the batch I just whipped up for 79 cents in less than half an hour. The recipes for older babies look so good too. I can't wait to try them all out.
  
  
• Good but contradicts what our pediatrician told us
  By A3NXI6PIPIL4HG on 2007-07-30
  Great recipes and the baby seemed to like most of them. The pediatrician advised us that we should not feed certain foods to the baby before 1 year but many of those foods are present in dishes in this book. Also, some of the items are, for lack of a better word, oriented around British tastes and are a little foreign to what you might have in a typical American fridge. But all in all, if you want to make babyfood yourself, this is a helpful way to start.
  
  
• Easy, fast, inexpensive, & nutritious
  By ADJ1LPK9ZQLC2 on 2007-08-06
  I sat in Barnes and Nobles for 1/2 an hour looking at different baby food cookbooks before I picked this one. I'm glad I picked this one because I love it! I like how the book is organized by age of child and lists if the foods can be frozen. I also like that the recipies are really simple, only a few ingredients and very easy cooking instructions. I make 3-4 weeks worth of food in about 2 hours & freeze it. It's cheaper than buying commercial foods & tastes a lot better. I tried the gerber banannas & the ones I made from the book & theres no comparision.
  
  I modified some of the recipies to exclude the dairy & berries until my son is a little older. But overall this is a great book & I've been reccomending it to everyone.
  
  
• Great book!
  By A3E42QICAN9QD7 on 2007-02-06
  This book is so great! I gave it 4 stars because several of the recipes, though not difficult, are not exactly quick. They are delicious though and my 8 month old loves them. I used this book to get her to start trying chicken and she didn't even need to adapt to the new taste. She gets very excited and it is so adorable. I would definitely tell others about this book.
  
  
• My 9-month-olds LOVE this food!
  By A25861KUV3ZUVY on 2007-03-05
  I was already making most of my twins' food when a friend of mine lent me her copy of this book. I love the recipes and the informative preface. It never crossed my mind to add onions, garlic or parsley to the purees I was making. The recipes are easy to follow, include all kinds of foods you can't find in jars (fish, anyone?) and can inspire lots of other ideas for those who enjoy cooking. The meals take as much time to prepare as a regular adults' meal, which may be a downside to some, but I love the fact that I can double the recipe, save some food and eat the pre-puree meal myself. I freeze the purees in flexible icecube trays and take the cubes in baggies to my daughters' daycare. The teachers have been most impressed with the recent improvement in my kids' meals.
  
  
• yummy
  By ALQX2E4FU0X4U on 2007-03-08
  THis book has a lot of good information on how to cook the vegetables and fruits for purees. Has a lot of great pictures and tasty recipes. The meat recipes seem pretty expensive (pork chops and lamb) to blend up for a baby, but I think I'll try those recipes out on my husband and I as well as baby
  
  
• Yummy and Easy!
  By A3CQK8FY0HQE2F on 2007-03-19
  I used this cookbook every week. Great receipes--easy to make and very yummy. The receipes are made from normal food that adults also like so it is easy to go from making food just for baby to creating something for all. Sometimes my husband and I have eaten some of my daughters food or just added salt and shared. All the kids at my daughter's daycare swarm around her food at lunch-time. Can't recommend this author and her books enough.
  
  
• Tasty and Easy!
  By A1UA9MEL1175OF on 2007-04-08
  Wonderful recipes! Quite tasty and easy. My 11 month old has been eating out of this book since he was 4 months old!
  
  
• Great Recipes!
  By A1BB7KJM88JXJ on 2007-05-06
  This book has lots of wonderful recipes, all of which your baby will actually eat! I would not be without it. I'm a home child care provider, so always have infants around. :) This book is definitely a keeper!
  
  
• Quick, easy recipes
  By AZFZGUH5HQMA8 on 2007-08-09
  I have to say this hasn't solved my issue of not knowing what foods to introduce when...but it is an easy to use cook book. My 7 month old likes everything I've made. It is by a British author, so some of the dishes I don't recognize, and won't make, but for the most part it's really concise and easy to use; the most important attribute for a mom with a baby is quick, easy, healthy, tasty!
  
  
• Good recipes but not for ages given!!!
  By A2PFO3JKA40FUC on 2008-06-10
  I got this book but DO NOT believe the ages! Babies ARE NOT supposed to have eggs before 1 year and she says 6-7 months. There are awesome recipes I will use though just not when she says. Also it says you MUST introduce solids at 6 months and really you don't have to in the first year if you're breastfeeding some babies aren't interested! The signs for being ready are contrary to what any nutritionist will tell you decreasing time at the breast or more frequent feedings could mean a growth spurt otr a nursing strike or something else! The true signs are that they are 6 months or older, can sit with a little support, keep their bottom lip out when a spoon is put in, and doesn't push food or spoon out with tongue. These aren't even mentioned!
  
  
• Great Book on Infant Nutrition
  By ACN80GZNE4BVA on 2008-07-01
  Okay, it's important to bear in mind that Annabel Karmel is British - she lives and works in Britain, where child feeding guidelines are obviously different. This information is clearly stated in the book. I don't think she has disdain for AAP (American Academy of Pediatric) guidelines ... not everything revolves around America, folks! So keep that in mind as you consider which recipes to make for your baby.
  
  That said, much of the nutritional information in the book is solid, and the recipes are indeed easy, healthy and delicious. I've used it again and again, and I love it - and so does my baby.
  
  
• For a Healthy Baby
  By A5EYELOS5A0HH on 2006-11-05
  I really appreciate this book on how to feed your baby fresh meals that dont include preservatives and additives. My son loves my homemade meals and I make enough to put in ice cube trays to freeze for later. I have tried the homemade versions verses the store bought ones, and the others taste pretty yucky!
  
  
• Carrot puree
  By A2QSPOMZWP5N4R on 2007-07-04
  I purchased this book and immediately tried the first recipe (the carrot puree) My 6 month baby loved the puree, but I didn't know that carrot stain is very hard to remove. It stained my baby's bib, clothes, and even her spoon! I exclusively breastfeed her and carrot is her first solid, so I didn't have any experience with stains at all. I just washed her clothes and bib in Dreft, but the stain stays. I just wish this book warned me about the stain so I could soak the clothes in Dreft before it became permanent.
  
  
• Great book
  By A280WNEB3SXF07 on 2007-09-15
  this book is great but if you want recipes for all ages (4 months through 3 years or so) get "super food" book by the same author, has many puree recipes as well as alot more.
  
  
• Ok book but too many basic recipes
  By A2AMQHML40XVBE on 2008-04-03
  I purchased this book because I wanted more ideas on the baby food I could make for my daughter. Some of the recipes are great, others are very basic - I personally didn't need a cook book to teach me how to boil and puree carrots.
  Also I found that some of her recommendations are not in line with what my pediatrician recommends. For example I was told by my pediatrician to avoid giving carrots (even organic) because of the high level of nitrates in them, but I find that a lot of her recipes have carrots.
  
  The meat and fish recipes were great, it gave me a good starting point to introduce those into my daughter's diet. I wish there were more recipes with beans and lentils.
  I have used a limited number of recipes in this book but the ones I've used were great, and now I use them as a base and make my own variations.
  
  
• I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!
  By A2Q2NLE0GTKPTO on 2007-06-30
  Top 100 Baby Purees is FABULOUS. I LOVE this book. The only part I can say that I disagree with is her "alternative cooking method" of boiling food directly in water. She suggests steaming, which is best, and then alternatively covering it all in water and boiling it to death - not so good, as it removes a lot of the nutrients. Her recipes though are OUTSTANDING and the pictures are great. It's extremely easy to follow and she has little "tips of knowledge" on each page. There are recipe combinations that sound really, really good. For example, our son used to eat avocado all the time, but now he just isn't so interested. She suggests avocado, banana and some yogurt. Most of the meal recipes, we could have for dinner - they're soooo good. I'm really glad that I purchased this book. Yum! Yum! and simple, too!
  
  
• great book
  By AWOTIXXJHRGJB on 2007-08-27
  I looked through many books so that I could make my daughter her own food. This book gives a lot of recipes. I'm happy that I chose this one.
  
  
• More adventurous cooking
  By A1EAZXECR0XMKY on 2008-01-08
  This book was recommended to me by my girlfriend who has 2 boys who eat really well as a reference for more adventurous recipies. It is well presented and has some great recipies and combination ideas especially once you have introduced some of the basic foods. I also enjoyed the tips and food facts which you are given with the recipies themselves. My only concern was the inclusion of things like tomatoes and citrus fruits (strawberries, blueberries) at 6-7 months as these are possibly allergic foods and I personally wouldn't introduce them that early. However, there is a good introduction that goes over allergies, starting solids etc which is worth reading first. I am sure that this will be well used in the future!
  
  

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