The Complete New Guide to Preparing Baby Foods

I found this book in the library 21 years ago. I renewed the book atleast 3 times, then found a store that sold it and bought it. As a result of using all the ideas and introductions to foods to my sons, they grew up to really appreciate all types of foods.
They never had a jar a baby food. To date, they all have
exquisite palettes. Thank you Sue Castle for writing this book. I would encourage all new moms and dads to utilize her knowledge of good eating habits!! My sons were always in great health and grew up to be a few good men! Especially in the kitchen.

I have always enjoyed cooking and was delighted to cook for my baby! As a new mother I had no idea what and when to introduce baby foods and this book clearly outlined the stages in baby's life when he was ready for specific foods and when to introduce new ones.

It was fun to keep track of when something new could be tried and when preparing food I was surprised at how far one preparation would last. By freezing foods in ice-cube trays I could thaw only what I needed and could offer a variety of foods without a lot of preparation. I could prepare seasonal fresh foods that would last for months in the freezer. It felt good to know where my son's food was coming from and that I could provide such wholesome food.

I highly recommend this easy to read and very informative book!

When my son was born, I knew that I wanted to try to make his baby food at home, but like many new Moms I had NO idea how to go about it. After doing some on-line research and asking around, I came across Sue Castle's book and purchased it on a whim. I am SO glad that I did! It is such an amazing resource and it is already proving to be the most valuable cookbook in my kitchen! Not only does the book explain basic nutrition for babies, but it is arranged by each individual ingredient, how to purchase that item, how to store it, the nutritional value of the food and gives at least one recipe with EXACT details on how to prepare it! No other baby food book that I've found gives that much detail.

My only complaint is that it's no longer available in print and is becoming more and more difficult to find. That makes it so much harder to recommend it to friends! If you find this book used, BUY IT!! You won't be sorry!

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of great ideas and resources. Good recipes and a nice guideline for baby foods. Please note that I don't have a child yet (we just believe in early preparation!), but there are some parts of the book that I questioned. I thought many of the foods contained lots of excess butter in the preparation. Also, there were recipes with added salt and sugar. Peanut butter was given as an ingredient fairly early in the book. Peanut may be severely allergenic. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but you should always consult your pediatrician when introducing questionable food. I will use the book extensively.

UPDATE: Now that we have a baby and are into the feeding stage, I have more comments. I LOVE THIS BOOK! There are still some points with which I don't agree. However, I make all of my baby's food. She is healthy and happy. She loves her homemade food (though she's never had commercial food). It is SO EASY to make. I work 5 days a week, work on Saturdays, and am a part of an orchestra, so I am busy 7 days a week. Cooking is so easy! My baby is eating things I could never buy in a store (if I had a desire to buy her food) -- things like avocados, mango, kiwi, etc.

In summary, while there are still a couple of points that I don't like, I cannot recommend this book enough!