****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I love this lady's website, but I'm really ADD, and I needed something in a more linear format because I felt like I was only getting bits and pieces. It's a very easy, quick read...I bought this book on a Friday evening, and had read through all the information chapters by Saturday night. (I have a 5 yr old and a 4 mo old, so its not like I'm sitting around doing nothing.) I purchased the Kindle version and I love that I can look at the table of contents and click the recipe I want, I can bookmark it, and I can also click to recipes and other information from the first 7 info chapters. You can also search on the Kindle edition, making your life much easier when you have that, "I know I read that somewhere..." moment, but your mommy brain just won't allow you to find it.The recipes are great and the information is all up to date. She also includes quite a bit of info on food allergies, which was important for me as the mom of a food allergic child. I love that the author organized the recipes by age range/stage, because its easy to look at the list in the TOC and click to pick. Her recipes in stage 3 also have some ideas that could easily be a family meal that you puree on the spot for baby. In addition, the author also gives you tips with each recipe, and many of them are time-savers such as baking your sweet potatoes when you bake your roast to make use of the empty oven space.I do have 2 wishes for this book: 1) that she would include more info on the advantages/disadvantages of the different types of food prep and storage, and 2) that she would have included a "guesstimate" of how much each batch will make. She does note that different people will come out with different portions based on the size of the fruit/vegetable and their prep, but I would have liked to have had a rough idea on how much you might have, like "makes about three 4 oz. servings" so you know how many freezer trays, jars, pouches, whatever ready to fill. I hate that feeling when you've filled everything and you've still got half a bowl left and nothing to put it in. You can go in and make notes, whether on the paper or Kindle versions, but it would just be nice to have a heads up for the first time.Overall, its a great read. I tried making my own baby food with my first, but she was such a picky eater and wouldn't eat anything except apples, chicken, and bananas. (Which is about all she will eat at 5...) This time, it's more of a concern since our 4 month old has already shown multiple food allergies with Breastmilk and formula, so it's going to be a necessity to ensure she doesn't have those substances sneaking into her diet. Speaking of formula, I love that this lady is not judgmental about breastmilk vs. formula. There are some of us that just can't unfortunately...and for most of us, it hurts our hearts that our babies can't have that wonderful gift, so the last thing we need is someone getting preachy and reminding us what kind of failure we already feel like.My hope is that we can start her off right with solid foods that are wholesome, homemade and nutritious!
