My Top 3 Favorite Baby Cookbooks

In my near obsession with baby and toddler cooking, I have read dozens of related cookbooks. While I have found that many of them fall short in that the recipes require more time than as a busy mom I have available, or the recipes simply aren't tasty, I have also come across some gems. I have been asked before which baby cookbooks I would recommend so I am posting my top 3 picks. 

1. The Baby's Table: Revised and Updated

- This book contains a lot of great information and many recipes, including many really good ones. Recipes are quick and easy, although a little repetitive and not overly adventurous. Contains handy sample meal plans for different age groups and great charts for reference purposes. Make sure you get the revised version as the previous version has some pretty kooky baby feeding info. My favorite overall. Standout recipes include: Baby Vichyssoise and Maxwell's Minted Lamb.



 2. Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months

- This book features beautiful and inspirational photos and some truly tasty recipes. My only real complaint about the recipes in this book is that there aren't enough of them. Standouts include: Blackberry and Ricotta Parfait, Asparagus "Risotto", and Hidden Veggie Sauce. 

 3. Easy Gourmet Baby Food: 150 Recipes for Homemade Goodness 

-This book was written by a chef and a nutritionist and combines very tasty recipes with sound baby nutritional advice --something that is actually hard to come by among baby cookbooks. Lots of delicious and unusual homemade baby food recipes and recipes for the whole family. I have found that for some recipes, liquid amounts are a bit off and a some recipes are a bit involved. I would still strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in introducing their child to a wide variety of fabulous flavors. Standouts include: Beef Tenderloin and Dates, Millet and Cauliflower with Fresh Oregano, and Warm Pineapple with Cottage Cheese and Basil.

Cookbook Review: Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook

 Organic Baby & Toddler Cook Book: Easy Recipes for Natural Foods by Lizzie Vann

Overview: This book presents 80 recipes for babies just beginning solids up to preschoolers, emphasizing natural and organic food choices and easy recipes that anyone could master.

The Good:
-Well layed-out
- Attractive book with beautiful photography
- Inspiring introduction on the importance of organic and healthful food and the benefits of making baby food at home
- Includes produce seasonality chart


The Not-So-Good:
 - Claims that contradict current APA guidelines (and pretty much any other guidelines) on virtually every page, such as starting solids at 4 months, offering tomatoes and corn from 4-6 months, etc, etc, etc
- While some of the recipes were tasty, out of the 5 I tried: 1 failed completely, 3 needed some work in order to be successful (i.e. amounts for liquid way off, cooking time much too short, etc), and 1 was very good as written
- Most of the recipes are sized for one serving. This is good if you are just trying it out to see if your child likes it but results in some pretty intense math when you try to convert the recipes to larger sizes for batch cooking

The Verdict: Not Recommended/Recommend with reservations

While there are some good ideas for flavour combinations and while the recipes are nice and easy and some are definitely decent, it seems as though many of the recipes were insufficiently tested and the nutritional and food introduction information is simply awful. I would be frightened is this was someone's only baby cookbook and if they were following the guidelines layed out within. This book is really only appropriate for older babies and toddlers if you already have a solid basis of information and are just looking for some new recipes and ideas, and in that case, borrow a copy from the library instead of buying this book.


* Do you have any cookbook recommendations? I'm always on the lookout for great inspiration!