Having a baby is an incredible challenge. There are so many decisions you need to make. What toys do you buy? What kind of clothes will work best? What’s the right stroller? The right crib? It often seems like a never ending serious of choices to make.
One of the biggest choices you face is what to feed your baby. Food can seem like an easily solvable issue, but the fact of the matter it can quickly overwhelm your budget and your schedule, especially if you want to stick with a very particular kind of diet or are managing special dietary needs. We’ve assembled ten books that will help you plan your baby’s diet in a way that works best for you. These books are based on the recommendations of real doctors (many were written by doctors) and the experiences of real parents. Take a look and see if one or more of them can help you out.
1) Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months by Lisa Barnes
This is a great step-by-step cookbook for a young family. Recipes are separated by age, with detailed instructions and pictures to help make meal preparation easy. It is a great cookbook for busy, exhausted families with young children. The pictures are especially helpful, as it can be hard to hunt down ingredients while taking care of a small child (or small children). As your child grows, you’ll find that the food for older children is something that the whole family can share. Check out the price of this book here.
2) The Big Book of Organic Baby Food: Baby Purées, Finger Foods, and Toddler Meals For Every Stage by Stephanie Middleberg
Written by a woman who is both a mother and a certified dietician, you will find recipes for every stage of your child’s development in this cookbook. You can find a wide variety of recipes within, with recipes for purees for babies and even food designed for the whole family to share (making meal preparation even easier!). A lot of the recipes are also organic, meaning you will be raising your children on very healthy food. The instructions are clear and simple. Feel free to keep the book on hand while cooking, as the cover is designed to handle spills. Pick up this book for some fun, simple, and healthy recipes for young children.
3) The Happy Family Organic Superfoods Cookbook For Baby & Toddler by Shazi Visram
Every recipe in this book is designed around nutrient-rich superfoods. You can find lots of information on how to start feeding your child solids. You can find both vegetarian meals and non-vegetarian meals for variety. The allergen guides on every recipe are great help for families with special dietary needs. Every recipe details exactly what kind of ingredients you will need. As you might imagine, these recipes focus on superfoods for healthy development and good food habits. It’s a great option for a family looking to include more of these ingredients in their diet.
4) Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel
Figuring out what to use to make a healthy, good tasting puree can be hard. While you can find purees off the shelf, doing it yourself can be healthier and save you money. This book offers many puree recipes, but also gives you information on moving your baby to solid foods and even some time-saving tips. This a great cookbook for new and expecting parents alike.
5) The Amazing Make-Ahead Baby Food Book: Make 3 Months of Homemade Purees in 3 Hours by Lisa Barrangou
Modern families often find themselves on the go. Minimizing the chaos and making sure everyone’s needs are met is a must. This book is all about long-term meal preparation so you can grab what you will need out of your fridge as you are headed out the door. The recipes are clear and various. If you are a busy family, pick this book up. It can be a real lifesaver.
6) First Meals Revised: Fast, healthy, and fun foods to tempt infants and toddlers by Annabel Karmel
You will find more than 200 recipes in this cookbook, ranging from purees to simple snacks to meals. The book contains not only recipes, but also advice on general food preparation, nutrition, food allergies, and very valuable advice on how to manage picky eating. The author also wrote Top 100 Baby Purees and this book is an excellent follow on for your baby as they move on to more solid foods.
7) The Whole 9 Months: A Week-By-Week Pregnancy Nutrition Guide with Recipes for a Healthy Start by Jennifer Lang and Dana Angelo White
This book has been written by two doctors with a lot of professional and personal experience with both pregnancy and children. Many cookbooks on this list are meant for children, but this one is all about expectant mothers. It is a good cookbook for mothers who are looking on making sure that they and their baby are in great condition for the nine months of pregnancy.
8) Natural Baby Food: Over 150 Wholesome, Nutritious Recipes For Your Baby and Toddler
The recipes in this book are based on giving your baby a balanced diet. The recipes are excellently organized and perfectly clear with their ingredients and instructions. There is no flipping around the book, hunting for the recipe you need. The book is designed to make it easy for parents to just start cooking.
9) Real Baby Food: Easy, All-Natural Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler by Jenna Helwig
Offering a variety of healthy recipes, this cookbook provides simple instructions for how to make everyone. A lot of the recipes are unusual, meant for foodie families. It offers a nice break from normal ingredients, and is great for parents who are tired of making the same old thing for their little ones. Buy it here.
10) The Baby and Toddler Cookbook: Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start by Karen Ansel
This cookbook is designed to help you prepare excellent, healthy food to help you teach your child healthy eating habits. You can easily modify the book’s recipes to fit your family’s dietary needs. The recipes are not all repetitions of each other, either, and there is a lot of variety. This book does not have hundreds of recipes – it contains a little over 90 – but it makes for an excellent supplement to the pre-prepared food necessary for a family on the go.
