Baby Bites [Paperback]

Bridget Swinney (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 10, 2007

Finally, it's all in one book! Parents used to need an entire bookshelf to feed one baby and now everything you need to know about feeding your infant and toddler is available in one book. This unique book -- part nutritional guide, part recipe book -- helps parents understand their baby's nutritional needs and prepare tasty food that encourages healthy eating habits. This helpful guide includes:

-Detailed information on both breastfeeding and formula-feeding

-A chapter explaining how a baby's digestion works, including tips for dealing with digestive challenges like illness, allergies, intolerances, and reflux

-Steps parents can take to keep their baby's food safe

-Tips to help caregivers maintain baby's healthy diet when parents return to work

-"Nutrition 101" for parents -- everything they need to know about a baby's nutritional needs

-Advice on starting solid foods, including recognizing readiness, introducing new foods and textures, and keeping mealtimes positive

-How to make your own baby food

-Comprehensive information and advice organized by stages of a baby's development

-Nutrition and feeding strategies for parents

-Recipe ideas for finger and table foods your toddler will love

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Baby Bites should be every parent's childhood nutrition manual. It's chock full of information and practical tips, from breastfeeding to sneaky ways to get toddlers to eat vegtables. Healthy eating habits start in infancy--start reading it now!" —Ari Brown, MD, FAAP, pediatrition, mom, and coauthor of Baby 411 and Toddler 411

"As a pediatrician and childhood obesity prevention advocate, I applaud Bridget Swinney's comprehensive, practical, and well-organized approach to how we feed our babies in the first few years of life." —Barbara W. Huggins, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Texax Health Science Center at Tyler

"Easy to read and authoritative, Baby Bites gives parents all the tools they need to start their little ones on the path to healthy eating." —Ellie Krieger, MS, RD, host of Food Network's Healthy Appetite and author of Small Changes, Big Results (Clarkson Potter)

About the Author

Bridget Swinney has a master of science degree in nutrition and is a registered dietitian. She has appeared on “The Today Show,” the TV Food Network, and “Fox on Family.” She is the author of Eating Expectantly and Healthy Food for Healthy Kids, has written for American Baby Magazine, and serves as an expert advisor on iParenting.com and babycenter.com. She lives in Texas, with her husband and two children. .

Product Details

• Paperback: 500 pages
• Publisher: Meadowbrook; 1 edition (July 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684040034
• ISBN-13: 978-0684040035
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bridget Swinney MS, RDN, LD is a health communicator, award-winning author and well-regarded nutrition expert in the field of child nutrition, prenatal nutrition and family eating matters. A frequent speaker and media guest, she is a Registered Dietitian with a Master's Degree in Nutrition. She is passionate about helping others improve their diet and health.

She has written three books: Baby Bites: Everything You Need to Know about Feeding Babies and Toddlers in One Handy Book; Eating Expectantly: Practical ADvice for Healthy Eating Before, During and After Pregnancy; and Healthy Food for Healthy Kids: The Practical and Tasty Guide to Child Nutrition. She is co-author of the Healthy Heart. Formula.

The completely revised and updated fourth edition of Eating Expectantly will be released May 2013.

The first edition of Eating Expectantly won the Child Magazine's Top Ten Parenting Books of the Year, and Baby Bites was awarded an iparenting.com Media Award. Her writing has also appeared in Parents, Healthy Kids, Parenting and American Baby Magazine.

As a nutrition consultant, Bridget has done a variety of work, both as a nutrition therapist in clinical and public health settings and as a speaker to consumers and health professionals around the country.

Bridget's books have been translated into Spanish, Polish and Czech and have been purchased all over the world.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Frowns on formula, but solid food advice is a godsend January 25, 2008

By Laura J. Altobelli

Format:Paperback

I picked this book up on a whim because I was so frustrated by the surprising lack of information from my doctor and on the internet about what to do after those first couple solid food meals. Yes, I knew how to recognize when my son was ready to try cereal. Yes, I knew to start rice cereal first. Yes, I knew to feed him a tiny, heavily watered-down portion with my finger. Yes, I knew to wait a few days to see if he had an allergic reaction before giving him another new food. But then what? How big a portion should I be working up to? How much formula should he still be drinking, and should he still have the same intervals between meals? How do I go about adding foods to his diet, and what ones should I avoid? The choices of baby food flavors seem so limited---does that mean I shouldn't be feeding him other foods if I can puree them myself? How do I start a sippy cup? This book answers all those questions and tells you how to go about preventing allergies while encouraging your child to not be a picky eater. The "day in the diet" and week-by-week "month in the diet" sections were priceless to me, as were the groupings of foods by nutrients so you know which ones fill a nutritional void if your child strongly dislikes something else in the same category. I also liked that the book explains how to make your own food if so inclined, giving helpful tips for fixing portions that will store well. It was educational to learn that fresh produce isn't ALWAYS better because some vegetables are high in nitrates, so frozen is better while your child is very young. The other reviewer who mentioned that this author is very militant about breastfeeding makes a good point, but it didn't bother me too much because I bought the book when my son was a little over 5 months old---so I skipped past the sections on newborn nutrition. Fortunately, when you get to the sections on solid foods, breast milk and formula are referred to fairly interchangeably. I spent the first three months of my son's life beating myself up over the fact that I "failed" at breastfeeding (despite counseling from two lactation consultants), but I'm not going to let a book make me feel that way again. My son is now a very happy and healthy 6-month-old who is a joy to be around---and who eagerly tastes every new food placed in front of him!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book - wish I had it when my boy was born. August 20, 2007

By jmz VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I bought this book to help me figure out what and when to feed my 6-month old son. I wished I had bought it when I got pregnant! It is an excellent resource for nutrition when baby is born up to toddler years. I skimmed through the first chapters since it covered things I've already been through, and I realized that this book pretty much answered all my random questions I had during the first 6 months of my son's life. I tend to be an internet searcher for answers since books tend not to give me the answer I need when I need it, but this book pretty much covers it all and without a lot of extra information.

It's easy to skim through so you can get to the points you want to read about, all the information is chunked in an informative way, and it even covers nutrition for vegetarians and vegans, which surprised me.

I try not to live with too many "should haves" in my life, but I do keep thinking I should have bought this book months ago. It would have saved me a lot of grief when I was wonder about breast feeding, formula, spitting up, colic, poop color, etc..

Even if you do buy it late in the game, it's well worth the month. Tons of information that will guide parents on the right path when they're feeling completely clueless or frustrated by a lot of advice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource July 20, 2007

By M. Eberhardt

Format:Paperback

As a new mom of a 9 month old baby girl, I found this book to be so helpful. I wish it would have been available when she was a newborn. The only nutrition information I would receive was bits and pieces from my pediatrician. This book answered all of my questions about food allergies, when to introduce certain foods, and how much to give. It has very easy to follow baby food recipes, and I love the sample daily menus at each stage. It's clear that the author has done all the research and it's nice to have it presented in a clear and easy-to-read guidebook. I have already recommended it to many clients and friends.