First Food: Preparing Food for Babies and Toddlers [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Sara Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2000

A healthy start in life is vital but diet and nutrition are not the easiest aspects of childcare. This volume provides reliable information, effective solutions to help cope with fads and fussy eating, and hundreds of delicious, fun, tempting recipes so that mealtimes become manageable and hugely enjoyable (for parent and child) instead of being a daily battle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Southwater (February 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842150766
• ISBN-13: 978-1842150764
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,942,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unsafe recommendations, January 29, 2005

By 

Guate mom (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Food: Preparing Food for Babies and Toddlers (Paperback)

I sat down and read through this book page by page this weekend for suggestions to add variety to my 9 month old's diet. It recommends all these foods that are unsafe by most American pediatrician's standards like whole eggs, strawberries, citrus fruits, peanut butter, nuts, very fatty meats, etc. Many recipes are very involved with a slew of ingredients or those not normally served like leeks or corriander. The bulk of the book is recipes for toddlers who can eat most table food, anyway. You could just as easily use a recipe book on casseroles or the Joy of Cooking. The illustrations lack diversity which made me think the book was already a decade or more old. Look elsewhere.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, May 19, 2002

By 

V. Chang "nycmama" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Food: Preparing Food for Babies and Toddlers (Paperback)

I purchased "First Food" at a time when I needed some guidance in preparing solid foods for my young child. I sifted through a whole array of cookbooks with recipes geared toward children, but this one caught my eye in particular because of its clear descriptions, down-to-earth information, and beautiful photos. This book has proven to be so helpful and inspiring to me, as a fairly new parent, that I have recommended it to all of my friends with young children.

The recipes are arranged according to the child's developmental stage. For example, the meals for Stage 1 (birth to 4 months)include diverse recipes for fruit, vegetable and meat purees. Stage 4 recipes (children 9-12 months)include a cheese broccoli dish, eggy bread fingers, and cheese straws. The recipes are clearly described, tasty, and include beautiful and descriptive photos.

There are also recipes for "Quick Cakes and Bakes the Kids Can Make," "Family Meals," "Just Desserts" and "Quick Teas" with nutritious recipes that can be prepared under 10 minutes. This has been a life saver! Some of the recipes include a "Speedy Chicken Pie" and "Four Fast Fishes."

Furthermore, the book goes beyond just being a standard book of recipes. Sara Lewis is extremely helpful regarding practical matters, such as freezing food, creating balanced meals, dealing with fussy eaters, and how to cook a meal for both adults and children without having to cook twice. Most importantly, Sara Lewis advises parents on the importance of dining together and enjoying meals. Her style is just right. Not too academic, opinionated, or at all preachy. Just good common sense.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Resource, June 14, 2007

By 

Marie "Regards, Marie" (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Food: Preparing Food for Babies and Toddlers (Paperback)

I think this book is amazing. After all the books I have read this is the only one I will use for now. It is simple and broken out by the months, each new month I can see what food I am supposed to feed my two twins.

One person did mention that are recommendations for some unsafe foods that is true but if you are educated you just skip these, like the peanuts, eggs etc... just ask your peditrician if they have not told you already to list you out the unsafe foods avoid them in the book and move on! It is great!