I recently attended a baby shower for a pair of great friends I’ve known for more than a decade. I wouldn’t have struggled to choose a gift for this wonderful couple, no matter what. They’re just the best. But I didn’t even have to think about it. I knew what I wanted these two to have as they embarked on this new part of their lives….
Annabel Karmel’s book Top 100 Baby Purees is my favorite baby gift. This book and others like it gave me the confidence to never glance twice at jars of baby food. Once my girls — now ages four and six — were ready for solids, I made my kids’ food a batch at a time and fed them without the jars. All it takes is a mini food processor and fresh, natural ingredients. When my friends and family have their babies, I like to pass on some of that confidence.
Feeding little children is not really very hard, but it can feel like one of those areas to get mired in all of the choices. Pointing my friends to this collection of easy to make and downright delicious recipes for their babes just warms my heart.
Annabel Karmel has plenty of other books available, too. Check out these books for family fun in the kitchen and great eats for all!
Top 100 Finger Foods: 100 Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Child
The Fussy Eaters’ Recipe Book: 135 Quick, Tasty and Healthy Recipes that Your Kids Will Actually Eat
I like to give a book like this in combination with some freezer-safe tupperware or other storage containers, to make storing baby food easy. I often needed to pack the girls’ food for the day before I went to work. Pulling out small containers from the freezer, or ice-cube sized portions, made it really easy to get ready for the day. I would cook for the baby most days of the week (just one or two dishes, which doesn’t take long). I’d freeze most of each batch so that I could pull from it in preparation for child care.
You could give it in combination with any number of fun things for baby. Maybe a sweet, colorful toy, or a blanket, or an outfit, or….you fill in the blank. 🙂
Enjoy! And have fun feeding those babies!!
What a thoughtful gift! Making your own baby food has to be healthier and less expensive than buying all those jars.
That’s the way I feel, Lauralynn! Healthier, less expensive, and more control over what was making it into my kids’ bodies.