i recently contributed to the great Classic Play e-magazine’s Food Issue, from the design house at EllieBellieKids. it was just released yesterday (it’s free and fabulous, so check it out).  in the issue, i contributed my post on making homemade cookies for my youngest son who has severe food allergies. there are so many great articles and ideas in this issue (and all their previous issues) that it had me thinking of my own food history with my family of four, soon to be five.

i decided to share with you here some of my favorite tools for cooking for baby and child. the obvious first choice for baby’s nutrition is breast milk, which i was successful at with both of my children for their first year. when the time came for adding solids, i was interested in making my own baby food. i love to cook and with my mom’s encouragement i blended up some purees. i did offer my baby some foods from a jar at first (out of convenience), and with a pursed lip and a selective palate, he refused. have you ever compared a jar of baby peas to fresh pureed peas? just visually you will be amazed. vibrant green color and a natural sweetness made my baby open wide for more. so with his cue, i continued on making a variety of homemade preparations.

i used my own blender mostly (which worked just fine) and started with simple recipes like the ones found here. i also picked up a copy of The Baby Bistro Cookbook. at the time i was working outside the home, and would make time on sundays to cook for my baby. i would steam and puree in bulk and transfer to ice cube trays for the freezer. after frozen, i would pop them out into storage and label them with contents and date. these worked well for my nanny or myself to prepare a meal on the spot. i was also able to puree up bits of our dinners (like salmon and lentils or chicken curry and rice) and serve him these meals alongside our own.

when my second son was born with severe food allergies, i was glad that i already knew how to mix up my own baby food. however, in some ways i could not be as creative with meals for him when it was time to try solids.  it was a more than stressful time.  i just focused on making him pure ingredient recipes. four years later, i have had to prepare a separate meal for him every single day made from minimal pure ingredients.

yes…i survived all that cooking! it WAS enjoyable  (the baby food preparation part) and my boys are healthy and GREAT eaters today-thankfully. and i have to add, it is much more affordable!

in a time where our culture has been so saturated with unhealthy food options and instant meals, i think its time to start a new tradition within our home, at our table and for our  family. something fresh, something organic, something real.

my favorites for mealtime:

the joyababy 2-1 reversible bib was designed in more recent times, because i couldn’t find a bib that was soft (not plastic), washable AND actually collected the crumbs and drippings from meals. the joyababy bib does just that- with its scoop shaped crumb catcher on both sides! and it looks super stylish at the dinner table of course. the cotton canvas side works great for dry meals and flip bib pocket inside out, turn bib over for messier meals (quick-drying nylon side).

next, i would choose a compact high chair with thoughtful design like the one pictured above. this is mostly because i live in a vintage house, circa 1904, in the city with limited space. i love traditional baby utensils and dishes, like the ones my mom used when i was young. curved baby spoons, real dishware and flatware. these are great for at use at home. and when you are out with baby, there are a variety of great, eco-friendly travel options.

bon appetit bebe!

baby photo: my own, kitchen photo: from beach bungalow 8

i enjoy baking sugar cookie cut-outs, even though it is a messy process and i never have enough counter space. (i dream of having marble counters for baking.) i have been the official sugar cookie baker for the family since high school.  so much that if i skip an occasion, i may hear about it from my uncle.

my favorite recipe is from the joy of cooking, rich rolled sugar cookies and i basically stick to it for every occasion. this past week however, i made some alterations for a special treat. my youngest son has severe food allergies since birth (another post and then some). with the new addition of egg to his diet, i altered the traditional sugar cookie recipe for him.  i substituted in rice flour, rice milk and olive oil. so no dairy, no wheat, barley, oats, corn or rye. i also used india tree sugars for decorating, great if you are concerned about allergies. they contain no corn syrup or any other fillers. you can also download each product’s information online to check. and the cookies- they turned out! (as good as rice cookies can)

for his homemade cookie session i found an adorable basic baking set from ikea, that is perfectly sized for small hands. as a montessori child myself and with my children in montessori, i really try and have them participate in as many  practical life activities as possible. how did they taste out of the oven? he was so excited that he ate all the cookies in one afternoon. and if you are wondering why there is a gingerbread man cutout for valentine’s day baking… my four year old is in love with the gingerbread shape after reading the jan brett book, gingerbread baby, over and over in the months prior. plus he said “mommy he has a heart… see?”

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