Learn more about homemade baby food in this feature from The Washington Post, which includes recipes, first hand accounts from parents (including famous chefs), and information about baby food books and blogs.... More

©iStockPhoto.com/tcort Anthony Silverbrow on the Guardian's Word of Mouth blog contemplates what his daughter's first solid meal should be: There is surprisingly little independent guidance (i.e., not written by those trying to flog a series of books) on what babies should be fed. There's a mini-industry around last meals, there's a lot of gnashing of teeth about what to give early meals, but first solid meals seem to be overlooked.Is any meal more significant than our first? For the food obsessed, does it get any more existential than pondering what to pass between our lips for the very first time? I have a gut feeling that the first meal will determine how that child approaches food for the rest... More

Photograph from ammichaels on Flickr I was delighted this morning when I opened the New York Times and found an article entitled Momma, I’ll Have Some of Whatever You’re Having. (I was also jealous, because I didn’t write it.) Jessica had begun making meals for Gracie, our 7-month-old daughter, following the recommended pattern for carefully introducing individual puréed foods.That all changed when she called me at work one day to tell me that she’d taken the food mill to the next level: since Gracie had tried all the basic ingredients from what we’d eaten the night before—my pasta Bolognese with mint—she had milled some up and watched with delight as Gracie happily finished every bite. I had the same... More

When people ask me about baby food, I always tell them the same thing: there's no such thing as baby food. With few exceptions, mashed-up adult food is perfect for babies. It's nutritious, fun, and easy, and you don't have to prepare separate meals. Sometimes I go on and on as if I invented this idea. Then something will come along to remind me that I'm about as original as a financial planner telling clients not to spend so much on lattes. This time around, it was Amelia Bedelia. The book series Amelia Bedelia, for anyone who hasn't been introduced, is for early readers and authored by Peggy Parish. The first was published in 1963. They have not aged entirely... More

Recently, I bought some baby food. This was unusual for me, since my daughter, Iris, is three. "Is this for your baby?" the cashier asked, ringing up a couple of jars of Dr. Susanna's World Baby Foods. "Uh, I'm going to try it myself." Food writer, I explained, while the clerk looked around for the Security button. Dr. Susanna's is based in Seattle, and its shtick is international foods. There are currently six flavors. I tried Tokyo Tum Tum and Lullaby Thai; also available are Sweetie Tahiti, Baby Dal, and so on. They're organic and, according to the website, "favor local farmers," which makes no sense, since the products are sold nationwide. I guess the farmers could be local to... More

Springwise is a site about new business ideas and one they've recently identified is the growing market for both fresh and frozen organic gourmet baby food. I don't know that this is a new idea really, as Diane Keaton's character in 1987's Baby Boom was basically doing this at the end of the movie, and the companies Springwise describes are exactly like hers was: "relatively small and regional start-ups, founded by parents who couldn’t find foods they wanted to feed their babies and toddlers". What really matters is that this provides more food options for parents who eat organic and want the same for their babies, but maybe don't have the time or are just too tired to prepare... More