My favourite organic baby books
I could go on for ever about all the wonderful books I have read on natural mothering, organic baby food and more, so here are just a few that stand out.......
Cooking for Kids
We were lucky enough to receive the following two cookbooks from friends;
Organic Federation of Australia, Organic baby and toddler cookbook; easy recipes for natural food by Lizzie Vann which has been absolutely wonderful. While little Lilian is only just coming up to seven months old, and not much a fan of solids yet, this book has allowed me to fill my freezer with a multitude of home made purees that really do taste delicious. (Yes I always taste test- with a clean spoon of course!). There is also casseroles, fruit porridges and some fantastic toddler food. Funnily enough Lilian's favourite food so far has actually been pureed betroot, a recipe I found in
Cooking for Coco; Naturally delicious baby food recipes from a chef's kitchen by Sian Blunos, it is a completely fabulous book for if you are getting a little board with the normal baby puree deal. I must admit that some of the recipes indicate that a little sugar should be added and I don't do this. I don't feel the need for any salt or sugar at this early stage! The great thing about this book is that many of the meals are suitable for the entire family (well once you are past the puree stage!)
I must admit that I am extremely fortunate to have a Thermomix, which apart from making fabulous cakes, bread, cocktails, coffees, salads, and curries is absolutely the most incredible thing when it comes to baby food. I just put the fresh goodies in and it chops, cooks and purees!
Yes these things are definitley not cheap, but it has been possible the best baby investment I have ever made! If you want to know more about thermomix call Peta Crogran, the delightful Wellness Consultant who sold me mine Thermomix on 0427 159 033 (Perth) or email her at petacrogan@bigpond.com you can also visit the thermomix website at www.thermomix.com.au
If you haven't already you absolutely MUST read;
Additive Alert by Julie Eady
as you may know I am not really into telling people what they MUST do but rather gently guiding in a direction that I feel is beneficial, with all options available, This however is one expception, it does not matter if your kids are all grown up or still in the womb, the information in this book is essential. You'll find out why Australia allows additives in our food that are banned in Europe and the USA and why up to 5% of what is in your food, does not need to be listed on the label. It comes with a handy bookmark that you can take to the shops to help you avoid the worst additives.
A healthy environment for kids;
If you haven't yet stumbled onto the CleanFood Organic series by McGuire Guides, then you have a treat in store. The lastest edition is Volume 5 and it has two articles by yours truly (sorry shameless self promotion I know!). Both articles are relevant to expectant mums or those even considering it; one is about the chemicals in umbilical cord blood and how to reduce your unborn babies exposure and the second is about Indoor Air pollution.
Green Parenting;
I absolutely LOVE this book, that I was given for Christmas;
Raising Baby Green; The Earth Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care by Alan Greene, MD. www.drgreene.com
I love this book for so many reasons. It gives a fantastically broad amount of information including everything from feeding, non-toxic baby matresses, natural remedies for common ailments to toxic toys, personal care products, cleaning and even gardening. If you have been following the CleanLife email tips for some time, you will probably be doing almost everything recommended in this book, but still it is a wonderful read and as it is a book, it has more room to go into the 'why and how' of these many topics.
It is written by a paediatrition and I think this helps you to feel confident when people brush your concerns about everyday things like pesticides, the harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals in most baby bottles to the side. Like me you have probably heard the 'well you had plastic bottles and you are fine' or the 'well you never ate anything organic and there is nothing wrong with you' or my personal favourite 'if there really was anything wrong with all these things, the government wouldn't allow it'. Dr Alan Greene puts the research out their with the authority that only a medical Doctor seems to have (sadly).
The other great thing about this book, is he realises that we are all human, some babies will need formula, some people can't afford an organic cot matress and some people really won't be able to get organic food for every meal of every day. He does however offer hope and practical suggestions.
Natural Baby and ChildCare by Lauren Feder MD www.drfeder.com
is also excellent. In addition to covering everything from baby clothes to breastfeeding and mastitis. The book offers some information on natural remedies,including homeopathics for common ailments in a fair amount of detail. Again the book written by a medical doctor but in this case she is also a homeopath.
If you thought that being an Organic Parent was all about looking frumpy and having a dirty child hanging from your sling then check out
Organic Baby; Simple steps for Healthy Living by Kimberly Rider.
This book is incredibly beautiful with amazing photography and design. It gives simple suggestions for reducing your environmental impact and toxic load and is a great coffee table book.
Imperfectly Natural baby and toddler; How to be a green parent in today's busy world by Janey Lee Grace www.imperfectlynatural.co.uk is a great option for those who are not too green yet,but are keen to work on it. Janey's approach is very calm and very imperfect. Being a mother of four she knows that you may only managed to achieve a few of the suggestions in the book, but everything she offers is practical and realistic. One thing I would mention is that Janey mentions not starting pelvic floor exercises until six weeks post delivery of your baby. The Physiotherapist inside me must beg to differ on this one point. Start very very gently as soon as you are able, for me this was several hours after the birth, for others this may be a few days. Importantly very gentle pelvic floor exercises increase the circulation in the area and promote healing. Please speak to your Physiotherapist about this!
I hope these suggestions are useful, now all you need do is find some time to read them!!!!
Stay tuned for more book reviews in the future.
Cooking for Kids
We were lucky enough to receive the following two cookbooks from friends;
Organic Federation of Australia, Organic baby and toddler cookbook; easy recipes for natural food by Lizzie Vann which has been absolutely wonderful. While little Lilian is only just coming up to seven months old, and not much a fan of solids yet, this book has allowed me to fill my freezer with a multitude of home made purees that really do taste delicious. (Yes I always taste test- with a clean spoon of course!). There is also casseroles, fruit porridges and some fantastic toddler food. Funnily enough Lilian's favourite food so far has actually been pureed betroot, a recipe I found in
Cooking for Coco; Naturally delicious baby food recipes from a chef's kitchen by Sian Blunos, it is a completely fabulous book for if you are getting a little board with the normal baby puree deal. I must admit that some of the recipes indicate that a little sugar should be added and I don't do this. I don't feel the need for any salt or sugar at this early stage! The great thing about this book is that many of the meals are suitable for the entire family (well once you are past the puree stage!)
I must admit that I am extremely fortunate to have a Thermomix, which apart from making fabulous cakes, bread, cocktails, coffees, salads, and curries is absolutely the most incredible thing when it comes to baby food. I just put the fresh goodies in and it chops, cooks and purees!
Yes these things are definitley not cheap, but it has been possible the best baby investment I have ever made! If you want to know more about thermomix call Peta Crogran, the delightful Wellness Consultant who sold me mine Thermomix on 0427 159 033 (Perth) or email her at petacrogan@bigpond.com you can also visit the thermomix website at www.thermomix.com.au
If you haven't already you absolutely MUST read;
Additive Alert by Julie Eady
as you may know I am not really into telling people what they MUST do but rather gently guiding in a direction that I feel is beneficial, with all options available, This however is one expception, it does not matter if your kids are all grown up or still in the womb, the information in this book is essential. You'll find out why Australia allows additives in our food that are banned in Europe and the USA and why up to 5% of what is in your food, does not need to be listed on the label. It comes with a handy bookmark that you can take to the shops to help you avoid the worst additives.
A healthy environment for kids;
If you haven't yet stumbled onto the CleanFood Organic series by McGuire Guides, then you have a treat in store. The lastest edition is Volume 5 and it has two articles by yours truly (sorry shameless self promotion I know!). Both articles are relevant to expectant mums or those even considering it; one is about the chemicals in umbilical cord blood and how to reduce your unborn babies exposure and the second is about Indoor Air pollution.
Green Parenting;
I absolutely LOVE this book, that I was given for Christmas;
Raising Baby Green; The Earth Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care by Alan Greene, MD. www.drgreene.com
I love this book for so many reasons. It gives a fantastically broad amount of information including everything from feeding, non-toxic baby matresses, natural remedies for common ailments to toxic toys, personal care products, cleaning and even gardening. If you have been following the CleanLife email tips for some time, you will probably be doing almost everything recommended in this book, but still it is a wonderful read and as it is a book, it has more room to go into the 'why and how' of these many topics.
It is written by a paediatrition and I think this helps you to feel confident when people brush your concerns about everyday things like pesticides, the harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals in most baby bottles to the side. Like me you have probably heard the 'well you had plastic bottles and you are fine' or the 'well you never ate anything organic and there is nothing wrong with you' or my personal favourite 'if there really was anything wrong with all these things, the government wouldn't allow it'. Dr Alan Greene puts the research out their with the authority that only a medical Doctor seems to have (sadly).
The other great thing about this book, is he realises that we are all human, some babies will need formula, some people can't afford an organic cot matress and some people really won't be able to get organic food for every meal of every day. He does however offer hope and practical suggestions.
Natural Baby and ChildCare by Lauren Feder MD www.drfeder.com
is also excellent. In addition to covering everything from baby clothes to breastfeeding and mastitis. The book offers some information on natural remedies,including homeopathics for common ailments in a fair amount of detail. Again the book written by a medical doctor but in this case she is also a homeopath.
If you thought that being an Organic Parent was all about looking frumpy and having a dirty child hanging from your sling then check out
Organic Baby; Simple steps for Healthy Living by Kimberly Rider.
This book is incredibly beautiful with amazing photography and design. It gives simple suggestions for reducing your environmental impact and toxic load and is a great coffee table book.
Imperfectly Natural baby and toddler; How to be a green parent in today's busy world by Janey Lee Grace www.imperfectlynatural.co.uk is a great option for those who are not too green yet,but are keen to work on it. Janey's approach is very calm and very imperfect. Being a mother of four she knows that you may only managed to achieve a few of the suggestions in the book, but everything she offers is practical and realistic. One thing I would mention is that Janey mentions not starting pelvic floor exercises until six weeks post delivery of your baby. The Physiotherapist inside me must beg to differ on this one point. Start very very gently as soon as you are able, for me this was several hours after the birth, for others this may be a few days. Importantly very gentle pelvic floor exercises increase the circulation in the area and promote healing. Please speak to your Physiotherapist about this!
I hope these suggestions are useful, now all you need do is find some time to read them!!!!
Stay tuned for more book reviews in the future.
posted by Gina Cacho | 6:09 PM
1 Comments:
Oh how we love the Thermomix for baby food and for reducing the stress that can occur in a household with children between the hours of 6 and 7.30pm.
Some great books and suggestions Gina. I agree with the gentle pelvic floor exercises ASAP after birth - it's never too early to start :)
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