Getting ready to start solid food!

The countdown is on! We are only a few short weeks away from the big day...the day Lilah starts solid food! I am very excited about the big event.

This past weekend, I did some on-line shopping for the supplies that we are going to need. Any day now, infant spoons, bowls, sippy cups, ice cube trays with lids, and snack containers will be arriving at my door! Yes, I do get excited about the little things in life.

I plan on making all of Lilah's baby food and I can't wait to get started. My mom gave me a great book, The Healthy Baby Meal Planner - Mom-Tested, Child-Approved Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler. It was written by a woman named Annabel Karmel. She is a mother of 3 and has written 16 bestselling books on cooking for babies so she knows what she is talking about (www.annabelkarmel.com). The book has a very thorough introduction that talks about the best first foods, nutritional requirements, allergies, and preparing baby foods. Chapters on first-stage weaning (the 6th month), second-stage weaning (7-9 months), feeding your 9-12 month old, and feeding your toddler follow. There are over 200 recipes in the book as well. The thing I love about the book the most is that it includes meal planners (The First Tastes Meal Planner and The First Tastes Accepted Meal Planner). Our debut foods are going to include rice cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and butternut squash! SO EXCITING!

Now, if only Lilah could be as excited about this as I am!