Baby weaning Bible!, 22 Nov 2008
We simply refer to this book as 'The Food Bible'. I have used it constantly since starting to wean my daughter. She is now over one and I'm still getting my money's worth out of it. Some of the recipes have become family favourites! Simple, practical recipes which are tasty, what more could you ask. I found I picked about 5 or 6 from each age range and kept cooking batches, adapting to suit what i had in the cupboard, and to my daughters changing tastes. Good practical advice and a great starting point for weaning and cooking for a family.

learn to love cooking!, 06 Nov 2008
I've never been one for cooking, and I was never taught how to cook either.
This book has been great for learning how to enjoy cooking, and both my son and I have really benefited from it.
The recipes are simple, and I still dip into the book now, even though my son's older, for inspiration. The pages are covered in food splashes and half of them are repaired with sellotape, a sign of a well used, well loved receipe book :o)

Essential for every Mum facing the weaning milestone!, 21 Oct 2008
I bought this book, along with the Gina Ford one, because everyone I know has it and so I figured they were on to something! Have to say I have been really impressed with the information in it and also the recipes. I've used them as the basis for weaning my daughter - initially the puree recipes are pretty basic and you wonder why you needed a book but now she's nearly 7 months, the recipes give great ideas for introducing protein and different foods. They also tell you about good combinations. The only thing I don't like is the timings of meals and bottles as Annabel seems to have an extra feed a day so I simply used Gina's timings and Annabel's recipes which worked for us. I felt quite daunted by the prospect of weaning, feeling like we'd just got the whole milk/breast/bottle thing sussed but like with all things baby, read a few books and then adapt to your needs & you'll be find. Happy pureeing!

Fabulous book for advice and recipes, 30 Sep 2008
I have recommended this book to everyone. It's full of good advice for different weaning stages. And I cook the 9months + recipes for my husband...he always says how nice they are and then I tell them that the meal was designed for a 12 month old!! Lovely food for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Location, location, location, 10 Sep 2008
This book does give lots of interesting ideas, but depending on your location, many of the ingredients might not be readily available, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and some fruits. There also seem to be a lot of fish recipes.

Baby weaning Bible!, 22 Nov 2008
We simply refer to this book as 'The Food Bible'. I have used it constantly since starting to wean my daughter. She is now over one and I'm still getting my money's worth out of it. Some of the recipes have become family favourites! Simple, practical recipes which are tasty, what more could you ask. I found I picked about 5 or 6 from each age range and kept cooking batches, adapting to suit what i had in the cupboard, and to my daughters changing tastes. Good practical advice and a great starting point for weaning and cooking for a family.

learn to love cooking!, 06 Nov 2008
I've never been one for cooking, and I was never taught how to cook either.
This book has been great for learning how to enjoy cooking, and both my son and I have really benefited from it.
The recipes are simple, and I still dip into the book now, even though my son's older, for inspiration. The pages are covered in food splashes and half of them are repaired with sellotape, a sign of a well used, well loved receipe book :o)

Essential for every Mum facing the weaning milestone!, 21 Oct 2008
I bought this book, along with the Gina Ford one, because everyone I know has it and so I figured they were on to something! Have to say I have been really impressed with the information in it and also the recipes. I've used them as the basis for weaning my daughter - initially the puree recipes are pretty basic and you wonder why you needed a book but now she's nearly 7 months, the recipes give great ideas for introducing protein and different foods. They also tell you about good combinations. The only thing I don't like is the timings of meals and bottles as Annabel seems to have an extra feed a day so I simply used Gina's timings and Annabel's recipes which worked for us. I felt quite daunted by the prospect of weaning, feeling like we'd just got the whole milk/breast/bottle thing sussed but like with all things baby, read a few books and then adapt to your needs & you'll be find. Happy pureeing!

Fabulous book for advice and recipes, 30 Sep 2008
I have recommended this book to everyone. It's full of good advice for different weaning stages. And I cook the 9months + recipes for my husband...he always says how nice they are and then I tell them that the meal was designed for a 12 month old!! Lovely food for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Location, location, location, 10 Sep 2008
This book does give lots of interesting ideas, but depending on your location, many of the ingredients might not be readily available, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and some fruits. There also seem to be a lot of fish recipes.

not so much a baby meal planner as a family planner!, 25 Jun 2008
great recipes (shame no pics tho - i do like a recipe book to have pics) which we are still using in our house (not just the toddler recipes) cos they're healthy, low on salt, sugar ecetera and as littlun has got older we've just stopped pureeing them.

good buy and plenty of scope for improvisation if you don't have the exact ingredients

Baby & Toddler Food Bible, 01 Jun 2008
What a fabulous book! I bought this book when my little girl was 3 months old, after a discussion on food with my health visitor and fellow new mums. I started using it when my little one was 6 months old and haven't looked back since, and she's now 18 months old. There are so many recipes to try, and it's very good how the book has recipes for each stage of your baby. The dishes are delicious - I've even served the "Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas" at a meal for friends and everyone loved it! Also check out the "Pineapple & Raisin Muffins" - they don't last long in our house! My little girl has loved most of the recipes and where occasionally she's not sure, I just wait a few weeks and try again. On the whole she loves the food I've cooked her from this book, and my husband keeps asking me to cook the recipes for him too as they taste so good! This most definately is THE baby & toddler food bible. If you don't buy any other baby/toddler food books, buy this one.

Fantastic!, 18 Feb 2008
I've had this book a few weeks now and tried many of the recipes for my 7 month old son. He loves them all and can't wait to try something new. You can turn a lot of them into soups for adults and they are really tasty. My freezer is now stocked up with loads of healthy meals. This book is a must for weaning and beyond!

Need to be careful with the recipes, 02 Feb 2008
I thought baby under 1 year old shouldn't have sugar, butter, salt....,this book has a lot of ideas but a lot of recipes have sugar, butter and salt, if some mums are not careful and follow this exactly, I'm not sure this is good for the baby. Baby won't know the salt, sugar and butter taste until they try it. I only use this book for ideas but I think the author should be careful with this things on the book. This book shouldn't be called healthy recipes!!!

Caution, 10 Jan 2008
My daughter had an allergic reaction to Annabel's recipe for Apple & Cinnamon. I later discovered that cinnamon can cause anaphylactic shock (a severe reaction, which can be life threatening). I feel this recipe should carry a warning to alert parents to this possibility, and will be more reluctant to follow Annabel's tips in future.

Baby weaning Bible!, 22 Nov 2008
We simply refer to this book as 'The Food Bible'. I have used it constantly since starting to wean my daughter. She is now over one and I'm still getting my money's worth out of it. Some of the recipes have become family favourites! Simple, practical recipes which are tasty, what more could you ask. I found I picked about 5 or 6 from each age range and kept cooking batches, adapting to suit what i had in the cupboard, and to my daughters changing tastes. Good practical advice and a great starting point for weaning and cooking for a family.

learn to love cooking!, 06 Nov 2008
I've never been one for cooking, and I was never taught how to cook either.
This book has been great for learning how to enjoy cooking, and both my son and I have really benefited from it.
The recipes are simple, and I still dip into the book now, even though my son's older, for inspiration. The pages are covered in food splashes and half of them are repaired with sellotape, a sign of a well used, well loved receipe book :o)

Essential for every Mum facing the weaning milestone!, 21 Oct 2008
I bought this book, along with the Gina Ford one, because everyone I know has it and so I figured they were on to something! Have to say I have been really impressed with the information in it and also the recipes. I've used them as the basis for weaning my daughter - initially the puree recipes are pretty basic and you wonder why you needed a book but now she's nearly 7 months, the recipes give great ideas for introducing protein and different foods. They also tell you about good combinations. The only thing I don't like is the timings of meals and bottles as Annabel seems to have an extra feed a day so I simply used Gina's timings and Annabel's recipes which worked for us. I felt quite daunted by the prospect of weaning, feeling like we'd just got the whole milk/breast/bottle thing sussed but like with all things baby, read a few books and then adapt to your needs & you'll be find. Happy pureeing!

Fabulous book for advice and recipes, 30 Sep 2008
I have recommended this book to everyone. It's full of good advice for different weaning stages. And I cook the 9months + recipes for my husband...he always says how nice they are and then I tell them that the meal was designed for a 12 month old!! Lovely food for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Location, location, location, 10 Sep 2008
This book does give lots of interesting ideas, but depending on your location, many of the ingredients might not be readily available, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and some fruits. There also seem to be a lot of fish recipes.

not so much a baby meal planner as a family planner!, 25 Jun 2008
great recipes (shame no pics tho - i do like a recipe book to have pics) which we are still using in our house (not just the toddler recipes) cos they're healthy, low on salt, sugar ecetera and as littlun has got older we've just stopped pureeing them.

good buy and plenty of scope for improvisation if you don't have the exact ingredients

Baby & Toddler Food Bible, 01 Jun 2008
What a fabulous book! I bought this book when my little girl was 3 months old, after a discussion on food with my health visitor and fellow new mums. I started using it when my little one was 6 months old and haven't looked back since, and she's now 18 months old. There are so many recipes to try, and it's very good how the book has recipes for each stage of your baby. The dishes are delicious - I've even served the "Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas" at a meal for friends and everyone loved it! Also check out the "Pineapple & Raisin Muffins" - they don't last long in our house! My little girl has loved most of the recipes and where occasionally she's not sure, I just wait a few weeks and try again. On the whole she loves the food I've cooked her from this book, and my husband keeps asking me to cook the recipes for him too as they taste so good! This most definately is THE baby & toddler food bible. If you don't buy any other baby/toddler food books, buy this one.

Fantastic!, 18 Feb 2008
I've had this book a few weeks now and tried many of the recipes for my 7 month old son. He loves them all and can't wait to try something new. You can turn a lot of them into soups for adults and they are really tasty. My freezer is now stocked up with loads of healthy meals. This book is a must for weaning and beyond!

Need to be careful with the recipes, 02 Feb 2008
I thought baby under 1 year old shouldn't have sugar, butter, salt....,this book has a lot of ideas but a lot of recipes have sugar, butter and salt, if some mums are not careful and follow this exactly, I'm not sure this is good for the baby. Baby won't know the salt, sugar and butter taste until they try it. I only use this book for ideas but I think the author should be careful with this things on the book. This book shouldn't be called healthy recipes!!!

Caution, 10 Jan 2008
My daughter had an allergic reaction to Annabel's recipe for Apple & Cinnamon. I later discovered that cinnamon can cause anaphylactic shock (a severe reaction, which can be life threatening). I feel this recipe should carry a warning to alert parents to this possibility, and will be more reluctant to follow Annabel's tips in future.


makes you question your ability as a new mum!, 10 Nov 2008
I got this book after reading Amazon reviews and at a time when I was feeling very low, after I'd just given birth to my baby girl. This book made me feel worse! Tracy Hogg implies that if you don't get positive results after following her advice, then you are probably guilty of 'accidental parenting. This is NOT the message you want to hear when you are suffering from Post Natal Depression and struggling with a baby who doesn't appear to 'fit in' with any of her clever little 'categories'. In the end I took my fiance and families' advice and followed my own instincts..which proved to be the best course of action after all.
In summary, don't beat yourself up like I did when it doesn't all magically work Miss Hogg's way. Just enjoy the adventure of being a new Mum (even if it is a scary one at times!) and do it your way!

A must buy for new parents, 28 Jul 2008
This book was the BEST purchase we made. Even though we read the whole book, we didn't follow it like a manual, we picked the parts we needed and/or agreed with and used those. Our baby was (and still is) peacefully sleeping through the night from 3 1/2 months on and following a routine - NOT a timetable. As parents we are calm, coping and know exactly what our baby wants and needs thanks to the advice in this book. All in all we are are very contented household! We were TOTALLY against controlled crying and this book (along with our instincts)helped us to get our baby sleeping without EVER leaving her to cry. Our siblings have now all bought this book after seeing how well it worked for us while they were still struggling with their babies of similar ages.

Saving sanity with structure but not for new borns!, 24 Jul 2008
Ok Ok so there ARE flaws in this book and i'm not about to say that her tone and habit of referring to her readers as "duckie" and "luv" isn't annoying but i work in child psychiatry/psychology and it taught me a few new tricks!

I started off instinctively as a mother and went with attachment parenting...which i whole heartedly believe is the best thing for a new born baby. I co-slept, slinged and demand fed.

When a baby is new to the world trying to instill structure and seperation on a teenie tiny person who actually doesn't know or comprehend that they are seperate from the world around them is just cruel and potentially damaging on a psychological level...so i really wouldn't recommend this book for neonates. However, after 8 weeks or so (whenever YOU feel your baby might be ready) then i think this book is fantastic. Once babies begin to interact and take in the world around them, structure is a really positive thing, helping them to feel safe and contained.


I started my first with a slightly adapted baby whisperer routine after a few months and within a few nights my cherub was sleeping through the night and our whole family was settled into happy, predictable bliss.

Noone should take ANY book as written in stone or allow someones opinion (who has never even met your child) to overwrite your own maternal/paternal instintcs....for crying out loud...surely that's common sense????...so if you can read a book OBJECTIVELY and interpret what would be helpful for your family then you will find this book an absolute godsend.

This book recommends teaching your child how to self soothe, which again, on a psychological level, is really positive. Tracey Hogg advocates dummies, but if you or your baby doesn't use dummies then there are plenty of other ways to self soothe. My little girl sucks her thumb and i have never introduced a dummy but she is still able to self soothe. She also advocates you helping your baby learn how to fall asleep independently, (as you would help them learn so many other skills) but she doesn't advocate "crying it out". Which is great for most parents...after all who can bear hearing their beloved little bub crying till they either fall asleep from exhaution of just give up because they learn that no one comes when they cry?

I found it actually increased my connectedness, intuition and confidence with my little 'un.
However, a word of warning...Tracey Hogg uses a silly phrase of "accidental parenting" a lot during the book...which could feel quite critical to the more sensitive among us, or to those that are inclined to take guide books literally. What she means by "accidental parenting" is really just that she's agrees with the psychological theories on conditioning and that babies get into the habits their parents give them (DUH!! thanks for pointing out the obvious there Tracey)....so if you feed your baby to sleep, they will come to expect it...until you condition them into another method....which is what Tracey's book is all about...conditioning your child into a routine, where both you and your babies lives are structured and predictable. The way she goes about explaining it, isn't ideal at times but her basic idea is great. If you are a new parent and have just been through those first few months of crazy, sleep deprived cookoo land with a new born then this book is straightforward, easy to read and offers some sensible advise on structure.....but please please please take this and any other book with a pinch of salt...no one can know you own child like their own parent!!!!!

Tracey Hogg hasn't solved my problems, 27 Apr 2008
After the recent birth of my first child, I bought this book in the hope that it might give me a better idea of how to develop a routine for my son, as well as giving me some confidence in my ability to be a good parent. Unfortunately, although some of the things Tracey Hogg talks about in this book make sense, I could not see how I could make her routines work for me and my son. For example, Tracey aserts that babies should not feed any more frequently than 3 hourly. However, I am breast feeding my son and in the early weeks he sometimes wanted to feed every hour. Tracey suggests that in this situation your baby is either not getting enough milk, or is comfort sucking (and should therefore be given a dummy). I knew my son was getting enough milk as he was putting on weight very well, but despite trying to give him a dummy on several occasions he just would not take it. Tracey states that if your baby will not take a dummy, then you are giving up too easily and should keep trying. However, the whole premise of this book is that the parent needs to learn to listen to their child, and my son was clearly telling me that he did not want a dummy!
The author states that if her methods do not work for you, then you are at fault and either you are just not doing it right, or not trying hard enough. This approach left me feeling inadequate as a mother, at a time when I needed to feel understood and supported as a new parent. My negative feelings about this book are compounded by Tracey Hogg's insistence on calling the reader 'duckie' and 'luv' throughout, which I found incredibly patronising.
I have since realised that being a good enough parent means trusting your instincts and dipping in and out of various parenting texts, using the bits that work for you, and ignoring the bits that don't.
Oh, and my son is now able to go for 3 hours between feeds without me having to shove a dummy in his mouth!

Brilliant!, 20 Apr 2008
This book is the best thing I ever bought I think. Especially for first time parents it is such a help. We only found it when our daughter was already 3 months old, if we had had it from the beginning it would have saved us a lot of worrying and sleepless nights! However, once we got it, we had her sleeping 11 to 12 hours through the night in just 2 weeks. From day 1 our life became a lot easier and more structured. I highly recommend this, even for parents with older babies who have sleeping or eating issues.

Baby weaning Bible!, 22 Nov 2008
We simply refer to this book as 'The Food Bible'. I have used it constantly since starting to wean my daughter. She is now over one and I'm still getting my money's worth out of it. Some of the recipes have become family favourites! Simple, practical recipes which are tasty, what more could you ask. I found I picked about 5 or 6 from each age range and kept cooking batches, adapting to suit what i had in the cupboard, and to my daughters changing tastes. Good practical advice and a great starting point for weaning and cooking for a family.

learn to love cooking!, 06 Nov 2008
I've never been one for cooking, and I was never taught how to cook either.
This book has been great for learning how to enjoy cooking, and both my son and I have really benefited from it.
The recipes are simple, and I still dip into the book now, even though my son's older, for inspiration. The pages are covered in food splashes and half of them are repaired with sellotape, a sign of a well used, well loved receipe book :o)

Essential for every Mum facing the weaning milestone!, 21 Oct 2008
I bought this book, along with the Gina Ford one, because everyone I know has it and so I figured they were on to something! Have to say I have been really impressed with the information in it and also the recipes. I've used them as the basis for weaning my daughter - initially the puree recipes are pretty basic and you wonder why you needed a book but now she's nearly 7 months, the recipes give great ideas for introducing protein and different foods. They also tell you about good combinations. The only thing I don't like is the timings of meals and bottles as Annabel seems to have an extra feed a day so I simply used Gina's timings and Annabel's recipes which worked for us. I felt quite daunted by the prospect of weaning, feeling like we'd just got the whole milk/breast/bottle thing sussed but like with all things baby, read a few books and then adapt to your needs & you'll be find. Happy pureeing!

Fabulous book for advice and recipes, 30 Sep 2008
I have recommended this book to everyone. It's full of good advice for different weaning stages. And I cook the 9months + recipes for my husband...he always says how nice they are and then I tell them that the meal was designed for a 12 month old!! Lovely food for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Location, location, location, 10 Sep 2008
This book does give lots of interesting ideas, but depending on your location, many of the ingredients might not be readily available, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and some fruits. There also seem to be a lot of fish recipes.

not so much a baby meal planner as a family planner!, 25 Jun 2008
great recipes (shame no pics tho - i do like a recipe book to have pics) which we are still using in our house (not just the toddler recipes) cos they're healthy, low on salt, sugar ecetera and as littlun has got older we've just stopped pureeing them.

good buy and plenty of scope for improvisation if you don't have the exact ingredients

Baby & Toddler Food Bible, 01 Jun 2008
What a fabulous book! I bought this book when my little girl was 3 months old, after a discussion on food with my health visitor and fellow new mums. I started using it when my little one was 6 months old and haven't looked back since, and she's now 18 months old. There are so many recipes to try, and it's very good how the book has recipes for each stage of your baby. The dishes are delicious - I've even served the "Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas" at a meal for friends and everyone loved it! Also check out the "Pineapple & Raisin Muffins" - they don't last long in our house! My little girl has loved most of the recipes and where occasionally she's not sure, I just wait a few weeks and try again. On the whole she loves the food I've cooked her from this book, and my husband keeps asking me to cook the recipes for him too as they taste so good! This most definately is THE baby & toddler food bible. If you don't buy any other baby/toddler food books, buy this one.

Fantastic!, 18 Feb 2008
I've had this book a few weeks now and tried many of the recipes for my 7 month old son. He loves them all and can't wait to try something new. You can turn a lot of them into soups for adults and they are really tasty. My freezer is now stocked up with loads of healthy meals. This book is a must for weaning and beyond!

Need to be careful with the recipes, 02 Feb 2008
I thought baby under 1 year old shouldn't have sugar, butter, salt....,this book has a lot of ideas but a lot of recipes have sugar, butter and salt, if some mums are not careful and follow this exactly, I'm not sure this is good for the baby. Baby won't know the salt, sugar and butter taste until they try it. I only use this book for ideas but I think the author should be careful with this things on the book. This book shouldn't be called healthy recipes!!!

Caution, 10 Jan 2008
My daughter had an allergic reaction to Annabel's recipe for Apple & Cinnamon. I later discovered that cinnamon can cause anaphylactic shock (a severe reaction, which can be life threatening). I feel this recipe should carry a warning to alert parents to this possibility, and will be more reluctant to follow Annabel's tips in future.


makes you question your ability as a new mum!, 10 Nov 2008
I got this book after reading Amazon reviews and at a time when I was feeling very low, after I'd just given birth to my baby girl. This book made me feel worse! Tracy Hogg implies that if you don't get positive results after following her advice, then you are probably guilty of 'accidental parenting. This is NOT the message you want to hear when you are suffering from Post Natal Depression and struggling with a baby who doesn't appear to 'fit in' with any of her clever little 'categories'. In the end I took my fiance and families' advice and followed my own instincts..which proved to be the best course of action after all.
In summary, don't beat yourself up like I did when it doesn't all magically work Miss Hogg's way. Just enjoy the adventure of being a new Mum (even if it is a scary one at times!) and do it your way!

A must buy for new parents, 28 Jul 2008
This book was the BEST purchase we made. Even though we read the whole book, we didn't follow it like a manual, we picked the parts we needed and/or agreed with and used those. Our baby was (and still is) peacefully sleeping through the night from 3 1/2 months on and following a routine - NOT a timetable. As parents we are calm, coping and know exactly what our baby wants and needs thanks to the advice in this book. All in all we are are very contented household! We were TOTALLY against controlled crying and this book (along with our instincts)helped us to get our baby sleeping without EVER leaving her to cry. Our siblings have now all bought this book after seeing how well it worked for us while they were still struggling with their babies of similar ages.

Saving sanity with structure but not for new borns!, 24 Jul 2008
Ok Ok so there ARE flaws in this book and i'm not about to say that her tone and habit of referring to her readers as "duckie" and "luv" isn't annoying but i work in child psychiatry/psychology and it taught me a few new tricks!

I started off instinctively as a mother and went with attachment parenting...which i whole heartedly believe is the best thing for a new born baby. I co-slept, slinged and demand fed.

When a baby is new to the world trying to instill structure and seperation on a teenie tiny person who actually doesn't know or comprehend that they are seperate from the world around them is just cruel and potentially damaging on a psychological level...so i really wouldn't recommend this book for neonates. However, after 8 weeks or so (whenever YOU feel your baby might be ready) then i think this book is fantastic. Once babies begin to interact and take in the world around them, structure is a really positive thing, helping them to feel safe and contained.


I started my first with a slightly adapted baby whisperer routine after a few months and within a few nights my cherub was sleeping through the night and our whole family was settled into happy, predictable bliss.

Noone should take ANY book as written in stone or allow someones opinion (who has never even met your child) to overwrite your own maternal/paternal instintcs....for crying out loud...surely that's common sense????...so if you can read a book OBJECTIVELY and interpret what would be helpful for your family then you will find this book an absolute godsend.

This book recommends teaching your child how to self soothe, which again, on a psychological level, is really positive. Tracey Hogg advocates dummies, but if you or your baby doesn't use dummies then there are plenty of other ways to self soothe. My little girl sucks her thumb and i have never introduced a dummy but she is still able to self soothe. She also advocates you helping your baby learn how to fall asleep independently, (as you would help them learn so many other skills) but she doesn't advocate "crying it out". Which is great for most parents...after all who can bear hearing their beloved little bub crying till they either fall asleep from exhaution of just give up because they learn that no one comes when they cry?

I found it actually increased my connectedness, intuition and confidence with my little 'un.
However, a word of warning...Tracey Hogg uses a silly phrase of "accidental parenting" a lot during the book...which could feel quite critical to the more sensitive among us, or to those that are inclined to take guide books literally. What she means by "accidental parenting" is really just that she's agrees with the psychological theories on conditioning and that babies get into the habits their parents give them (DUH!! thanks for pointing out the obvious there Tracey)....so if you feed your baby to sleep, they will come to expect it...until you condition them into another method....which is what Tracey's book is all about...conditioning your child into a routine, where both you and your babies lives are structured and predictable. The way she goes about explaining it, isn't ideal at times but her basic idea is great. If you are a new parent and have just been through those first few months of crazy, sleep deprived cookoo land with a new born then this book is straightforward, easy to read and offers some sensible advise on structure.....but please please please take this and any other book with a pinch of salt...no one can know you own child like their own parent!!!!!

Tracey Hogg hasn't solved my problems, 27 Apr 2008
After the recent birth of my first child, I bought this book in the hope that it might give me a better idea of how to develop a routine for my son, as well as giving me some confidence in my ability to be a good parent. Unfortunately, although some of the things Tracey Hogg talks about in this book make sense, I could not see how I could make her routines work for me and my son. For example, Tracey aserts that babies should not feed any more frequently than 3 hourly. However, I am breast feeding my son and in the early weeks he sometimes wanted to feed every hour. Tracey suggests that in this situation your baby is either not getting enough milk, or is comfort sucking (and should therefore be given a dummy). I knew my son was getting enough milk as he was putting on weight very well, but despite trying to give him a dummy on several occasions he just would not take it. Tracey states that if your baby will not take a dummy, then you are giving up too easily and should keep trying. However, the whole premise of this book is that the parent needs to learn to listen to their child, and my son was clearly telling me that he did not want a dummy!
The author states that if her methods do not work for you, then you are at fault and either you are just not doing it right, or not trying hard enough. This approach left me feeling inadequate as a mother, at a time when I needed to feel understood and supported as a new parent. My negative feelings about this book are compounded by Tracey Hogg's insistence on calling the reader 'duckie' and 'luv' throughout, which I found incredibly patronising.
I have since realised that being a good enough parent means trusting your instincts and dipping in and out of various parenting texts, using the bits that work for you, and ignoring the bits that don't.
Oh, and my son is now able to go for 3 hours between feeds without me having to shove a dummy in his mouth!

Brilliant!, 20 Apr 2008
This book is the best thing I ever bought I think. Especially for first time parents it is such a help. We only found it when our daughter was already 3 months old, if we had had it from the beginning it would have saved us a lot of worrying and sleepless nights! However, once we got it, we had her sleeping 11 to 12 hours through the night in just 2 weeks. From day 1 our life became a lot easier and more structured. I highly recommend this, even for parents with older babies who have sleeping or eating issues.

not impressed, 30 Oct 2008
Not many recipes and most aren't very interesting. We did BLW so was hoping this book would provide some ideas. But big disappointment

Not overly impressed, 17 Aug 2008
I must say I was disappointed with this book. I thought it was going to be better. There isn't actually that many 'recipes' and what there is isn't too exciting anyway. My daughter likes one or two of them, but unfortunately it's just not a great book.

I, 22 May 2008
I was struggling to think up new finger food ideas for my 11 month old son. My sister watches my son 1 day a week and finds it hard to feed him and her 5 month old daughter at the same time. The recipes in this book allow her to feed her daughter and leave my son to feed himself. Although the book was written by a vegetarian, there are some meat recipes included. The vegetarian slant meant that there are some recipes with ingredients that I wouldn't have normally used (lentils, polenta).
The book is well laid out and beautifully illustrated. There is useful nutritional and storage information. I would say that the recipes are suitable for the older baby and there are still some recipes I won't be using until my son is a bit older.
There are "treat" recipes included and the blueberry muffins are great - a low sugar option and birthday treat for my son who loves blueberries!

Not very helpful, 09 May 2008
I did Baby-led weaning and found this book to be unhelpful for this approach. I thought as it was entitled finger foods for babies and toddlers it would be ideal. The book seemed to be geared more towards one year olds and up. I wouldn't recommend putting salt in any food for a child who was under one. I wasn't overly keen on most of the recipes anyway. I have to say it is sitting on the shelf unused.

Great ideas for finger foods, 05 Feb 2008
This book has lots of fantastic ideas on finger foods and quick meals at teatime. Which is great when you are in a hurry and want to prepare a quick healthy meal. Everyone I have bought this book for also thought it was great.

Baby weaning Bible!, 22 Nov 2008
We simply refer to this book as 'The Food Bible'. I have used it constantly since starting to wean my daughter. She is now over one and I'm still getting my money's worth out of it. Some of the recipes have become family favourites! Simple, practical recipes which are tasty, what more could you ask. I found I picked about 5 or 6 from each age range and kept cooking batches, adapting to suit what i had in the cupboard, and to my daughters changing tastes. Good practical advice and a great starting point for weaning and cooking for a family.

learn to love cooking!, 06 Nov 2008
I've never been one for cooking, and I was never taught how to cook either.
This book has been great for learning how to enjoy cooking, and both my son and I have really benefited from it.
The recipes are simple, and I still dip into the book now, even though my son's older, for inspiration. The pages are covered in food splashes and half of them are repaired with sellotape, a sign of a well used, well loved receipe book :o)

Essential for every Mum facing the weaning milestone!, 21 Oct 2008
I bought this book, along with the Gina Ford one, because everyone I know has it and so I figured they were on to something! Have to say I have been really impressed with the information in it and also the recipes. I've used them as the basis for weaning my daughter - initially the puree recipes are pretty basic and you wonder why you needed a book but now she's nearly 7 months, the recipes give great ideas for introducing protein and different foods. They also tell you about good combinations. The only thing I don't like is the timings of meals and bottles as Annabel seems to have an extra feed a day so I simply used Gina's timings and Annabel's recipes which worked for us. I felt quite daunted by the prospect of weaning, feeling like we'd just got the whole milk/breast/bottle thing sussed but like with all things baby, read a few books and then adapt to your needs & you'll be find. Happy pureeing!

Fabulous book for advice and recipes, 30 Sep 2008
I have recommended this book to everyone. It's full of good advice for different weaning stages. And I cook the 9months + recipes for my husband...he always says how nice they are and then I tell them that the meal was designed for a 12 month old!! Lovely food for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Location, location, location, 10 Sep 2008
This book does give lots of interesting ideas, but depending on your location, many of the ingredients might not be readily available, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and some fruits. There also seem to be a lot of fish recipes.

not so much a baby meal planner as a family planner!, 25 Jun 2008
great recipes (shame no pics tho - i do like a recipe book to have pics) which we are still using in our house (not just the toddler recipes) cos they're healthy, low on salt, sugar ecetera and as littlun has got older we've just stopped pureeing them.

good buy and plenty of scope for improvisation if you don't have the exact ingredients

Baby & Toddler Food Bible, 01 Jun 2008
What a fabulous book! I bought this book when my little girl was 3 months old, after a discussion on food with my health visitor and fellow new mums. I started using it when my little one was 6 months old and haven't looked back since, and she's now 18 months old. There are so many recipes to try, and it's very good how the book has recipes for each stage of your baby. The dishes are delicious - I've even served the "Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas" at a meal for friends and everyone loved it! Also check out the "Pineapple & Raisin Muffins" - they don't last long in our house! My little girl has loved most of the recipes and where occasionally she's not sure, I just wait a few weeks and try again. On the whole she loves the food I've cooked her from this book, and my husband keeps asking me to cook the recipes for him too as they taste so good! This most definately is THE baby & toddler food bible. If you don't buy any other baby/toddler food books, buy this one.

Fantastic!, 18 Feb 2008
I've had this book a few weeks now and tried many of the recipes for my 7 month old son. He loves them all and can't wait to try something new. You can turn a lot of them into soups for adults and they are really tasty. My freezer is now stocked up with loads of healthy meals. This book is a must for weaning and beyond!

Need to be careful with the recipes, 02 Feb 2008
I thought baby under 1 year old shouldn't have sugar, butter, salt....,this book has a lot of ideas but a lot of recipes have sugar, butter and salt, if some mums are not careful and follow this exactly, I'm not sure this is good for the baby. Baby won't know the salt, sugar and butter taste until they try it. I only use this book for ideas but I think the author should be careful with this things on the book. This book shouldn't be called healthy recipes!!!

Caution, 10 Jan 2008
My daughter had an allergic reaction to Annabel's recipe for Apple & Cinnamon. I later discovered that cinnamon can cause anaphylactic shock (a severe reaction, which can be life threatening). I feel this recipe should carry a warning to alert parents to this possibility, and will be more reluctant to follow Annabel's tips in future.


makes you question your ability as a new mum!, 10 Nov 2008
I got this book after reading Amazon reviews and at a time when I was feeling very low, after I'd just given birth to my baby girl. This book made me feel worse! Tracy Hogg implies that if you don't get positive results after following her advice, then you are probably guilty of 'accidental parenting. This is NOT the message you want to hear when you are suffering from Post Natal Depression and struggling with a baby who doesn't appear to 'fit in' with any of her clever little 'categories'. In the end I took my fiance and families' advice and followed my own instincts..which proved to be the best course of action after all.
In summary, don't beat yourself up like I did when it doesn't all magically work Miss Hogg's way. Just enjoy the adventure of being a new Mum (even if it is a scary one at times!) and do it your way!

A must buy for new parents, 28 Jul 2008
This book was the BEST purchase we made. Even though we read the whole book, we didn't follow it like a manual, we picked the parts we needed and/or agreed with and used those. Our baby was (and still is) peacefully sleeping through the night from 3 1/2 months on and following a routine - NOT a timetable. As parents we are calm, coping and know exactly what our baby wants and needs thanks to the advice in this book. All in all we are are very contented household! We were TOTALLY against controlled crying and this book (along with our instincts)helped us to get our baby sleeping without EVER leaving her to cry. Our siblings have now all bought this book after seeing how well it worked for us while they were still struggling with their babies of similar ages.

Saving sanity with structure but not for new borns!, 24 Jul 2008
Ok Ok so there ARE flaws in this book and i'm not about to say that her tone and habit of referring to her readers as "duckie" and "luv" isn't annoying but i work in child psychiatry/psychology and it taught me a few new tricks!

I started off instinctively as a mother and went with attachment parenting...which i whole heartedly believe is the best thing for a new born baby. I co-slept, slinged and demand fed.

When a baby is new to the world trying to instill structure and seperation on a teenie tiny person who actually doesn't know or comprehend that they are seperate from the world around them is just cruel and potentially damaging on a psychological level...so i really wouldn't recommend this book for neonates. However, after 8 weeks or so (whenever YOU feel your baby might be ready) then i think this book is fantastic. Once babies begin to interact and take in the world around them, structure is a really positive thing, helping them to feel safe and contained.


I started my first with a slightly adapted baby whisperer routine after a few months and within a few nights my cherub was sleeping through the night and our whole family was settled into happy, predictable bliss.

Noone should take ANY book as written in stone or allow someones opinion (who has never even met your child) to overwrite your own maternal/paternal instintcs....for crying out loud...surely that's common sense????...so if you can read a book OBJECTIVELY and interpret what would be helpful for your family then you will find this book an absolute godsend.

This book recommends teaching your child how to self soothe, which again, on a psychological level, is really positive. Tracey Hogg advocates dummies, but if you or your baby doesn't use dummies then there are plenty of other ways to self soothe. My little girl sucks her thumb and i have never introduced a dummy but she is still able to self soothe. She also advocates you helping your baby learn how to fall asleep independently, (as you would help them learn so many other skills) but she doesn't advocate "crying it out". Which is great for most parents...after all who can bear hearing their beloved little bub crying till they either fall asleep from exhaution of just give up because they learn that no one comes when they cry?

I found it actually increased my connectedness, intuition and confidence with my little 'un.
However, a word of warning...Tracey Hogg uses a silly phrase of "accidental parenting" a lot during the book...which could feel quite critical to the more sensitive among us, or to those that are inclined to take guide books literally. What she means by "accidental parenting" is really just that she's agrees with the psychological theories on conditioning and that babies get into the habits their parents give them (DUH!! thanks for pointing out the obvious there Tracey)....so if you feed your baby to sleep, they will come to expect it...until you condition them into another method....which is what Tracey's book is all about...conditioning your child into a routine, where both you and your babies lives are structured and predictable. The way she goes about explaining it, isn't ideal at times but her basic idea is great. If you are a new parent and have just been through those first few months of crazy, sleep deprived cookoo land with a new born then this book is straightforward, easy to read and offers some sensible advise on structure.....but please please please take this and any other book with a pinch of salt...no one can know you own child like their own parent!!!!!

Tracey Hogg hasn't solved my problems, 27 Apr 2008
After the recent birth of my first child, I bought this book in the hope that it might give me a better idea of how to develop a routine for my son, as well as giving me some confidence in my ability to be a good parent. Unfortunately, although some of the things Tracey Hogg talks about in this book make sense, I could not see how I could make her routines work for me and my son. For example, Tracey aserts that babies should not feed any more frequently than 3 hourly. However, I am breast feeding my son and in the early weeks he sometimes wanted to feed every hour. Tracey suggests that in this situation your baby is either not getting enough milk, or is comfort sucking (and should therefore be given a dummy). I knew my son was getting enough milk as he was putting on weight very well, but despite trying to give him a dummy on several occasions he just would not take it. Tracey states that if your baby will not take a dummy, then you are giving up too easily and should keep trying. However, the whole premise of this book is that the parent needs to learn to listen to their child, and my son was clearly telling me that he did not want a dummy!
The author states that if her methods do not work for you, then you are at fault and either you are just not doing it right, or not trying hard enough. This approach left me feeling inadequate as a mother, at a time when I needed to feel understood and supported as a new parent. My negative feelings about this book are compounded by Tracey Hogg's insistence on calling the reader 'duckie' and 'luv' throughout, which I found incredibly patronising.
I have since realised that being a good enough parent means trusting your instincts and dipping in and out of various parenting texts, using the bits that work for you, and ignoring the bits that don't.
Oh, and my son is now able to go for 3 hours between feeds without me having to shove a dummy in his mouth!

Brilliant!, 20 Apr 2008
This book is the best thing I ever bought I think. Especially for first time parents it is such a help. We only found it when our daughter was already 3 months old, if we had had it from the beginning it would have saved us a lot of worrying and sleepless nights! However, once we got it, we had her sleeping 11 to 12 hours through the night in just 2 weeks. From day 1 our life became a lot easier and more structured. I highly recommend this, even for parents with older babies who have sleeping or eating issues.

not impressed, 30 Oct 2008
Not many recipes and most aren't very interesting. We did BLW so was hoping this book would provide some ideas. But big disappointment

Not overly impressed, 17 Aug 2008
I must say I was disappointed with this book. I thought it was going to be better. There isn't actually that many 'recipes' and what there is isn't too exciting anyway. My daughter likes one or two of them, but unfortunately it's just not a great book.

I, 22 May 2008
I was struggling to think up new finger food ideas for my 11 month old son. My sister watches my son 1 day a week and finds it hard to feed him and her 5 month old daughter at the same time. The recipes in this book allow her to feed her daughter and leave my son to feed himself. Although the book was written by a vegetarian, there are some meat recipes included. The vegetarian slant meant that there are some recipes with ingredients that I wouldn't have normally used (lentils, polenta).
The book is well laid out and beautifully illustrated. There is useful nutritional and storage information. I would say that the recipes are suitable for the older baby and there are still some recipes I won't be using until my son is a bit older.
There are "treat" recipes included and the blueberry muffins are great - a low sugar option and birthday treat for my son who loves blueberries!

Not very helpful, 09 May 2008
I did Baby-led weaning and found this book to be unhelpful for this approach. I thought as it was entitled finger foods for babies and toddlers it would be ideal. The book seemed to be geared more towards one year olds and up. I wouldn't recommend putting salt in any food for a child who was under one. I wasn't overly keen on most of the recipes anyway. I have to say it is sitting on the shelf unused.

Great ideas for finger foods, 05 Feb 2008
This book has lots of fantastic ideas on finger foods and quick meals at teatime. Which is great when you are in a hurry and want to prepare a quick healthy meal. Everyone I have bought this book for also thought it was great.

Yummy easy food your kids WILL eat!, 17 Oct 2008
Like most 5 year olds mine doesn't really relish the thought of a bowl of stew. But he sat and ate the in his words 'delicious' stew from this book tonight. The book is easy to follow and uses normal everyday store cupboard ingredients. I have used this book more than any of the 40 plus cookery books I have in my collection and have yet to find a dud recipe! As they say in all the best pitches if you only buy one book this year make it this one!The instructions are simple and you there is nutritional and storage information on each page. A most for family cooks everywhere !

Fantastic!, 31 Aug 2008
I was struggling what to cook every day for my son (13 months) and husband. Since I got this book my life is much easier. Great inspiration. Suitable for babies, kids and adults. Simple recipes and lots of interesting tips. What a fantastic boook!

If you only buy one cook book make this the one, 23 Apr 2008
I really love this cook book, it is full of delicious recipes for all the family, the recipes are easy to understand and follow and it is written in a friendly way by experienced mums who understand the challenge of cooking for a family.

a must buy, 28 Mar 2008
I was so excited by the reviews of this book but I am not sure how much of a help it will provide. The information is brillaint and simply laid out. The recepies are good (but still struggling to veg up my four year old)and this is a great help to any mum feeding a family with lots of alternatives and quick helps. There are only a few pictures of the food in the book- as i am not a brilliant cook and tend to have some disasters i find pictures helpful. The only thing that could be improved is the section on snacking as i am always running out of ideas and get stuck in a snack rut. But i would strongly recommend this book and their website they are tremendously useful.

Family Feasts - feeding kiddo AND daddy, 09 Dec 2007
I got this book to feed my toddler and husband along with her, and we've enjoyed every single recipe so far (tried about 8). It's got classic recipes in it like tuna pasta bakes, and some invented by cooking mums, like a red rootveg hotpot that we enjoy a lot. On some recipes you get tips on how to serve them for your fun loving fussy eaters (fishcakes - cut out with fish shaped cookie cutters and serve on blue plates with greens as seaweed - clever!).
Comments that I'd like to make:
We worked out after the first meal: If it says recipe is for 4 kids, it serves two adults and a toddler for two full meals, AND we get two small spare toddler portions to freeze. Great for mum time management :-)
Also, there are sections for different types of meals (winter warmers, pizzas, picknicky stuff), so if you hope for 50 different recipes for every
day of this winter, well, you'll need more than this book. But every winter recipe in it will be great for sure!

Baby weaning Bible!, 22 Nov 2008
We simply refer to this book as 'The Food Bible'. I have used it constantly since starting to wean my daughter. She is now over one and I'm still getting my money's worth out of it. Some of the recipes have become family favourites! Simple, practical recipes which are tasty, what more could you ask. I found I picked about 5 or 6 from each age range and kept cooking batches, adapting to suit what i had in the cupboard, and to my daughters changing tastes. Good practical advice and a great starting point for weaning and cooking for a family.

learn to love cooking!, 06 Nov 2008
I've never been one for cooking, and I was never taught how to cook either.
This book has been great for learning how to enjoy cooking, and both my son and I have really benefited from it.
The recipes are simple, and I still dip into the book now, even though my son's older, for inspiration. The pages are covered in food splashes and half of them are repaired with sellotape, a sign of a well used, well loved receipe book :o)

Essential for every Mum facing the weaning milestone!, 21 Oct 2008
I bought this book, along with the Gina Ford one, because everyone I know has it and so I figured they were on to something! Have to say I have been really impressed with the information in it and also the recipes. I've used them as the basis for weaning my daughter - initially the puree recipes are pretty basic and you wonder why you needed a book but now she's nearly 7 months, the recipes give great ideas for introducing protein and different foods. They also tell you about good combinations. The only thing I don't like is the timings of meals and bottles as Annabel seems to have an extra feed a day so I simply used Gina's timings and Annabel's recipes which worked for us. I felt quite daunted by the prospect of weaning, feeling like we'd just got the whole milk/breast/bottle thing sussed but like with all things baby, read a few books and then adapt to your needs & you'll be find. Happy pureeing!

Fabulous book for advice and recipes, 30 Sep 2008
I have recommended this book to everyone. It's full of good advice for different weaning stages. And I cook the 9months + recipes for my husband...he always says how nice they are and then I tell them that the meal was designed for a 12 month old!! Lovely food for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Location, location, location, 10 Sep 2008
This book does give lots of interesting ideas, but depending on your location, many of the ingredients might not be readily available, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and some fruits. There also seem to be a lot of fish recipes.

not so much a baby meal planner as a family planner!, 25 Jun 2008
great recipes (shame no pics tho - i do like a recipe book to have pics) which we are still using in our house (not just the toddler recipes) cos they're healthy, low on salt, sugar ecetera and as littlun has got older we've just stopped pureeing them.

good buy and plenty of scope for improvisation if you don't have the exact ingredients

Baby & Toddler Food Bible, 01 Jun 2008
What a fabulous book! I bought this book when my little girl was 3 months old, after a discussion on food with my health visitor and fellow new mums. I started using it when my little one was 6 months old and haven't looked back since, and she's now 18 months old. There are so many recipes to try, and it's very good how the book has recipes for each stage of your baby. The dishes are delicious - I've even served the "Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas" at a meal for friends and everyone loved it! Also check out the "Pineapple & Raisin Muffins" - they don't last long in our house! My little girl has loved most of the recipes and where occasionally she's not sure, I just wait a few weeks and try again. On the whole she loves the food I've cooked her from this book, and my husband keeps asking me to cook the recipes for him too as they taste so good! This most definately is THE baby & toddler food bible. If you don't buy any other baby/toddler food books, buy this one.

Fantastic!, 18 Feb 2008
I've had this book a few weeks now and tried many of the recipes for my 7 month old son. He loves them all and can't wait to try something new. You can turn a lot of them into soups for adults and they are really tasty. My freezer is now stocked up with loads of healthy meals. This book is a must for weaning and beyond!

Need to be careful with the recipes, 02 Feb 2008
I thought baby under 1 year old shouldn't have sugar, butter, salt....,this book has a lot of ideas but a lot of recipes have sugar, butter and salt, if some mums are not careful and follow this exactly, I'm not sure this is good for the baby. Baby won't know the salt, sugar and butter taste until they try it. I only use this book for ideas but I think the author should be careful with this things on the book. This book shouldn't be called healthy recipes!!!

Caution, 10 Jan 2008
My daughter had an allergic reaction to Annabel's recipe for Apple & Cinnamon. I later discovered that cinnamon can cause anaphylactic shock (a severe reaction, which can be life threatening). I feel this recipe should carry a warning to alert parents to this possibility, and will be more reluctant to follow Annabel's tips in future.


makes you question your ability as a new mum!, 10 Nov 2008
I got this book after reading Amazon reviews and at a time when I was feeling very low, after I'd just given birth to my baby girl. This book made me feel worse! Tracy Hogg implies that if you don't get positive results after following her advice, then you are probably guilty of 'accidental parenting. This is NOT the message you want to hear when you are suffering from Post Natal Depression and struggling with a baby who doesn't appear to 'fit in' with any of her clever little 'categories'. In the end I took my fiance and families' advice and followed my own instincts..which proved to be the best course of action after all.
In summary, don't beat yourself up like I did when it doesn't all magically work Miss Hogg's way. Just enjoy the adventure of being a new Mum (even if it is a scary one at times!) and do it your way!

A must buy for new parents, 28 Jul 2008
This book was the BEST purchase we made. Even though we read the whole book, we didn't follow it like a manual, we picked the parts we needed and/or agreed with and used those. Our baby was (and still is) peacefully sleeping through the night from 3 1/2 months on and following a routine - NOT a timetable. As parents we are calm, coping and know exactly what our baby wants and needs thanks to the advice in this book. All in all we are are very contented household! We were TOTALLY against controlled crying and this book (along with our instincts)helped us to get our baby sleeping without EVER leaving her to cry. Our siblings have now all bought this book after seeing how well it worked for us while they were still struggling with their babies of similar ages.

Saving sanity with structure but not for new borns!, 24 Jul 2008
Ok Ok so there ARE flaws in this book and i'm not about to say that her tone and habit of referring to her readers as "duckie" and "luv" isn't annoying but i work in child psychiatry/psychology and it taught me a few new tricks!

I started off instinctively as a mother and went with attachment parenting...which i whole heartedly believe is the best thing for a new born baby. I co-slept, slinged and demand fed.

When a baby is new to the world trying to instill structure and seperation on a teenie tiny person who actually doesn't know or comprehend that they are seperate from the world around them is just cruel and potentially damaging on a psychological level...so i really wouldn't recommend this book for neonates. However, after 8 weeks or so (whenever YOU feel your baby might be ready) then i think this book is fantastic. Once babies begin to interact and take in the world around them, structure is a really positive thing, helping them to feel safe and contained.


I started my first with a slightly adapted baby whisperer routine after a few months and within a few nights my cherub was sleeping through the night and our whole family was settled into happy, predictable bliss.

Noone should take ANY book as written in stone or allow someones opinion (who has never even met your child) to overwrite your own maternal/paternal instintcs....for crying out loud...surely that's common sense????...so if you can read a book OBJECTIVELY and interpret what would be helpful for your family then you will find this book an absolute godsend.

This book recommends teaching your child how to self soothe, which again, on a psychological level, is really positive. Tracey Hogg advocates dummies, but if you or your baby doesn't use dummies then there are plenty of other ways to self soothe. My little girl sucks her thumb and i have never introduced a dummy but she is still able to self soothe. She also advocates you helping your baby learn how to fall asleep independently, (as you would help them learn so many other skills) but she doesn't advocate "crying it out". Which is great for most parents...after all who can bear hearing their beloved little bub crying till they either fall asleep from exhaution of just give up because they learn that no one comes when they cry?

I found it actually increased my connectedness, intuition and confidence with my little 'un.
However, a word of warning...Tracey Hogg uses a silly phrase of "accidental parenting" a lot during the book...which could feel quite critical to the more sensitive among us, or to those that are inclined to take guide books literally. What she means by "accidental parenting" is really just that she's agrees with the psychological theories on conditioning and that babies get into the habits their parents give them (DUH!! thanks for pointing out the obvious there Tracey)....so if you feed your baby to sleep, they will come to expect it...until you condition them into another method....which is what Tracey's book is all about...conditioning your child into a routine, where both you and your babies lives are structured and predictable. The way she goes about explaining it, isn't ideal at times but her basic idea is great. If you are a new parent and have just been through those first few months of crazy, sleep deprived cookoo land with a new born then this book is straightforward, easy to read and offers some sensible advise on structure.....but please please please take this and any other book with a pinch of salt...no one can know you own child like their own parent!!!!!

Tracey Hogg hasn't solved my problems, 27 Apr 2008
After the recent birth of my first child, I bought this book in the hope that it might give me a better idea of how to develop a routine for my son, as well as giving me some confidence in my ability to be a good parent. Unfortunately, although some of the things Tracey Hogg talks about in this book make sense, I could not see how I could make her routines work for me and my son. For example, Tracey aserts that babies should not feed any more frequently than 3 hourly. However, I am breast feeding my son and in the early weeks he sometimes wanted to feed every hour. Tracey suggests that in this situation your baby is either not getting enough milk, or is comfort sucking (and should therefore be given a dummy). I knew my son was getting enough milk as he was putting on weight very well, but despite trying to give him a dummy on several occasions he just would not take it. Tracey states that if your baby will not take a dummy, then you are giving up too easily and should keep trying. However, the whole premise of this book is that the parent needs to learn to listen to their child, and my son was clearly telling me that he did not want a dummy!
The author states that if her methods do not work for you, then you are at fault and either you are just not doing it right, or not trying hard enough. This approach left me feeling inadequate as a mother, at a time when I needed to feel understood and supported as a new parent. My negative feelings about this book are compounded by Tracey Hogg's insistence on calling the reader 'duckie' and 'luv' throughout, which I found incredibly patronising.
I have since realised that being a good enough parent means trusting your instincts and dipping in and out of various parenting texts, using the bits that work for you, and ignoring the bits that don't.
Oh, and my son is now able to go for 3 hours between feeds without me having to shove a dummy in his mouth!

Brilliant!, 20 Apr 2008
This book is the best thing I ever bought I think. Especially for first time parents it is such a help. We only found it when our daughter was already 3 months old, if we had had it from the beginning it would have saved us a lot of worrying and sleepless nights! However, once we got it, we had her sleeping 11 to 12 hours through the night in just 2 weeks. From day 1 our life became a lot easier and more structured. I highly recommend this, even for parents with older babies who have sleeping or eating issues.

not impressed, 30 Oct 2008
Not many recipes and most aren't very interesting. We did BLW so was hoping this book would provide some ideas. But big disappointment

Not overly impressed, 17 Aug 2008
I must say I was disappointed with this book. I thought it was going to be better. There isn't actually that many 'recipes' and what there is isn't too exciting anyway. My daughter likes one or two of them, but unfortunately it's just not a great book.

I, 22 May 2008
I was struggling to think up new finger food ideas for my 11 month old son. My sister watches my son 1 day a week and finds it hard to feed him and her 5 month old daughter at the same time. The recipes in this book allow her to feed her daughter and leave my son to feed himself. Although the book was written by a vegetarian, there are some meat recipes included. The vegetarian slant meant that there are some recipes with ingredients that I wouldn't have normally used (lentils, polenta).
The book is well laid out and beautifully illustrated. There is useful nutritional and storage information. I would say that the recipes are suitable for the older baby and there are still some recipes I won't be using until my son is a bit older.
There are "treat" recipes included and the blueberry muffins are great - a low sugar option and birthday treat for my son who loves blueberries!

Not very helpful, 09 May 2008
I did Baby-led weaning and found this book to be unhelpful for this approach. I thought as it was entitled finger foods for babies and toddlers it would be ideal. The book seemed to be geared more towards one year olds and up. I wouldn't recommend putting salt in any food for a child who was under one. I wasn't overly keen on most of the recipes anyway. I have to say it is sitting on the shelf unused.

Great ideas for finger foods, 05 Feb 2008
This book has lots of fantastic ideas on finger foods and quick meals at teatime. Which is great when you are in a hurry and want to prepare a quick healthy meal. Everyone I have bought this book for also thought it was great.

Yummy easy food your kids WILL eat!, 17 Oct 2008
Like most 5 year olds mine doesn't really relish the thought of a bowl of stew. But he sat and ate the in his words 'delicious' stew from this book tonight. The book is easy to follow and uses normal everyday store cupboard ingredients. I have used this book more than any of the 40 plus cookery books I have in my collection and have yet to find a dud recipe! As they say in all the best pitches if you only buy one book this year make it this one!The instructions are simple and you there is nutritional and storage information on each page. A most for family cooks everywhere !

Fantastic!, 31 Aug 2008
I was struggling what to cook every day for my son (13 months) and husband. Since I got this book my life is much easier. Great inspiration. Suitable for babies, kids and adults. Simple recipes and lots of interesting tips. What a fantastic boook!

If you only buy one cook book make this the one, 23 Apr 2008
I really love this cook book, it is full of delicious recipes for all the family, the recipes are easy to understand and follow and it is written in a friendly way by experienced mums who understand the challenge of cooking for a family.

a must buy, 28 Mar 2008
I was so excited by the reviews of this book but I am not sure how much of a help it will provide. The information is brillaint and simply laid out. The recepies are good (but still struggling to veg up my four year old)and this is a great help to any mum feeding a family with lots of alternatives and quick helps. There are only a few pictures of the food in the book- as i am not a brilliant cook and tend to have some disasters i find pictures helpful. The only thing that could be improved is the section on snacking as i am always running out of ideas and get stuck in a snack rut. But i would strongly recommend this book and their website they are tremendously useful.

Family Feasts - feeding kiddo AND daddy, 09 Dec 2007
I got this book to feed my toddler and husband along with her, and we've enjoyed every single recipe so far (tried about 8). It's got classic recipes in it like tuna pasta bakes, and some invented by cooking mums, like a red rootveg hotpot that we enjoy a lot. On some recipes you get tips on how to serve them for your fun loving fussy eaters (fishcakes - cut out with fish shaped cookie cutters and serve on blue plates with greens as seaweed - clever!).
Comments that I'd like to make:
We worked out after the first meal: If it says recipe is for 4 kids, it serves two adults and a toddler for two full meals, AND we get two small spare toddler portions to freeze. Great for mum time management :-)
Also, there are sections for different types of meals (winter warmers, pizzas, picknicky stuff), so if you hope for 50 different recipes for every
day of this winter, well, you'll need more than this book. But every winter recipe in it will be great for sure!

Brilliant at the Basics., 01 Feb 2008
This book is an absolute must for anyone with an interest in first aid or who is considering ambulance work. It contains a comprehensive guide to immediate first aid. It is considered the bible among those who practice first aid. Of course a basic first aid course with a qualified instructor is a must for everyone, this book will provide you with a good reference guide.

Simply the best available, 02 Nov 2007
Why this manual?
Because it is created by a collaboration of the UK's premier providers of first aid so you know your getting the best advice possible. Also teamed up with Dorling Kindersley having the reputation of being one of the worlds leading publishers of illustrated books make this manual the most accessible and easiest to use with the highest quality images and text and easy to follow step by step guides what more could you possibly want from a first aid manual.

Over the years I have seen many first aid manuals, however none of them have impressed me as consistently as this, quite simply this is the only manual I trust. Everything you need to know plus a little more make this a must have book that every home and business should not be without.


Online best alternative, 30 Jan 2006
many people are used to online books you can store them in your mobile and be almost sure always its within your reach and read it while your free...

simply look search engine with keyword of first aid manual and see how much information are available most are updated to the moment no need publishing house...

on other hand for those who wants printed material is nice book ilustrative but not animated like websites

An excellent must have!, 15 Mar 2004
This book is an excellent 1 stop manual for all the essential first aid techniques valuable to anyone. Essential for the home or work but don't just leave it on the shelf. encourage all the family to read and become familier with its contents.

Well written with pictures and diagrams.

The Official Text for First Aiders, 10 Mar 2004
This is the official text for first aiders in the UK. It is quite well laid out, with plenty of graphic (but not gory!) illustrations of interventions and is easy-to-understand. As a Registered First Aid Instructor/Examiner I find the previous edition to have been better. For starters it was clearer on the management of the unconscious spinally injured casualty, whereas a bit of exegesis is required with this text to arrive at pretty much the same conclusion as the 7th edition (but just more subtly put - a purposefully grey area perhaps?). There are other flaws. Some of the graphics don't correlate with best practice, and the same can be said about the text in places. However, this is no fault of the book itself, which is a must-have for First Aiders as it reflects the official line on approaches and interventions. Flawed yet indispensable, with plenty of food for critical thought!

Baby weaning Bible!, 22 Nov 2008
We simply refer to this book as 'The Food Bible'. I have used it constantly since starting to wean my daughter. She is now over one and I'm still getting my money's worth out of it. Some of the recipes have become family favourites! Simple, practical recipes which are tasty, what more could you ask. I found I picked about 5 or 6 from each age range and kept cooking batches, adapting to suit what i had in the cupboard, and to my daughters changing tastes. Good practical advice and a great starting point for weaning and cooking for a family.

learn to love cooking!, 06 Nov 2008
I've never been one for cooking, and I was never taught how to cook either.
This book has been great for learning how to enjoy cooking, and both my son and I have really benefited from it.
The recipes are simple, and I still dip into the book now, even though my son's older, for inspiration. The pages are covered in food splashes and half of them are repaired with sellotape, a sign of a well used, well loved receipe book :o)

Essential for every Mum facing the weaning milestone!, 21 Oct 2008
I bought this book, along with the Gina Ford one, because everyone I know has it and so I figured they were on to something! Have to say I have been really impressed with the information in it and also the recipes. I've used them as the basis for weaning my daughter - initially the puree recipes are pretty basic and you wonder why you needed a book but now she's nearly 7 months, the recipes give great ideas for introducing protein and different foods. They also tell you about good combinations. The only thing I don't like is the timings of meals and bottles as Annabel seems to have an extra feed a day so I simply used Gina's timings and Annabel's recipes which worked for us. I felt quite daunted by the prospect of weaning, feeling like we'd just got the whole milk/breast/bottle thing sussed but like with all things baby, read a few books and then adapt to your needs & you'll be find. Happy pureeing!

Fabulous book for advice and recipes, 30 Sep 2008
I have recommended this book to everyone. It's full of good advice for different weaning stages. And I cook the 9months + recipes for my husband...he always says how nice they are and then I tell them that the meal was designed for a 12 month old!! Lovely food for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Location, location, location, 10 Sep 2008
This book does give lots of interesting ideas, but depending on your location, many of the ingredients might not be readily available, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and some fruits. There also seem to be a lot of fish recipes.

not so much a baby meal planner as a family planner!, 25 Jun 2008
great recipes (shame no pics tho - i do like a recipe book to have pics) which we are still using in our house (not just the toddler recipes) cos they're healthy, low on salt, sugar ecetera and as littlun has got older we've just stopped pureeing them.

good buy and plenty of scope for improvisation if you don't have the exact ingredients

Baby & Toddler Food Bible, 01 Jun 2008
What a fabulous book! I bought this book when my little girl was 3 months old, after a discussion on food with my health visitor and fellow new mums. I started using it when my little one was 6 months old and haven't looked back since, and she's now 18 months old. There are so many recipes to try, and it's very good how the book has recipes for each stage of your baby. The dishes are delicious - I've even served the "Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas" at a meal for friends and everyone loved it! Also check out the "Pineapple & Raisin Muffins" - they don't last long in our house! My little girl has loved most of the recipes and where occasionally she's not sure, I just wait a few weeks and try again. On the whole she loves the food I've cooked her from this book, and my husband keeps asking me to cook the recipes for him too as they taste so good! This most definately is THE baby & toddler food bible. If you don't buy any other baby/toddler food books, buy this one.

Fantastic!, 18 Feb 2008
I've had this book a few weeks now and tried many of the recipes for my 7 month old son. He loves them all and can't wait to try something new. You can turn a lot of them into soups for adults and they are really tasty. My freezer is now stocked up with loads of healthy meals. This book is a must for weaning and beyond!

Need to be careful with the recipes, 02 Feb 2008
I thought baby under 1 year old shouldn't have sugar, butter, salt....,this book has a lot of ideas but a lot of recipes have sugar, butter and salt, if some mums are not careful and follow this exactly, I'm not sure this is good for the baby. Baby won't know the salt, sugar and butter taste until they try it. I only use this book for ideas but I think the author should be careful with this things on the book. This book shouldn't be called healthy recipes!!!

Caution, 10 Jan 2008
My daughter had an allergic reaction to Annabel's recipe for Apple & Cinnamon. I later discovered that cinnamon can cause anaphylactic shock (a severe reaction, which can be life threatening). I feel this recipe should carry a warning to alert parents to this possibility, and will be more reluctant to follow Annabel's tips in future.


makes you question your ability as a new mum!, 10 Nov 2008
I got this book after reading Amazon reviews and at a time when I was feeling very low, after I'd just given birth to my baby girl. This book made me feel worse! Tracy Hogg implies that if you don't get positive results after following her advice, then you are probably guilty of 'accidental parenting. This is NOT the message you want to hear when you are suffering from Post Natal Depression and struggling with a baby who doesn't appear to 'fit in' with any of her clever little 'categories'. In the end I took my fiance and families' advice and followed my own instincts..which proved to be the best course of action after all.
In summary, don't beat yourself up like I did when it doesn't all magically work Miss Hogg's way. Just enjoy the adventure of being a new Mum (even if it is a scary one at times!) and do it your way!

A must buy for new parents, 28 Jul 2008
This book was the BEST purchase we made. Even though we read the whole book, we didn't follow it like a manual, we picked the parts we needed and/or agreed with and used those. Our baby was (and still is) peacefully sleeping through the night from 3 1/2 months on and following a routine - NOT a timetable. As parents we are calm, coping and know exactly what our baby wants and needs thanks to the advice in this book. All in all we are are very contented household! We were TOTALLY against controlled crying and this book (along with our instincts)helped us to get our baby sleeping without EVER leaving her to cry. Our siblings have now all bought this book after seeing how well it worked for us while they were still struggling with their babies of similar ages.

Saving sanity with structure but not for new borns!, 24 Jul 2008
Ok Ok so there ARE flaws in this book and i'm not about to say that her tone and habit of referring to her readers as "duckie" and "luv" isn't annoying but i work in child psychiatry/psychology and it taught me a few new tricks!

I started off instinctively as a mother and went with attachment parenting...which i whole heartedly believe is the best thing for a new born baby. I co-slept, slinged and demand fed.

When a baby is new to the world trying to instill structure and seperation on a teenie tiny person who actually doesn't know or comprehend that they are seperate from the world around them is just cruel and potentially damaging on a psychological level...so i really wouldn't recommend this book for neonates. However, after 8 weeks or so (whenever YOU feel your baby might be ready) then i think this book is fantastic. Once babies begin to interact and take in the world around them, structure is a really positive thing, helping them to feel safe and contained.


I started my first with a slightly adapted baby whisperer routine after a few months and within a few nights my cherub was sleeping through the night and our whole family was settled into happy, predictable bliss.

Noone should take ANY book as written in stone or allow someones opinion (who has never even met your child) to overwrite your own maternal/paternal instintcs....for crying out loud...surely that's common sense????...so if you can read a book OBJECTIVELY and interpret what would be helpful for your family then you will find this book an absolute godsend.

This book recommends teaching your child how to self soothe, which again, on a psychological level, is really positive. Tracey Hogg advocates dummies, but if you or your baby doesn't use dummies then there are plenty of other ways to self soothe. My little girl sucks her thumb and i have never introduced a dummy but she is still able to self soothe. She also advocates you helping your baby learn how to fall asleep independently, (as you would help them learn so many other skills) but she doesn't advocate "crying it out". Which is great for most parents...after all who can bear hearing their beloved little bub crying till they either fall asleep from exhaution of just give up because they learn that no one comes when they cry?

I found it actually increased my connectedness, intuition and confidence with my little 'un.
However, a word of warning...Tracey Hogg uses a silly phrase of "accidental parenting" a lot during the book...which could feel quite critical to the more sensitive among us, or to those that are inclined to take guide books literally. What she means by "accidental parenting" is really just that she's agrees with the psychological theories on conditioning and that babies get into the habits their parents give them (DUH!! thanks for pointing out the obvious there Tracey)....so if you feed your baby to sleep, they will come to expect it...until you condition them into another method....which is what Tracey's book is all about...conditioning your child into a routine, where both you and your babies lives are structured and predictable. The way she goes about explaining it, isn't ideal at times but her basic idea is great. If you are a new parent and have just been through those first few months of crazy, sleep deprived cookoo land with a new born then this book is straightforward, easy to read and offers some sensible advise on structure.....but please please please take this and any other book with a pinch of salt...no one can know you own child like their own parent!!!!!

Tracey Hogg hasn't solved my problems, 27 Apr 2008
After the recent birth of my first child, I bought this book in the hope that it might give me a better idea of how to develop a routine for my son, as well as giving me some confidence in my ability to be a good parent. Unfortunately, although some of the things Tracey Hogg talks about in this book make sense, I could not see how I could make her routines work for me and my son. For example, Tracey aserts that babies should not feed any more frequently than 3 hourly. However, I am breast feeding my son and in the early weeks he sometimes wanted to feed every hour. Tracey suggests that in this situation your baby is either not getting enough milk, or is comfort sucking (and should therefore be given a dummy). I knew my son was getting enough milk as he was putting on weight very well, but despite trying to give him a dummy on several occasions he just would not take it. Tracey states that if your baby will not take a dummy, then you are giving up too easily and should keep trying. However, the whole premise of this book is that the parent needs to learn to listen to their child, and my son was clearly telling me that he did not want a dummy!
The author states that if her methods do not work for you, then you are at fault and either you are just not doing it right, or not trying hard enough. This approach left me feeling inadequate as a mother, at a time when I needed to feel understood and supported as a new parent. My negative feelings about this book are compounded by Tracey Hogg's insistence on calling the reader 'duckie' and 'luv' throughout, which I found incredibly patronising.
I have since realised that being a good enough parent means trusting your instincts and dipping in and out of various parenting texts, using the bits that work for you, and ignoring the bits that don't.
Oh, and my son is now able to go for 3 hours between feeds without me having to shove a dummy in his mouth!

Brilliant!, 20 Apr 2008
This book is the best thing I ever bought I think. Especially for first time parents it is such a help. We only found it when our daughter was already 3 months old, if we had had it from the beginning it would have saved us a lot of worrying and sleepless nights! However, once we got it, we had her sleeping 11 to 12 hours through the night in just 2 weeks. From day 1 our life became a lot easier and more structured. I highly recommend this, even for parents with older babies who have sleeping or eating issues.

not impressed, 30 Oct 2008
Not many recipes and most aren't very interesting. We did BLW so was hoping this book would provide some ideas. But big disappointment

Not overly impressed, 17 Aug 2008
I must say I was disappointed with this book. I thought it was going to be better. There isn't actually that many 'recipes' and what there is isn't too exciting anyway. My daughter likes one or two of them, but unfortunately it's just not a great book.

I, 22 May 2008
I was struggling to think up new finger food ideas for my 11 month old son. My sister watches my son 1 day a week and finds it hard to feed him and her 5 month old daughter at the same time. The recipes in this book allow her to feed her daughter and leave my son to feed himself. Although the book was written by a vegetarian, there are some meat recipes included. The vegetarian slant meant that there are some recipes with ingredients that I wouldn't have normally used (lentils, polenta).
The book is well laid out and beautifully illustrated. There is useful nutritional and storage information. I would say that the recipes are suitable for the older baby and there are still some recipes I won't be using until my son is a bit older.
There are "treat" recipes included and the blueberry muffins are great - a low sugar option and birthday treat for my son who loves blueberries!

Not very helpful, 09 May 2008
I did Baby-led weaning and found this book to be unhelpful for this approach. I thought as it was entitled finger foods for babies and toddlers it would be ideal. The book seemed to be geared more towards one year olds and up. I wouldn't recommend putting salt in any food for a child who was under one. I wasn't overly keen on most of the recipes anyway. I have to say it is sitting on the shelf unused.

Great ideas for finger foods, 05 Feb 2008
This book has lots of fantastic ideas on finger foods and quick meals at teatime. Which is great when you are in a hurry and want to prepare a quick healthy meal. Everyone I have bought this book for also thought it was great.

Yummy easy food your kids WILL eat!, 17 Oct 2008
Like most 5 year olds mine doesn't really relish the thought of a bowl of stew. But he sat and ate the in his words 'delicious' stew from this book tonight. The book is easy to follow and uses normal everyday store cupboard ingredients. I have used this book more than any of the 40 plus cookery books I have in my collection and have yet to find a dud recipe! As they say in all the best pitches if you only buy one book this year make it this one!The instructions are simple and you there is nutritional and storage information on each page. A most for family cooks everywhere !

Fantastic!, 31 Aug 2008
I was struggling what to cook every day for my son (13 months) and husband. Since I got this book my life is much easier. Great inspiration. Suitable for babies, kids and adults. Simple recipes and lots of interesting tips. What a fantastic boook!

If you only buy one cook book make this the one, 23 Apr 2008
I really love this cook book, it is full of delicious recipes for all the family, the recipes are easy to understand and follow and it is written in a friendly way by experienced mums who understand the challenge of cooking for a family.

a must buy, 28 Mar 2008
I was so excited by the reviews of this book but I am not sure how much of a help it will provide. The information is brillaint and simply laid out. The recepies are good (but still struggling to veg up my four year old)and this is a great help to any mum feeding a family with lots of alternatives and quick helps. There are only a few pictures of the food in the book- as i am not a brilliant cook and tend to have some disasters i find pictures helpful. The only thing that could be improved is the section on snacking as i am always running out of ideas and get stuck in a snack rut. But i would strongly recommend this book and their website they are tremendously useful.

Family Feasts - feeding kiddo AND daddy, 09 Dec 2007
I got this book to feed my toddler and husband along with her, and we've enjoyed every single recipe so far (tried about 8). It's got classic recipes in it like tuna pasta bakes, and some invented by cooking mums, like a red rootveg hotpot that we enjoy a lot. On some recipes you get tips on how to serve them for your fun loving fussy eaters (fishcakes - cut out with fish shaped cookie cutters and serve on blue plates wit