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.

Very useful and easy to follow., 24 Aug 2008
This book is amazing! I find myself using it on a daily basis to look things up as well as using the recipes. It's great for people like me who do not have a clue about cooking as it is very easy to follow. Even if you are a good cook already, you will find this book invaluable for giving you ideas on what to give your little one. I think my daughter would be living on jars of baby food if I hadn't bought this book!

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.

Very useful and easy to follow., 24 Aug 2008
This book is amazing! I find myself using it on a daily basis to look things up as well as using the recipes. It's great for people like me who do not have a clue about cooking as it is very easy to follow. Even if you are a good cook already, you will find this book invaluable for giving you ideas on what to give your little one. I think my daughter would be living on jars of baby food if I hadn't bought this book!

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.

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.

Very useful and easy to follow., 24 Aug 2008
This book is amazing! I find myself using it on a daily basis to look things up as well as using the recipes. It's great for people like me who do not have a clue about cooking as it is very easy to follow. Even if you are a good cook already, you will find this book invaluable for giving you ideas on what to give your little one. I think my daughter would be living on jars of baby food if I hadn't bought this book!

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.

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.

Very useful and easy to follow., 24 Aug 2008
This book is amazing! I find myself using it on a daily basis to look things up as well as using the recipes. It's great for people like me who do not have a clue about cooking as it is very easy to follow. Even if you are a good cook already, you will find this book invaluable for giving you ideas on what to give your little one. I think my daughter would be living on jars of baby food if I hadn't bought this book!

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.

Annabel Karmel is a leading authority on feeding the under-fives and is a trained Cordon Bleu chef and mother of three. What she does particularly well is encourage a healthy approach to diet while making the recipes truly tasty--in part, by making recipes that are easy for parents to cook, but also, importantly, ones that parents would actually want to eat too--why always make separate food for your children? Feeding your Baby and Toddler: A Complete Guide is also a guide to how to feed your children and what the experience of weaning is like for the children--valuable information that is long overdue in a book like this.

With sections on basic nutrition, suggestions for your store cupboard, equipment, techniques for freezing and reheating, and food hygiene parents will find the book invaluable; for example, the section on introducing solids actually shows how to feed from a spoon--something that isn't taught in parentcraft classes. The book is structured around sections based on age, with each one having its own introduction to that age group's special feeding issues and problems, and is followed by the author's delicious recipes--such as Sweetcorn, Cherry Tomato and Tofu Kebabs and Singapore Noodles--and fun serving and decoration suggestions. There are also recipes for desserts--Banana Muffins or Fresh Fruit Ice Lollipops--there being no reason why sweet food cannot be part of a well-rounded diet. The book ends with a menu planner for each of the age groups, one per page, which suggests a menu for each day of the week. A great idea that could also serve to introduce parents to what constitutes a healthy diet and how to put it together.

The book's approach is one that takes into account the total experience of eating when you are doing it for the very first time; new textures, flavours, holding your own spoon--all these are new experiences for baby. As such, it is much more than just a cookbook; it is a culinary guide to living with under-fives. Highly recommended for parents in general, but especially for first-time parents. --Alison Jardine

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.

Very useful and easy to follow., 24 Aug 2008
This book is amazing! I find myself using it on a daily basis to look things up as well as using the recipes. It's great for people like me who do not have a clue about cooking as it is very easy to follow. Even if you are a good cook already, you will find this book invaluable for giving you ideas on what to give your little one. I think my daughter would be living on jars of baby food if I hadn't bought this book!

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.

Great book full of delicious recipes, 21 Oct 2008
I think this book is great. My baby is 9 months old and she loves all the recipes in this book, having been quite a fussy eater before I started cooking these recipes. They are all easy to follow and make and I have to admit that sometimes find myself quite pleased if she leaves a mouthful or two so that I can have some too!!

The only downside for me is that I couldn't find any reference to how big a 'portion' is. But I've had the same problem with all the other baby cook books I have or have referred to.

disappointing, 01 Mar 2008
I thought this book was okay particularly for very first weaning/ purees but was a bit disappointing over all. I got another book by Sara Lewis which was much better for baby meal ideas and practical advices. I did like the way this books tells you what nutrients are in the recipes however.

great book, 02 Jan 2008
this is a really good book with plenty of ideas for you from weaning stage to toddler then pre school i wish i had this book when my little girl was weaning.as i hadnt a clue what to make her.

The child food manual, 23 Sep 2007
Any time a friend has a baby I instinctively reach for the mouse and order this book for them. It is invaluable and very well laid out. It introduces the child to a wide range of tastes which has contributed to my own children not being fussy with food to the point that they will try almost anything. Get it. You won't regret it.

Invaluable!!, 17 Aug 2007
This book is excellent. I'm not the greatest cook or the most adventurous but her first books provided me with a starting off point but when my daughter's first year was coming up, I thought "what now? How do I feed Ava properly without undoing everything I had done this past year?" and this book is brilliant. It tops up on the recipe ideas that I have already used (flavours them up a bit) and takes me through all coming up stages of development - with great family recipes for everyone to enjoy! Well done Annabel Karmel!

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.

Very useful and easy to follow., 24 Aug 2008
This book is amazing! I find myself using it on a daily basis to look things up as well as using the recipes. It's great for people like me who do not have a clue about cooking as it is very easy to follow. Even if you are a good cook already, you will find this book invaluable for giving you ideas on what to give your little one. I think my daughter would be living on jars of baby food if I hadn't bought this book!

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.

Great book full of delicious recipes, 21 Oct 2008
I think this book is great. My baby is 9 months old and she loves all the recipes in this book, having been quite a fussy eater before I started cooking these recipes. They are all easy to follow and make and I have to admit that sometimes find myself quite pleased if she leaves a mouthful or two so that I can have some too!!

The only downside for me is that I couldn't find any reference to how big a 'portion' is. But I've had the same problem with all the other baby cook books I have or have referred to.

disappointing, 01 Mar 2008
I thought this book was okay particularly for very first weaning/ purees but was a bit disappointing over all. I got another book by Sara Lewis which was much better for baby meal ideas and practical advices. I did like the way this books tells you what nutrients are in the recipes however.

great book, 02 Jan 2008
this is a really good book with plenty of ideas for you from weaning stage to toddler then pre school i wish i had this book when my little girl was weaning.as i hadnt a clue what to make her.

The child food manual, 23 Sep 2007
Any time a friend has a baby I instinctively reach for the mouse and order this book for them. It is invaluable and very well laid out. It introduces the child to a wide range of tastes which has contributed to my own children not being fussy with food to the point that they will try almost anything. Get it. You won't regret it.

Invaluable!!, 17 Aug 2007
This book is excellent. I'm not the greatest cook or the most adventurous but her first books provided me with a starting off point but when my daughter's first year was coming up, I thought "what now? How do I feed Ava properly without undoing everything I had done this past year?" and this book is brilliant. It tops up on the recipe ideas that I have already used (flavours them up a bit) and takes me through all coming up stages of development - with great family recipes for everyone to enjoy! Well done Annabel Karmel!

Yummy dinners and not just for baby!, 31 Jul 2008
I was given this book as a present, as we have recently started weening. The recipes are healthy and easy to follow as well as being totally suitable for the whole family, even the recipes for the six month olds (although perhaps before it is pureed!)

This is making life so much easier not having to cook several different meals!

The recipes cover food for all different occasions snacks, main meals even party food.. Gina has most things covered here...



A life saver!, 23 Jun 2008
Easy to follow recipes that you can make up in batches and freeze. As a working mum I need to be able to provide my little one with her tea as soon as we come in from work. Waiting is not her strong point!!

The recipes provided clearly indicate suitable age group, whether to puree / mash, if they can be frozen, how many portions each meal makes, plus finger foods, birthday party ideas etc.

I make the food up in batches and freeze for days that I'm working and follow the fresh recipes for days when I'm home, e.g. a healthy omlette takes 10 mins.

It's so important to me that I can give our little one a healthy diet with a wide range of foods; the recipes in the book enable you to do just that.

All our friends & family comment how well our little one eats and how healthy she is. Fabulous book!

Not a patch on Annabel Karmel, 27 Feb 2008
I bought this book having tried most of the recipes in my excellent Annabel Karmel Top 100 purees book. I looked at a number of baby cooking books before settling on this one, due to the excellent previous reviews.
The positive thing about the book is that there are some nice looking recipes, however, the vast majority of these are for toddlers (18 months and over), when I expect my son to be eating family meals rather than his own special food. Apparently this book follows on from her "book of weaning", which presumably features more recipes for younger babies.
The recipes are quite traditional, which on the plus side means the list of ingredients are shorter than many AK recipes, and you are therefore likely to have a lot of these in your store cupboard. However, I prefer the more unusual recipes AK has in her book such as fish with orange and cheese(and baby loves them too).
I also prefer the way AK's books are laid out, with receipes split into age groups e.g. 6 months, 7 - 9 months, 9 - 12 months, so you can gradually and easily introduce your baby to textured food. This book is split into meal types - soups, lunches, desserts etc, with each of these containing receipes for all age groups in a random order. Also, there are quite alot of recipes for soup - I just can't get my head around the practicalities of feeding a young baby soup!!
Finally, the book is quite "preachy" in typical Gina style. I found it annoying that the author assumes that the cook is a stay at home mum who spends all morning cooking for her baby. I wish! Also, I know lots of sugar isn't recommended for young children, but I think a small amount in desserts does no harm and allows baby to experience different tastes. I'm not sure what omiting it altogether is supposed to achieve, although of course, that is a mother's choice.
All in all, I think I will be trying some of the recipes when my son is older, but it definitly won't be as well used as my Annabel Karmel book.

great children's cook book, whether or not your baby was a 'gina' baby., 21 Nov 2007
When I first saw this book in the bookshops I assumed it was just another way of making money by re-packaging Gina Ford with pretty pictures. However, for some reason I went back to it, and I can honestly say it is the most useful children's recipe book I have. All the recipes I have tried so far have been eaten happily by both my 1 year old and 4 year old, and I could cook most of them with ingredients I already had in the kitchen. Does this book provide a groundbreaking adventure in the culinary arts? no. Does this book provide recipes that will mean you can give your children a balanced diet without having to employ a nanny so you can spend all your time in the kitchen and without taking out a loan so that you can buy all the exotic ingredients? yes.

Yummy Recipes for Baby and Mummy and Daddy!!, 13 Jul 2007
This is a good easy to use book. My baby is only 4 months but when he gets to 9 months I will have yummy treats from this book for him. We (me and dad) have been using it this week and have ate healthy recipes with all major food groups which are quick to prepare and can easily be adapted for adults, most of it can also be frozen. The ideas for tea (finger foods) are many and varied. I only wish I had found it when breastfeeding as the recipes are gentle and full of good vegetables in nice combinations. Will be using this a lot I think. I would reccomend the lamb cous cous it is delicious!

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.

Very useful and easy to follow., 24 Aug 2008
This book is amazing! I find myself using it on a daily basis to look things up as well as using the recipes. It's great for people like me who do not have a clue about cooking as it is very easy to follow. Even if you are a good cook already, you will find this book invaluable for giving you ideas on what to give your little one. I think my daughter would be living on jars of baby food if I hadn't bought this book!

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.

Great book full of delicious recipes, 21 Oct 2008
I think this book is great. My baby is 9 months old and she loves all the recipes in this book, having been quite a fussy eater before I started cooking these recipes. They are all easy to follow and make and I have to admit that sometimes find myself quite pleased if she leaves a mouthful or two so that I can have some too!!

The only downside for me is that I couldn't find any reference to how big a 'portion' is. But I've had the same problem with all the other baby cook books I have or have referred to.

disappointing, 01 Mar 2008
I thought this book was okay particularly for very first weaning/ purees but was a bit disappointing over all. I got another book by Sara Lewis which was much better for baby meal ideas and practical advices. I did like the way this books tells you what nutrients are in the recipes however.

great book, 02 Jan 2008
this is a really good book with plenty of ideas for you from weaning stage to toddler then pre school i wish i had this book when my little girl was weaning.as i hadnt a clue what to make her.

The child food manual, 23 Sep 2007
Any time a friend has a baby I instinctively reach for the mouse and order this book for them. It is invaluable and very well laid out. It introduces the child to a wide range of tastes w