Pregnancy and Nutrition (found 566 titles)

The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First

Author: Mark Hyman MD
Publisher: Scribner
Publication date: 2008-12-30
ISBN: 1416549714
Pages: 447
Rating:
Price: $27.50

Broken brains go by many names -- depression, anxiety, memory loss, brain fog, attention deficit disorder, autism, and dementia, to name a few -- and show up in radically different ways from person to person, making each seem like a separate problem.But the truth is that these "diagnoses" are all the result of a few basic problems with our biology. Pinpoint these biological problems, fix them, and let your body's natural healing intelligence take over to repair your brain. Now you can experience an UltraMind -- one that is highly focused and able to pay attention at will, with a strong, reliable memory and a mood that is calm, confident, in control, and in good spirits.We have all heard of the mind-body connection or how our thoughts affect the health of our body. But the reverse is far more powerful: what you do to your body, your basic biology, has a profound effect on your brain.Have you ever experienced instant clarity after exercise? Alertness after drinking coffee? A mental crash after popping candy? Does your brain inexplicably slow down during stress, while multitasking, or when meeting a deadline? Each is an example of how what we do to our bodies -- whether through nutrition, sleep, exercise, or stress -- has a dramatic effect on our brains.Conventional treatments don't help, or provide only slight benefit, because they just manage symptomsrather than deal with -- and heal -- the underlying problem. And just as brain problems all stem from the same root causes, they all have the same solution -- The UltraMind Solution.Our ancient genes interact with our environment to create systemic imbalances that affect our brains. Correct those imbalances -- most caused by nutritional deficiencies, allergens, infections, toxins, and stress -- and you can achieve optimum mental health without drugs or psychotherapy.The UltraMind Solution is the future of medicine, the culmination of the last twenty years of research on what makes the brain happy, focused, and calm;

Customes reviews 148

This book is WONDERFUL!!!! (2010-03-01)

I saw Dr. Hyman on a PBS show and was really galvanized! Everything he said made so much sense. I asked my library for it and they said yes we have it and will put you down for it - you are 168 in line... WHAT!? But I was so enthralled by what he had said I actually went to the bookstore and bought it, brand new, full price, hardback!

It has really changed my life. It is as if a curtain has been drawn up, I see - with horror - that the big food companies, fast food places, etc - are actually poisoning us to increase their $$$s. You take bland, nutritionally empty food and dump a load of garbage in it and suddenly it not only tastes good but can sit on the shelf for years and even the rats won't touch it. This is damaging not only our bodies but especially our delicate brains...

Read all your labels: chemicals, preservatives, dyes, high fructose corn syrup, pesticides, fungicides, ten kinds of sugars, GMOs (genetically altered), mercury and other toxic metals, antibiotics, hormones, excitotoxins (which are PROVEN in many separate studies to destroy brain cells), artificial colors and flavors... the list just goes on and on...

Did you know the FDA allows MSG to be added under the guise of "Natural Flavors" on the label? Says so, right on the FDA's site...

Did you know that Europe will not import any of our GMO crops AND the labels there (in Europe) MUST state if any GMO ingredients are in the food - the FDA says we don't need this here...

You start eating right and taking supplements you need (the guide will walk you through this) and you cannot believe how much better you will feel. I recommend this book to everybody!

I have energy, I don't hurt and my brain feels like it is new... I cannot say enough good things about this "program".

UltraMind review (2010-02-15)

A lot of good information concerning a natural way to
return to health. What's not included are the resources
such as available testing, where to buy vitamins and minerals, etc. Anyone interested in doing this yourself will be at a lose. Even the resources in his website are cleverly made fuzzy.

Want to feel good? Then go Back to Basics (2010-02-14)

The UltraMind solution is one of those books that first is marketed to the wrong audience. Why? It is marketed to people with a broken brain, and that is wrong because what Dr. Mark Hyman exposes and explains should be addressed first and foremost as preventive medicine. Then, it should be addressed as a solution to body imbalances.
I am not a physician nor related to the health care industry. I am 50 years old and with some slight variations that Dr. Hyman explains in the book I feel 20 plus years younger. This book is not about looking good, it is about feeling great!
Dr. Hymans exposition of our current nutritional state and our lack knowledge are the culprit of our problems caused by greedy people and corrupt government officials that have permitted the depletion of our health as a nation through the use of toxic chemicals, excessive sugar consumption, legalization of High Corn Fructose Syrup and excessive use of hormones and antibiotics in our livestock.
Everyone should read this book and learn what is really happening to our bodies. Dr. Hayman, thanks for such a wonderful book, you have made a difference.

The Ultra-Mind Solution (2010-02-11)

The author's premise is that all the body's systems are intrically related and that the basis for their optimal operation begins with a healthy brain. He details seven keys to ultra-wellness. The biggest section is on nutrition and rightly so. The author even gives little quizes on different key nutrients our body needs so that the reader can determine how they are personally doing with that nutrient. That is followed by suggestions to improve your levels. There are a few drawings to help the reader understand how the body works and he also gives links to additional information on his website. The information in this book has helped me as a Shaklee Distributor and Health and Wellness instructor. I've already recommended this book to several clients who want to improve their health. Not only is this a good book to read but it is also a great book to have for reference too.

this is a necessary book for everyone to read for a healthly lifestyle (2010-02-10)

This book is a necessary book for everyone to read if you want to have a healthy body, and spirit. I can not put it down. I hope that after I read the entire book, I am half way through.... I can retain all of the information.

What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting

Author: Heidi Murkoff
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Publication date: 2005-05-02
ISBN: 0761133267
Pages: 470
Rating:
Price: $12.95

Announcing Eating Well When You're Expecting, providing moms-to-be with a realistic approach to navigating healthily and deliciously through the nine months of pregnancy—at home, in the office, over the holidays, in restaurants. Thorough chapters are devoted to nutrition, weight gain, food safety, the postpartum diet, and how to eat when trying to conceive again. And, very exciting, the book comes with 150 contemporary, tasty, and healthy recipes that feed mom and baby well, take little time to prepare, and are gentle on queasy tummies.

A departure from its predecessor, What to Eat When You’re Expecting, which has 976,000 copies in print, Eating Well loses the whole-wheatier-than-thou attitude, and comes with a light, reader-friendly tone while delivering the most up-to-date information. At the heart of the book are hundreds of pressing questions every mother-to-be has: Is it true I shouldn’t eat any food cooked with alcohol? Will the caffeine in coffee cross into my baby’s bloodstream? Help!—I’m entering my second trimester, and I’m losing weight, not gaining. Is all sushi off limits? How do I get enough calcium if I’m lactose intolerant? I keep dreaming about a hot fudge sundae—can I indulge? Guess what: the answer is yes.

Customes reviews 34

The what to expect series is great. (2010-03-03)

I bought this as a gift, but I have other books from this series and they are great. My niece who recieved this book as a gift says it has been very helpful.

Take it with a grain of salt! (2010-02-13)

This book is NOT written by doctors, and my OBGYN (considered one of the best in my county) strongly disagrees with a lot of stuff in the book. I also have found research that counters some of what they say.

My OBGYN was absolutely enraged at the book's allegation that pregnant women who have food allergy family histories should not eat peanuts or peanut butter. There is no medical validity to that claim--the peanut butter is not going to harm your baby, and there is no medical evidence to suggest that it will give the baby allergies.

Also, the book talks a lot about how you should eat flaxseed liberally, when in fact there are studies that show too much flaxseed can interrupt the growth of the fetus. While the book does say you should consume DHA, it barely mentions EPA (equally important). Also, it does the SERIOUS disservice of not explaining that the true and purest form of DHA/EPA is in algae--NOT fish. Seafood itself has no DHA/EPA--the fish get it from the algae they eat. There are companies like V-Pure (whose supplements I purchase) that grow their own organic algae outside of the ocean (so free from ocean contamination).

So pregnant women like me who wish to avoid seafood because of mercury DO have an option. However, the book just makes it sound like seafood is the only way to get DHA/EPA. Not true.

In the section discussing Selenium, the book states that Brazil Nuts are a "whopping" supplier--they do not tell you that one brazil nut contains 200 mg of selenium (the book correctly states you need 60 mg per day when you're pregnant) and that eating too many brazil nuts can lead to selenium toxicity--well, the average woman would not think that eating 3-4 brazil nuts a day could be harmful--but it could be.

The book also recommends DHA fortified bars and snacks which contain Life's DHA, a product by a company called Martek. However, it does not mention that the Cornucopia Foundation released a study showing that Martek extracts Life's DHA using a NEUROTOXIN called Hexane, and that severe illness and diarrhea has been diagnosed in some babies who consume formula and products with Life's DHA. I say "no thanks" to consuming that while I'm pregnant.

Thank goodness there is no guilt and good recipes (2010-02-06)

I have heard feedback from patients that really like the recipes in this book and that they are not too hard or time consuming to make since you really don't have time as a mom. There are many books out there for diet in pregnancy and this is good one to add, but there are some misconceptions out there that you are eating for two or that you need to gain a certain amount of weight during pregnancy. Just like your baby your pregnancy is different and your weight gain is going to vary based on genetics, diet, and exercise. Another great book that looks into pregnancy myths and also has an entire chapter on dietary myths in pregnancy is Hands Off My Belly: The Pregnant Woman's Survival Guide to Myths, Mothers, and Moods

What to expect: When you are expecting (2010-01-18)

This was a gift for my daughter and she enjoyed the things she learned and what things she should avoid. She said her doctor said the book made her a better patient.

even if not pregnant (2009-11-01)

i used this book after pregnancy also and found it very helpful to me and my family when making dishes that were healthy. it helped to lose the baby weight than trying to diet to death.

Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be

Authors: Catherine Jones, Rose Ann Hudson
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
Publication date: 2009-06-09
ISBN: 0738213527
Pages: 496
Rating:
Price: $16.95

Customes reviews 49

A Nutrition Bible: Practical Advice and Excellent Recipes (2010-03-05)

A practical approach is what really distinguishes this new book from the myriad of others on the market. The authors provide the latest, source-based information on all aspects of nutrition during pregnancy. Then they go the extra step and suggest ways to apply it. They have straight-forward menus, shopping lists, food sources, food-safety advice, fish-safety facts, cooking tips dealing with discomforts, avoiding food-borne illness, special vegetarian and vegan guidelines, post-pregnancy weight loss, nutrition for breastfeeding, and on and on. It's well-organized and well-written which makes it a pleasure to read and follow.

What I loved is that it is also a real cookbook which I'll keep for years unlike some of the others out there in this category - mostly text with a few recipes thrown in for good measure. The recipes I have tried so far have been amazingly good: The banana muffins are so tasty it's hard to believe they are really healthy! The asparagus, hearts of palm, and tomato salad meld their flavors together beautifully along with tons of vitamins. I couldn't stop eating the sweet-potato casserole, the shrimp and veg stir-fry is easy and delicious, and the desserts are actually brilliant! We love blueberries, so I made the apple-blueberry granola crisp and the blueberry buckle reminded me of a long-ago (and long-lost) blueberry to-sigh-for dessert I had years ago in Bermuda. I made the carrot cake for my daughter's birthday, and everyone commented on how moist and yummy it was.

If you are looking for an up-to-date nutrition-cookbook "star" that will stay on your shelf long after your baby is born, look no further. This has to be the most complete before, during, and after pregnancy book out there! And, it will keep the entire family healthy - every family ought to have this nutritional gem on their shelves.

The Ultimate Resource for All Pregnant Women, Especially Vegans and Vegetarians (2010-02-03)

I highly recommend this well-written, comprehensive resource to ALL pregnant women, and especially to vegans and vegetarians. As a vegan, I thought I would never find a pregnancy book with a solid eating plan and tasty recipes. The Vegetarian and Vegan Delights chapter clearly explains special nutritional needs and gives tons of practical advice on protein, nondairy calcium sources, cooking healthy grains, soy products, recommendations for optimizing iron and zinc bioavailability, healthy additions to vegetarian cooking, staples to have on hand, and so on. The appealing menus are ideal for planning meals and snacks. They come with complete nutritional breakdowns, so you know exactly what nutrients you are getting for the day.

There are 35 vegan recipes in this book, and the numerous vegetarian recipes can easily be made vegan. Some of my favorites so far include:

Brown rice and lentil salad (delicious for lunch or dinner with tofu)
Annie Mozer's greens (4 variations, all great)
Kshama Vyas's Indian dal (tastes deliciously authentic)
Tofu with vegetables and coconut milk (yummy)
Spinach salad with mandarin oranges and toasted almonds (nice combo)
Kid's favorite three-bean salad (for adults too)
Three bean chili (excellent on brown rice or whole wheat bread)
Twenty-minute tomato sauce (perfect with any pasta or grain)
Fruit filled granola (great with soy yogurt)
Applesauce with apricots and dried cranberries (nice snack or dessert)

I also have to mention the impressive Nine Months Later section with info on breastfeeding, PPD and post-pregnancy weight loss, that comes with illustrated exercises. Like the rest of the text, the information is practical, straightforward and easy to follow. This incredible book is a must-have for all pregnancies and new moms. I'd give it more stars if I could!

WOW! Fantastic Book! (2010-01-27)

I've tried numerous recipes from this book and they've all been incredible! The fact that a "real" cook-mom created and tested the recipes herself is what separates this book from the others out there. I particularly like the "Vegetarian and Vegan Delights" chapter. I highly recommend the veggie burgers and sweet potato casserole (which I made for Thanksgiving), and the Indian dal. The cobbler, crisp, and no-bake strawberry-raspberry pie were all sublime. This book will definitely live in my kitchen for many years to come...and I'll continue to use the nutrition information for my growing family. Eating for Pregnancy belongs on the shelf of EVERY pregnant woman, and anyone else who wants healthy, delicious meals. It certainly merits the Mom's Choice Award. A truly fantastic book, worth every penny!

"Moms Choice Award" Winner! (2010-01-26)

It's no surprise that Eating for Pregnancy, written by a perinatal nutritionist with more than 20 years of experience and by a professional cook, recently won the "Mom's Choice Award" in the Pregnancy-Childbirth category. Of all the books on the shelves today, and there are many, this one offers the most realistic and practical approach to nutrition and to cooking before, during, and after pregnancy.

The 150 recipes were created by a chef turned home cook and mother of two, who understands first-hand how tough it can be to cook during pregnancy. She experienced two high-risk pregnancies and bed rest, so she really gets it. Text boxes throughout are filled with nutrition tidbits, practical advice, tips for coping with discomforts, food source lists, exercise tips, food-borne illness facts, fish advice, dining out tips, and lots more health information, all designed for busy moms who want at-a-glance information. There is also a wonderful Nine Months Later section to help new moms with breastfeeding, postpartum depression and healthy dieting to lose the baby fat.

Not pretending to know everything themselves, the authors called on four experts to contribute to this Nine Months Later chapter. Dr. Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D., is the Founder and Director of Postpartum Assistance for Mothers and the author of three books, including Postpartum Depression for Dummies. Elaine B. Trujillo, MS RD, a leading nutritionist at the NIH, designed the Stay Balanced Diet for Mothers. Dr. Linda Wade, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist gives expert advice on the mental side of weight loss issues, and Vitcor Palo, a personal trainer, offers an illustrated exercise program you can do at home.

With 450 pages of vital information and delicious recipes, this book belongs on the shelf of any woman who is trying to conceive, mothers-to-be, and new moms. It will be the only pregnancy book you keep...simply because the recipes are delicious and easy to prepare. Congrats to the authors on a well-deserved award!

Great dishes for everyone (2010-01-19)

I am very surprised at how useful I find this book. I really like the recipes, as does my family. I will make these dishes for a long time, regardless of my reproductive status!

Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy (American Dietetic Association)

Authors: ADA (American Dietetic Association), Elizabeth M. Ward
Publisher: Wiley
Publication date: 2009-05-26
ISBN: 0470290765
Pages: 272
Rating:
Price: $15.95

"A fabulous resource for moms-to-be! In this comprehensive guide to nutrition and health during pregnancy, Ward provides solid, research-based answers to women's most frequently asked questions about diet, exercise, weight gain, and supplements and offers specific advice that's easy to incorporate into your daily routine.''

-Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., bestselling author of Joy's Life Diet and nutrition/health expert for the Today Show

"Ward and the ADA serve up practical, easy-to-use advice that is sure to help inform and inspire new and expectant moms."

-Laura A. Jana, M.D., coauthor of Food Fights and Heading Home with Your Newborn

"Any woman who is even thinking about getting pregnant for the first or third time needs to read this excellent and timely book. Ward has done a fabulous job compiling the most recent scientific evidence about pregnancy and translating it into a fun, easy-to-read book with quick, nutritious, and delicious recipes."

-Kathleen M. Zelman, M.P.H, R.D., Director of Nutrition, WebMD

"This book shares a wealth of information that takes into account all the different ways a pregnant woman and new mother lives her life. It might be the only book on prenatal nutrition you'll ever need."

-Peg Moline, Editor in Chief, Fit Pregnancy magazine

Are you thinking of having a baby? Perhaps you're pregnant or nursing a newborn. Whatever the case, Expect the Best shows you how a healthy lifestyle from preconception to postdelivery will help you to have the brightest, healthiest child possible. You'll find dozens of useful, easy-to-follow tips for healthy eating and physical activity, including:

• Why you (and your partner) should achieve a healthy weight before trying for a baby, and how good nutrition helps maximize fertility in women and men

• Trimester-by-trimester advice about nutrition and exercise during pregnancy

• Safe postpregnancy weight loss, and the best eating plan for nursing moms

• How diet can help you handle conditions such as gestational diabetes and morning sickness

• 50 delicious, nutritious, and easy recipes your entire family will love

Customes reviews 14

Another good book for foodies that are pregnant (2010-02-06)

I have heard feedback from patients that really like the recipes in this book and that they are not too hard or time consuming to make since you really don't have time as a mom. There are many books out there for diet in pregnancy and this is good one to add, but there are some misconceptions out there that you are eating for two or that you need to gain a certain amount of weight during pregnancy. Just like your baby your pregnancy is different and your weight gain is going to vary based on genetics, diet, and exercise. Another great book that looks into pregnancy myths and also has an entire chapter on dietary myths in pregnancy is Hands Off My Belly: The Pregnant Woman's Survival Guide to Myths, Mothers, and Moods

Again, there are many pregnancy food books out there and most of which are written by dietitians and occasional a nurse or physician. The best thing you can do is read, read, and read more and you will have a healthy and happy pregnancy. I would consider this book a necessity for the pregnant and breast-feeding kitchen

A Great Gift for Friends Who Are Expecting!! (2010-01-20)

As a dietitian, friends are constantly asking my opinion on how best to eat when they are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. This book has become my new favorite gift to give to soon-to-be Moms! It is a great resource for all women-even those who aren't planning to have children in the immediate future. Expect The Best is interesting, informative and the perfect gift!

The Best Current Diet & Excercise Compendium (2010-01-14)

Finally, a book that details (without jargon! without guilt!) precisely what and how moms-to-be and new mom should eat. As an editor at [...], I found this to be the best current compendium of all things pre- and postnatal diet and exercise. Women should pick this up for the super-current nutrition advice, and keep it long after pregnancy for the fabulous recipes.

A must-have resource for everyone! (2010-01-08)

As a registered dietitian and an expectant mother myself, I loved Elizabeth's book! The information is presented in a very clear, concise, and usable way that is perfect for every parent and parent-to-be. As a first time mother, I have purchased a LOT of books, but this is by far my favorite because it really focuses on all aspects of pregnancy - before, during and after! I like all of the lists and tables in the book, and I love all of the recipes! I have truly found this book to be an invaluable resource, and recommend it to all of my friends, family, and clients.

Real Men Read "Expect the Best"! (2010-01-04)

Not that I'm the spokesperson for all guys, but generally speaking, we are clueless when it comes to knowing what we can do to support our wives during pregnancy. Finally, we can stop "scratching our heads" when it comes to meal preparation - not only does Expect the Best make it abundantly clear what is best nutritionally for mother and child but the easy-to-prepare and delicious recipes are sure to bring pleasure to her palate. Do yourself (and her) a favor guys - GET THIS BOOK!!

When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads, Revised Edition: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy

Authors: Barbara Luke, Tamara Eberlein
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Publication date: 2004-06-01
ISBN: 0060542683
Pages: 432
Rating:
Price: $19.99

The double whammy of successful infertility treatments and an increase in the number of women having children later in life has resulted in a staggering--but perhaps not surprising--phenomenon: a tremendous increase in twin, triple, and quadruple births. When You¹re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads is an outstanding, much-needed addition to the pregnancy genre for women who face the alternating joy, terror, and ambivalence associated with carrying, delivering, and coping with young multiples.

Subjects like nutrition, mom's changing body and emotions, fetal development, potential complications, and labor and delivery take on new meaning when you add another baby or two to the standard equation. With the goal of minimizing risk factors associated with multiple births, Dr. Barbara Luke and her team of writers cover each subject with a buoyant determination to tell it all and tell it well--avoiding the typical "how to name and dress your twins" issues. Accompanying the detailed medical perspective of Dr. Luke are personal experiences gathered from the journals of a few articulate moms, making each subject as real as it is educational. Simple illustrations, valuable charts (including one to plot and monitor fetal growth in grams or pounds), specific menu examples (like how can you consume 4,500 calories if you're expecting quads???), and lots of reassurance make this book a winner. --Liane Thomas

Customes reviews 197

indispensable for twin parents (2010-03-08)

It is more than a survival kit and complements most readings I had for twin pregnancies. It is a mandatory reading if you want to go through a twin pregnancy smoothly. It provides scientific background to the recommendations presented. I highly recommend this reading.

An Absolute Necessity for Moms Expecting Multiples! (2010-02-19)

This book was recommended to me by a friend who had twin boys. My husband and I truly consider this book one of the main reasons I was able to carry our twins to 38 weeks with no complications for me or the babies. My doctors worried that because of my size (4 ft 10 in, 100 lbs before pregnancy), I would have complications. But this book gave me exactly the advice I needed to ensure my health and safety, and the health and safety of my twins. We surprised everyone when we made it to 38 weeks on the dot and gave birth to two healthy boys - 5 lbs. 1 oz. and 5 lbs 13 oz.

If you are expecting multiples, this is the book for you!

Superior book on multiples pregnancy (2010-02-06)

I bought 3 books from Amazon to help educate myself on my twin pregnancy: 1) When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads, 2) Twin Sense, and 3) Raising Twins. The 1st one has the most in-depth and medical information, which I find to be a huge help, particularly the section on specific nutrition requirements, which was hard to find anywhere else. The 2nd book is also quite good. I like the way it is organized and the tips it gives on what items to borrow or buy, and in what quantities. The 3rd book seems merely anecdotal when compared to the others. I had hoped for more since it was written by a pediatrician and mother of twins, but I found it to be light on content and completely superfluous given the more detailed information contained in the other two. I would recommend this book -- When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads -- very highly.

Great book! (2009-10-05)

I really enjoyed this book. It took me no time at all to read. Unlike some books or research that you can do on your computer it gave informative facts without being overyly scary. It is nice to have other medical research done on carrying multiples as some of us do not have access to the "best" doctors. Great book!!!

Worked for me: my twins' combined weight was over 17 lbs (2009-09-17)

If you are pregnant with multiples, get this book IMMEDIATELY. Everyone always asks me how on earth I was able to go full term (actually 5 days overdue) and deliver twins who weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and 7 lbs 13 oz. The answer is...this book. While I think the exact diet explained in the book is virtually impossible to keep up with, the book was great because it encouraged me to eat a lot, especially in the beginning, which is so important. At the time, I didn't realize how important protein was, so I increased the protein in my diet by a lot--adding red meat a few times a week and tons of eggs and peanut butter. I also ate ice cream and had milkshakes whenever I wanted it. Do the best for your babies and get this book now!!

The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk: Foreword by Martha Sears, RN (Breastfeeding Mothers Guide)

Authors: Diana West, Lisa Marasco
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Publication date: 2008-10-28
ISBN: 007159857X
Pages: 304
Rating:
Price: $17.95

Concerned about making enough milk for your baby? Wondering how to make more? Two lactation experts are here to help.

Separate fact from fiction with help from this comprehensive book about improving low milk supply. Written by two leading experts who have been there themselves and officially recommended by La Leche League International, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk incorporates the latest research and discoveries about causes of low milk supply, the way your body makes milk, and how babies contribute to your milk production. Best of all, you'll find valuable suggestions for both time-honored and innovative ways to make more milk.

Learn the facts about:

• Determining if baby is really getting enough milk
• Supplementing without decreasing your supply
• Maximizing the amount of milk you can make
• Identifying the causes of your low supply
• Increasing your supply with the most effective methods, including pumping, herbs, medications, foods, and alternative therapies
• Making more milk when you return to work, exclusively pump, have a premie or multiples, relactate, or induce lactation

Customes reviews 19

Amazing! (2010-01-26)

This book is truly a must have for mothers who are (or think they might) have supply problems. It is perfect for those mothers who need help solving their low milk supply problems or for reassurance that they are producing enough. Lactation consultants and doctors could also benefit from this because there is much scientific and anecdotal information in there to help a variety of mothers. I usually do not take the time to rate books, but I made the time to rate this one!

Great book for first time breastfeeding mothers! (2010-01-25)

This book has helped me tremendously. I am a new mother and I was getting frustrated breastfeeding my 3 month old. I did research online and none of it compared to all the helpful information that I got from this book. It is very thorough and is an easy read. I bought a second copy for my girlfriend who will also be a first time mother! I would and will recommend this book to others.

A breastfeeding mother's essential item (2009-10-14)

This is a fantastic book. I had supply issues and it really helped me out. I think it should be on any new mother's bookshelf and at the price offered from Amazon it's a steal.

At Last! Hope for those of us who really don't make enough milk (2009-10-12)

Even if the information in this book doesn't help you to increase your milk production, it will help you to come to terms with what you can do, and let's you know you are not alone. A must read for anyone who has struggled with milk production.

Awesome! A great read even if you don't have low supply! (2009-09-29)

I had issues with low supply with all 3 of my kiddos. This book is so awesome! Tons of helpful info and tips. I think it's a great read even if you don't have low supply. I learned so much more about breastfeeding than anything else I've read. Includes great info about hormones, factors than can contribute to low supply and of course, how to make more milk.

Feeding Baby Green: The Earth Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nutrition During Pregnancy, Childhood, and Beyond

Authors: Alan Greene
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
Publication date: 2009-10-05
ISBN: 0470425245
Pages: 312
Rating:
Price: $16.95

The new "baby feeding bible" from the award-wining author of Raising Baby Green

Called the "Al Gore of Parenting" by Parenting Magazine, Dr. Alan Greene has written the follow up to his best-selling book and offers parents a definitive guide for making nutritionally-sound decisions for their children. Offers parents green choices for feeding children from when they are in the womb through toddler years.

This unique guide includes advice on how to transform a baby's eating habits that will positively impact their health and development for the rest of their lives. Dr. Greene has included everything a parent needs to know about creating healthy, nutritious meals that help avoid childhood obesity, and prevent childhood disease. This must-have resource

• Shows how what a mother eats during pregnancy effects her baby's health and eating habits for years after birth
• Provides the definitive guide to "green" feeding for babies from pregnancy to toddlers
• Filled with practical tips and advice for selecting and preparing earth friendly meals for babies
• Shows the health benefits for babies who eat "green" with innate nutritional intelligence
• The crucial follow-up to the best-selling book Raising Baby Green

In addition to working in his medical practice, Dr. Alan Greene makes regular appearances on the Today show and writes articles for the New York Times.

It’s Time for a Delicious Revolution

By Dr. Alan Greene

Konrad Lorenz made his mark by studying a special type of learning where key exposures during a critical and sensitive window of development can have a lasting influence – a process he called imprinting. The famous example of this is imprinting in geese. Newly hatched goslings are programmed to follow the first moving objects they see. They quickly become imprinted on this object and will move their little feet fast to keep up with it. This is highly adaptive. Most of the time. Usually this moving magnet is the gosling’s mother.

Photo by Howard Schoenberger

Lorenz showed, however, that if he were the first mover that a gosling saw, it would be imprinted on Lorenz and follow him about, refusing to follow a goose. A goose could even imprint on a toy train and ignore other geese, even its own mother. Later, as adults, these geese would even choose toy trains for their life partners (which didn't work out well for the geese -- or the trains). Lorenz won the Nobel Prize for this work in 1973.

We’ve known for at least thirty years from animal studies that very early flavor experiences change which foods will later be preferred. Within five years of Lorenz’s Nobel Prize, food imprinting had already been demonstrated in snapping turtles, chickens, gulls, dogs, and cats.

Human babies also learn by imprinting, though ours is more complex, more forgiving, and occurs during a longer critical window. In particular human babies imprint on food. This is a highly adaptive mechanism -- but in the second half of the twentieth century we have unwittingly imprinted our children on the wrong tastes and textures. They will chase after junk food and kids meals, and ignore a delicious, ripe peach or tomato packed with nutrients their bodies crave.

Feeding Baby Green unveils the key windows of opportunities for our children, and how the imprinting occurs using not just taste but all of the senses, from pregnancy through age 2 (and beyond -- with a final chapter giving an overview up to age 9).

At its core, Feeding Baby Green is a revolutionary approach to cultivating Nutritional Intelligence, the age-appropriate ability to recognize and enjoy healthy amounts of great food. Pregnancy and the first two years of life are critical windows for learning Nutritional Intelligence, an important, newly described strand of development. Most American kids of the last few decades are Nutritionally Delayed. Thankfully, this is easy to remedy.

Customes reviews 33

helpful information about how and what to feed your baby (2010-02-18)

I ordered this book because I really enjoyed reading Raising Baby Green. Feeding Baby Green actually covers a lot of the same information covered in Raising Baby Green, but goes into a bit more detail. I pretty much skipped the whole first section on what to eat during pregnancy, since Raising Baby Green already covered the topic.

Overall, the book is practical and useful. I especially liked that Dr. Greene covered formula/bottle feeding. I had not expected to need that section, but after having had serious problems while breastfeeding my son, I was thankful that he gave suggestions for keeping bottle feeding as "green" as possible. However, I think he also covered that topic in Raising Baby Green, as well.

In short, I did like this book, and I found it to be helpful. If I had to do it over again, though, I would check out Feeding Baby Green from the library and buy Raising Baby Green, instead of the other way around.

Great book, wish it had more recipes! (2010-02-10)

I really liked this book, and was happy to read his opinion that we don't need to feed our babies "baby food", but can feed them a mushed-up version of what we are eating ourselves, as long is it is healthy. I appreciated the age-appropriate suggestions and advice, and I especially liked the fact that it was written by a pediatrician, so I know his opinions are based on research evidence.
It has actually encouraged me to start buying more fresh fruit and vegetables for myself too! I only wish that the book had some more actual recipes.

A book about getting back to basics and eating wholesome (2010-02-08)

Pros:
*The writer was not brought up eating the healthiest. So, I feel that I can somewhat relate as opposed to someone who has eaten healthy all of their lives and didn't have to make a change.
*Easy to understand, not very technical yet comes across as very sound advice.
*The cover has a "waxy" feel, so it probably won't get messed up if you get food or something else on it.
*I really like how he advocates learning opportunities for you and the kids (letting them pick out fruits/veggies at the store, having a little herb garden to pick from, etc.)
*Although this is a very wordy book, there are some bullet points (or lists) that he gives you that you could highlight and refer back to later. He has a "biodiversity checklist" at the back (about 3 total pages) that I think is neat and would be a great exercise to do with your kids when they are older (besides doing it yourself).

Cons:
*not many "recipes" as I thought there might be, although not a big deal to me.
*I'm a little surprised that he did not talk about foods to eat (or avoid) for breastfeeding. I know that could be a large topic in and of itself, but I thought he would have at least touched on it. (yes, he tells you to limit caffeine, no alcohol, etc.) but I'm talking about foods themselves that will enhance your supply or might give gas to the little ones.

Notes/Neutral:
*152 pages (out of 257) covered his background, pregnancy and up to a baby 3 months of age). Just trying to give you an idea what most of the book is spent upon.
*At times, he does list brands of things he's recommending.
*Basically, if you don't grow it yourself or get food from a co-op, he recommends organic food/formula.
*Although this book is about being "green", to me it seemed more about eating wholesome...so I didn't feel like I was badgered by the "green police" ;)
*I had never heard of him before, but here is his site if you want to read up first: [...]

I ordered this book (through the Vine program) when my twins were toddlers and pretty good eaters (although not wholesome as I would like). Although we are on the older end of the book now, there are still some good ideas. It also gives me some inspiration to better my nutrition.

Overall: I think this book is "best" suited for someone who is pregnant...then next suited for someone who has just given birth (but do you really have time to read? :)

Feeding Baby Green (2010-01-23)

Judging by the cover, I thought that this is one of those crazy environmentalists books and didn't really want to read it. But since I just had a baby, I decided to give it a try. Surprise! It wasn't that crazy after all. The book is mostly about how to teach a baby to like regular healthy food, as opposed to fast-food junk. I really liked the idea that babies need to be introduced to real food flavors before becoming toddlers, when they will not be so inclined to try new foods.
The book has a lot of sound advise, without going to the extremes.

Feeding Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nutrition During Pregnancy, Childhood, and Beyond (2010-01-11)

Just in time for the recent spotlight on making every aspect of life eco-friendly comes //Feeding Baby Green// by Alan Greene, M.D. This book proposes a method of developing "healthy, safe nutrition" for children, starting with pregnancy and continuing through about eight years old, forming the basis for a full lifetime of healthy eating. Here Dr. Greene shares his thoughts on how to avoid a picky eater (by eating a wide variety of "flavor threads" throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding, and taking advantage of the window of opportunity when young babies are more likely to try new things), the best solid foods to start a baby on (say no to bland rice cereal and yes to whole grains and real vegetables and fruits), and a plethora of exciting recipes that are kid-friendly and nutritionally sound. This book is laid out in a very straightforward manner, progressing chronologically through the years, and each chapter focuses on recurring themes (windows of opportunity, engaging the senses) to keep the information provided clearly sorted and easy to understand. This book would be a great read for any expecting mother.

Reviewed by Holly Scudero

Food Chaining: The Proven 6-Step Plan to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems, and Expand Your Child’s Diet

Authors: Cheri Fraker, Dr. Mark Fishbein Dr., Sibyl Cox, Laura Walbert
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Publication date: 2007-11-02
ISBN: 1600940161
Pages: 416
Rating:
Price: $15.95

Customes reviews 11

Good ideas (2009-11-27)

As the mom of a former 24 weeker and tube fed for 1 year this book has good ideas about how to get him eating.

Not detailed enough to be useful (2009-03-01)

I think the idea of food chaining has potential, but the book wasn't detailed enough to help me put it into practice. The reviews that involve people who dealt with the authors in person rather than trying to get help from reading the book alone miss the point, because the book doesn't provide enough information to implement a food chaining approach, at least in my experience. It didn't give details about the order in which to introduce foods and when to switch to new foods. It didn't talk about what to do when the child refuses to try the new foods that are offered. Plus, the focus on bringing together a team of five professionals to assess your child was misguided because people that want to go that route probably aren't getting a self-help book. So, I tried a few new foods with my daughter, she refused to even consider trying them, so I gave up and went back to what I had been doing. I found Ellyn Satter's books to be more helpful, although they don't focus enough on what to do about picky eating.

great for older kids too (2009-02-05)

Though the book is written for mostly younger children, there is plenty of information for helping older children, including a few accounts of the authors' 9-13 year old pediatric clients.

I read the book before the first appointment with my 11 yr. old son's nutritionist. So glad that I did because I was able to come in with a wealth of information on the subject and with the nutritionist, was able to come up with some great food chains to work on.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone with a child (or even an adult) with selective eating disorder (as it's called in the UK,) food neophobia, and/or is an extreme picky eater.

relievedparent (2009-01-06)

For two and half years of age, my son's poor nutritional intake was augmented nearly exclusively via a liquid diet. He just would not eat real food and his poor weight gain was diagnosed as "failure to thrive." As the parent of an exceedingly picky eater, I was delighted to have a book that was able to help us support our son with taking more solid foods and move towards a more diverse diet. The authors explain in a very accessible language why some children become picky eaters. More importantly, they provide sound advise through the process call food chaining on how to create a plan that can move a child from eating only bacon strips to having a cheeseburger. The book has helped our family transition from always having stressful meal situations to more enjoyable and supportive meal times. A year later, my son's weight is above the 15th percentile and all of his nutrition comes from real food.

Fantastic book for parents of children with feeding difficulties (2008-12-30)

This is a wonderful resource for any family dealing with feeding difficulties. My 18-month old daughter has a history of gastrointestinal reflux disease, multiple food protein allergies, sensory integration disorder and gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying). In addition to these medical issues, she has been diagnosed with a pediatric feeding disorder due to her strong aversion to anything that is not dry and crunchy. We have had her in feeding therapy since she was 10 months old, but started looking for other information when her therapy recently started hitting a plateau.

This book has been a wonderful resource for me as a parent, and helped our relatives to understand my daughter's condition through its clear explanations of the underlying causes of feeding disorders. The food chaining section has helped me to think more creatively about the foods I offer my daughter and the order in which I present those foods. The concept of taking a set of accepted foods and slowly expanding the child's food horizons is very useful for any parent dealing with a child with extreme food selectivity.

I thank the feeding team that authored this book for their insightful work and only wish that they lived in my city so that I could work with them directly!

Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby's First Foods

Authors: Nina Planck
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 2009-03-31
ISBN: 1596913940
Pages: 288
Rating:
Price: $17.00

Customes reviews 21

Some good, information, many flaws (2010-03-06)

Nina Planck's Real Food is an excellent primer for ditching industrial crap and eating wholesome nourishing foods, so I was excited to read Real Food for Mother and Baby. No, i'm not planning on having a baby anytime soon, but if you are planning on having a baby ever, it's important to start planning when you are young. In this book she makes the point that when you are having a baby, it is drawing on fat stores laid many years before. What kinds of fats do you want going into your future children?

Nina Planck is of the Weston A. Price school of thought. I am personally a paleo dieter, but since there is no paleo baby book currently and WAPF has some intersection, lots of this advice might be useful for prospective paleo parents.

Her fertility chapter is particularly good. Her four fertility rules are: be an omnivore, eat good fats, eat seafood, and don't eat carbage. She talks about the most important nutrients and how to get them.

Isn't it nutritionism to reduce it to nutrients? No, because our modern diets are so deficient that to get these naturally has to be learned. Most Americans get their folate and iodine from enriched bread and salt. You have to be aware and willing to adjust your diet to get them on the paleo diet. She also emphasizes the importance of MEN getting these nutrients too and points out all the studies that show that the quality and quantity of most modern men's sperm has decreased. For men the most important nutrients are antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, iron, DHA, selenium, and zine. It's a good excuse for future moms and dads to go enjoy some oysters together and then...well, you get the picture. The missing part of this chapter is information on recovering your fertility after taking the pill FOREVER, as many modern women do.

The prenatal chapter is less useful, as it talks mostly about how much trouble she had complying with the WAPF prescriptions and how she drank alcohol because the risk isn't *that* high. Hmm. The information on morning sickness is interesting though. Apparently it's a universal thing from !Kung hunter-gatherer women to modern women and is an evolutionary adaptation. Even more useful is the information on iron. Nina points out how excessive Iron can feed bad bacteria in the gut. Many doctors give pregnant women iron supplements, but there is strong evidence that the decline in iron concentration is a natural adaptation to protect women from infection.

Her childbirth chapter goes even less well. She really really wants to have a "natural" childbirth, but ends up needing a C-section because of the unusual position of her baby. I wish she had gone into more detail about why she wanted such a natural childbirth in the first place, since so many people think they concept is woo. But there are good reasons to not want a C-section and birth where your baby is immediately taken away to a ward, one of them is that it permanently alters the gut ecosystem and another is that it can affect the release of bonding hormones, which is discussed in detail in the CThe Continuum Concept: In Search Of Happiness Lost (Classics in Human Development).

BTW I think the idea that life for paleolithic woman was HORRIBLE because of pregnancy is garbage. Clearly, many many many women, almost all of our ancestors, gave birth without a problem. It was painful and some women did die, but I'm personally sick of hearing paleo detractors go on and on about it. Paleo diet is a diet and a thought paradigm, not a reinactment club. The fact that so many women gave birth in harsh environments is a testament to their health. It can unfortunately take generations of eating better to fully recover that strength in the form of better-formed pelvic bones that many of us lack these days.

The breastfeeding chapter is very interesting. Nina is a former low-fat vegetarian and presents valuable information on why that is NOT a good choice for nursing mothers. The smoking gun is the level of DHA, the important omega-3 fat, are .10% in vegans and the desirable level is .35%.

To my surprise I found that the Weston A. Price foundation does not endorse this book.

I understand why. This book is good, but it also highlights the extremely difficult struggle to have healthy children in a modern urban environment. After reading this book, I vowed that if I have children I would want to have a supportive community first.

Nina tries to feed her baby healthy, but doesn't seem to want the other moms to think she is a weirdo, so she lets her baby have crackers and bread. Soon enough, that's all baby Julian wants to eat.

There are good arguments for not turning children into pariahs with "weird" diets, but you should be able to feed a non-talking baby whatever you want. If anything, this exposes a flaw in WAPF. Adults know that fermented properly prepared grains are the only healthy grains, but a baby doesn't. It doesn't matter if you are feeding your baby the best bread ever, you are still giving it a taste for bread. It's too bad, because Nina recognizes that grains are unnecessary and even detrimental for young babies. With the culture against you, I think it's important to at least get in the best possible nutrition before kids realize the social status of cake. And this will happen.

I suspect a major problem is her friends, who she mentions don't think twice before feeding their kids white flour. I hope the paleo community is big enough when I have kids, so I don't have to worry about mothers in my playgroup who think not giving your kids cupcakes on their birthday is a human rights violation.

I also have to wonder about prenatal yoga. This is SO trendy in cities like NYC and Nina participates in it. Her quest for a natural childbirth is thwarted because her baby is in a strange position and has to have a C-section. Hmmm, maybe contorting our adult bodies into unnatural positions isn't good for us.

Another New York problem rears its head. Nina has to work, so she has to hire a nanny. Early humans would have relied on family members to pick up the slack, but in today's sad isolated world, grandma lives 500 miles away and you have to pay someone who isn't related to you or a permanent part of your life...yet who will have a permanent influence. I remember when I worked at a camp and some children were picked up at 5 by nannies. They would look jealously at the children picked up by their mothers and grandmothers. Many would cry. Some of these nannied children had speech difficulties because their nannies didn't speak English well. There is also the inevitable loss of tradition as children are raised by strangers. I understand that some poor women have to send their children to daycare because their work feeds their family, but Nina Planck is not poor and later in the book they buy a second home. She talks about how carrying our babies is an important part of our evolutionary heritage with real benefits, but then she proceeds to hire a nanny? Hmm.

Overall I think this book is a good primer, but one of these days some paleo mama will come out with a book that's even better.

Real Food for mother and baby (2010-02-28)

Wonderful book! I am not yet pregnant but am trying to look into some of the things that I should be doing now so that I am not on information overload when I do get pregnant. I really liked this book. It is straight forward about it's ideas and a wonderful book to read if you want to get pregnant, are pregnant, or have a small child at home!! I would definitely recommend this book!!

OK, not as detailed as I would have liked (2010-02-20)

I like the book but it lacks some details. For instance she says just do this or that very casually but then when you read where she did something very specific later. She says to just feed your kid what you're eating and then later describes how she did not feed her child anything that was a combo food (like a soup or casserole), only single foods (such as a carrot) for several months. I found that kind of frustrating.

On the other hand, this is a good supplement for Nourishing Traditions and support for my natural/real food philosophy. I can show others that I have multiple resources saying it is ok to feed your baby egg yolks.

real food and nourishing traditions (2010-02-02)

well a bit of a disapointment. contrary to what nina says on her website, she does not in fact follow all the nourishing guidelines outlined by dr. price or sally fallon. it is a good book for those who want to do better, eating wise, than they are currently doing and to get a better grasp on what real nutrition is. if you follow her advice you will be doing better than most americans by far. but if it is real traditional eating you want stick to Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Healing our Children by Ramiel Nagel.

Inconsistent, contradictory, erroneous and unreliable (2009-12-13)

Do not read Real Food for Mother and Baby if you are looking for a solid source of knowledge about pregnancy, nursing and feeding babies. Planck's book is filled with inconsistencies, contradiction, bad advice and erroneous claims that seem to be just thrown out there without emphasis or reason. A portion of the bad advice is a rehash of mainstream information that comes from government institutions and coinciding industrial food and health corporations. For instance, Planck states that vaccinations are miracles which have completely wiped out major diseases. In reality, there is not a single scientific paper showing that vaccinations perform what they are claimed to do. Moreover, she endorses CDC recommendations of synthetic folic acid for women of childbearing age in order to prevent neural tube defects. Yet, elsewhere she attacks industrial food corporations for making food products that are synthetic and not "real food"; then points to a study in which women with the highest folate levels who were also deficient in vitamin B12 had babies who were small, fat, and insulin resistant at six years. These children are much more likely to be diabetic as adults. Says Planck: "This study also suggests why you probably don't need to fret about folic acid." In actuality, what the study suggests is that it is a bad idea to take synthetic folic acid as CDC recommends but important to get folic acid from foods that also contain B12.

Furthermore, Planck advises taking industrially processed fish oils, which are genuinely toxic and harmful to the body. Another poor suggestion is that pregnant women should sunbathe in the dead of winter. Additionally, Chapter three is littered with specious and unfounded claims which make it difficult to read, especially when she said that you don't need any extra foods during the first trimester of pregnancy and that you can take supplements if it is too difficult for you to eat well. More bad advice comes in the form of her statement that mothers should take anti-depressants even while nursing, because a depressed mom isn't good for the baby. The negative health effects from even a short-term usage of anti-depressants don't outweigh the claimed benefits; in fact, there is no biological test to know whether anti-depressants actually work or not.

Nonetheless, if you can see through the inconsistencies, Planck does give some good advice about avoiding refined and excessively processed "foods." In addition, she brings to surface the fallacies of the lipid hypothesis, which lacks any solid evidence to support its premise that fats, specifically saturated fats, cause degenerative diseases and unhealthy weight gain.

Overall, this book is not a reliable guide for nutrition advice for conceiving, carrying and nursing a baby. The guidelines are consistently misleading, defective and lack detailed explanations. If you want good advice then please turn to dependable sources for nutrition knowledge. These sources may include but are not limited to writings by such great minds as Weston A. Price, Francis M. Pottenger, Jr. and those associated with the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby To Love Good Food

Authors: Gill Rapley, Tracey Murkett
Publisher: Random House UK
Publication date: 2009-11-01
ISBN: 0091923808
Pages: 256
Rating:
Price: $19.95

Customes reviews 14

Great concept (2010-03-05)

This is a great philosophy and practice with well written book to back it up My twins are 5 months old, and I am waiting until they are 6 months old to begin feeding them (or letting them feed themselves.) This book does get a bit repetitive, as the gist can be summed up in one chapter. I sort of wish it talked more about sample menus, ways to cook or cut food appropriately, or simply had larger charts or tables. I suppose the point is that this is a more laid back introduction to weaning, but I still like easily digested charts. Also, I'm sure I'm not the only parent who wants to combine this practice with avoiding common foods that are connected to intolerances and allergies. More information about that would be nice.

So glad I tried this approach! (2010-01-13)

We started BLW about a month ago and I'm so glad I tried it. Purees and "babyfood" is such a part of what I considered conventional wisdom about parenting that I was hesitant, even after reading this book. However, what the book was saying made a lot of sense, so I took a leap of faith and decided to give it a try before attempting spoon feeding...a few weeks later we decided that spoon feeding would not be necessary. My son is loving exploring foods and is developing a healthy appetite - so far he loves broccoli, tomatoes, avocado and squash. It's also nice that I can adapt any meal we're having so that he eats what we're eating - it makes planning his meals much easier. I recommend this book - read it and then give it a try! You will be shocked by how much your baby innately knows about food. But be patient, for the first week or two your baby may not actually swallow anyfood - but he will eventually.

Didn't work for us... be careful!!! (2010-01-05)

I was so excited about this concept, but it just didn't work for us. My son became extremely frustrated with the large chunks of food. I offered him the sizes that Rapley recommended, and let him pick up what he wanted, and it just made him cry he was so frustrated. When I tried the homemade puree, he gobbled it up! I talked to a few pediatricians about Rapley's claim that the gag reflex moves down the tongue as the baby ages and none of the Dr.'s that I consulted agreed that this was true. One pediatrician actually said, "That is totally false. When I check for a gag reflex on a new born, I touch the back of the throat." We had a few scary choking episodes. Rapley tries to assuage the readers fear of choking by calling it gagging, but it still made my heart beat too fast and tears come to my eyes. By making my own gourmet purees, my son who is now 14 months (and still breastfeeding) loves to eat all kinds of foods from duck with fennel and garlic to sushi rolls!

Consider as a guide for new parents (2009-12-27)

There's nothing new about Gill Rapley's ideas, besides the name, but for parents who think feeding a baby means jars and purees, it's a good read. Before commercial baby foods (and even after for most parents in most parts of the world), babies were simply offered bites off their parent's plate when they were ready to start solids. But when most of us were babies, the recommendation became to start solids at very young ages and purees were introduced (how else will you get "solid" food into a 2 week old?). Now that the recommendations have returned to more realistic expectations of when babies will be ready to eat, more and more parents are realizing that their babies don't need mush - they can eat "real" food right off the bat. If you'd like to introduce this idea to a new parent, aren't certain when or how to start feeding your baby solids, or need support for when Grandma is horrified, this is the book to buy. If you're looking for recipes for "baby" food, tables of what food to introduce at what age, or detailed lists of foods to avoid, you won't find them here. This is just a reassuring introduction to the idea of simply feeding your baby from your own healthy meals.

By the way, for American audiences, "weaning" technically begins as soon as food other than breastmilk (or formula) is introduced. If you're looking for a guide on weaning baby from the breast, you're looking at the wrong book!

Baby-led Solids should be the real title (2009-11-15)

Great book. First off this is not a weaning off the breast book, it is an introduction to solids book.

I exclusively breastfed my daughter for 8mos and when I was ready to introduce solids, she wasn't. She was more interested in feeding herself and wouldn't let me spoon feed her. Turns out that was great for me. I spoon fed my boys at 4 and 5 mos old and it was very time consuming and I wasn't sure if they were full or fussy when they'd refuse to eat.

This book eliminates the struggle. Babies have a sensitive gag reflex and by using this book I was able to let my baby take the lead on feeding herself while not overreacting at any sound she made while eating. Also it gives a great guideline of how much and when to feed them solids that correlates with breastfeeding and formula feeding.

If your little one has issues with spoon feeding or heck even if they don't, this is a great book for beginner feeders. I wish I had this with my boys.

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