Updates to the
Super Baby Food Book, Second Edition

This page was last updated on 2/11/2003.

Here are some additions and corrections to the Super Baby Food Book, 1998 edition. You may find it convenient to print this page.

An often-asked question is: Is it better to feed my baby homemade from food that is not organic, or canned/jarred food that is organic? Well, it depends. It depends on the level of pesticide used on the food, the type of pesticide, how it was stored, how it was grown. This is something that I cannot answer because I don't know the facts about the particular food you are using. Sorry. It is best to use foods that are in season and organic, which can now be found at most large supermarkets and practically all natural foods stores. Also, search the web for "organic foods" or "natural foods."

In the book, I strongly recommend a blender for pulverizing grains for baby food with the use of a mini-blend container. EVEN BETTER, try using a coffee grinder! It works better, is easier to clean, and is usually cheaper to buy than a blender. You can also use if for grinding pumpkin seeds and nuts, as long as the owner's manual says that this will not ruin the grinder. Of course, you can also use it to grind coffee!!

For the homemade baby wipes recipe on page 464, instead of using baby shampoo or baby wash, you can use two tablespoons of a mild antibacterial soap with moisturizer, such as DialŽ. Then you can leave out the lavender oil, if you wish, and not be concerned about bacteria. Since the second edition of Super Baby Food has been published, I have read that, in some rare cases, baby shampoos can cause mold and mildew to form in the wipes, so it is probably best to go with the antibacterial soap (or baby wash + lavender oil).

E. coli and organic foods. For those that have my book, you know that I highly recommend using organic fruits/veggies and grains throughout the book because pesticides might be dangerous to your developing baby (see pages 38-39). Recently, ABC's John Stossel did a report on how organic foods might be contaminated with E. coli, from the organic fertilizers used on the farm crops (cow manure). Please read the middle paragraph on page 279, which discusses the dangers of E. coli bacteria. Which is less evil--the E. coli or the pesticides? Here's what I suggest. Continue using organic foods for your baby, but be sure that any possible bacteria are killed. With the organic grains used in Super Porridge, there's no need to worry about bacteria because they are killed when you mix the ground grains into the boiling water. The same goes for organic veggies that are well-cooked--the heat kills them. It is UNCOOKED fruit/veggies that you must worry about. To remove any surface bacteria, you can wash them very well with an antibacterial fruit/veggie wash, which is now available at most natural foods stores and the larger supermarkets, and rinse, rinse, rinse. (On pages 180-182, place a note in your book that you should rinse veggies/fruits under running tap water for at least 30 seconds.) Or you can rinse the fruit under running tap water to remove most of the surface dirt first, and then submerge it into boiling water for 1-3 minutes to kill any E. coli that may be left on the surface. By following these instructions, you can be sure that your baby is safe from both E. coli and pesticides.
Here are some websites with fruit and vegetable washes:
http://www.tryfit.com/
http://www.vegiwash.com/

JOHN STOSSEL'S REPORT WAS MISLEADING: Click here.

Why wash the peel when your baby is not going to eat it? It is very important to wash the peel of a fruit/veggie, even if you are not going to eat the peel. When you cut into it, the knife may carry bacteria and pesticides from the peel into the inside of the fruit/veggie and contaminate it.

E. coli and sprouts. Since my book has been published in 1998, there has been evidence that raw sprouts are dangerous for your baby, due to possible E. coli problems. Please note that this is true even for sprouts that you have sprouted yourself at home from seeds, because the seeds might contain the bacteria. Again, I suggest dipping the sprouts into boiling water to heat them to at least 185 degrees F to kill any possible bacteria (see the thermometer on page 164).

Linda E. emailed me to ask why you shouldn't wash veggies/fruits BEFORE refrigerating. Good question! The reason is simply because of the possibility of cross-contamination from other foods in your refrigerator. You can wash produce before refrigerating, but then wash them again immediately before eating in case they picked up bacteria from other food in your refrigerator.

Typo on page 242, first paragraph. It should read, "Walnut butter is ground walnuts. Almond butter is ground almonds." Thank you for finding this mistake Vikki M.

There are some page number references to pages in the back of the book that are slightly off. For example, on page 278 in the first paragraph, last sentence: "As can be seen by comparing the two food pyramids on pages 504 and 505..." The food pyramids are actually on pages 502 and 503. When you find that what you're looking for isn't on the referenced page, try looking two pages before. Sorry for this inconvenience! (For those familiar with word processors, I figured out that somehow two pages got added near the back of the book somewhere, due to an overflow of one sentence onto the next page and a force page odd/even, before the automatic cross-reference generation was done. Aaarrgghh! That's why you'll find these errors for page references in the back part of the book and none (hopefully!) in the references to front pages of the book.)

ABOUT SUPER PORRIDGE: I get asked these questions so often via email that I thought I would post the answers here and save myself typing.
- Question 1 about Super Porridge: I followed the directions for making Super Porridge and it came out thick and gritty. What did I do wrong?
- The answer: First, Super Porridge will be thicker and more gritty than the commercial baby cereals, because it's much less processed. There will be some big pieces in the cereal, which are nothing to be concerned about. They may pass through your baby and be seen in his/her poop - no need to worry about this. (See "Poop Panic!, page 27.)
If your baby is not handling the texture well, try this: Grind the brown rice or other grain very well in your blender. Then place the ground grains in a strainer and shake. Use the strained smaller pieces to make Super Porridge. Remember, though, to use the whole unstrained ground grains when your baby gets older and is able to handle the texture. Those gritty pieces are fiber-filled and healthy for your baby!
Here's an idea for making Super Porridge smoother from Tammy B.:
"I read your website where you said a lot of Moms say that the super porridge is too grainy or just too different from the commercial baby cereals. Well, I have found that after I have cooked my 2-3 day batch (even after I have put the blender to the dry grains) I put it in my mini-food processor for about 4 minutes to really get it soupy. The texture becomes much more smooth and closer to the consistency of commercial baby cereal. Yes there are still a few grains but you can just avoid putting them on the spoon when feeding to your baby. I don't know if that may help anyone, but it sure seems to work with my 6 1/2 mos old." Thanks, Tammy!!
- Question 2 about Super Porridge: My baby doesn't like Super Porridge; she's used to the processed commercial rice cereal and refuses to eat my homemade. What should I do?
- The answer: It is best to start your baby out on Super Porridge from the very beginning.    For those whose babies who have already had the commercial and prefer it over homemade Super Porridge, try this: Mix just a bit of Super Porridge into foods that your baby loves, such as pureed veggies/fruits or mix a small amount into the commercial baby cereal. Gradually increase the amount of Super Porridge until most or all of the food is Super Porridge.
- Question 3 about Super Porridge: Should I wash the grains before I grind them? If I do, they can't be easily ground because they are wet and they become a sticky mess.
- The answer: If you buy organic grains, then there's no real need to wash them. Any bacteria on the grains will be killed in the boiling water. If you still choose to wash the grains before grinding, do so by putting them in a strainer and rinsing under running tap water. Keep in mind, though, that you are washing away some valuable nutrients, especially the water-soluble B vitamins. After rinsing, blot off most of the water with towels, then place on dry towels to air dry. Or spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 200-300 degrees F until dry. Then grind away.

Finger Feeding Super Porridge: Here's a great idea from Jane: "Paul will not let us feed him much, if any. He wants to do it all by himself. This presents a problem with SP, as it is not easily picked up & Paul is not very good with the spoon yet. I put individual servings of SP in small containers (brewer's yeast & kelp already mixed in) and refrigerate it. The SP sets up--similar to Jell-OŽ. I cut it up into small cubes that Paul will pick up and eat happily. He gets his food and nutrition and I get happy that he eats." Thank you, Jane!!

"My baby has already had commercial foods": It probably won't be too much of a problem to start your baby on homemade. If your baby refuses to eat the homemade, try mixing just a bit of homemade foods into the commercial foods she likes as an introduction. Then gradually increase the proportion of homemade in her food until it's 100% homemade. Remember - no pressure to eat and keep your face pleasant and relaxed. Offer but NEVER force.

"My baby is older": Many parents get my book when their baby is older and has already started solid foods; they want to know if they must start with the beginning foods on page 88. The answer is "no." Let's say your baby is 8 months old. Technically, you can feed your baby any of the foods in the first 5 columns on pages 86-87. However, a good idea would be to start with the beginning foods pureed into a very smooth texture. If your baby handles this texture with no problem, then increase the thickness and lumpiness of the food with each meal until your baby is handling a texture that is age-appropriate. Use the 4-day wait rule, of course, with any new foods to test for allergies.

Mini-blend container on page 150: http://www.goodmans.net/ has it for the Oster/Sunbeam blender.  Another site which sells them in sets of two is http://www.appliancesales.com. Click Accessories & Parts on their top menu and choose Oster or Osterizers. Leave the ? in the model and type number box and click search database. Look at the very bottom of the table for part number 927-13. Please email me to let me know if you order and have any comments to make about these companies and I'll post them here.

COW'S MILK: When the experts say not to give cow's milk to a baby until they are one year old, they mean not to give cow's milk AS A REPLACEMENT FOR BREASTMILK/FORMULA.
It is OK to have cow's milk be a part of a baby's diet as an ingredient in foods in the solid foods portion of the diet, such as yogurt. This assumes that the baby is older than at least 6 months and not allergic to milk or is lactose intolerant.
Until about 8-9 months, breastmilk/formula is THE most important part of the diet. Solid foods should not REPLACE breastmilk/formula; it should SUPPLEMENT it. It is most important to make sure your baby is getting enough breastmilk/formula daily. If s/he is not, then you should decrease the amount of solid foods so that baby is hungry enough to get the recommended amount of daily breastmilk/formula. Solid foods do not play a significant
nutritional role in the diet until after about 8 months.
Yogurt can be given as early as 6 months, with your pediatrician's OK, as a part of the solid foods portion of your baby's diet. If milk allergy runs in the family, you should probably avoid giving your baby yogurt made from cow's milk. Talk to your pediatrician. People with milk/lactose intolerance may be able to handle yogurt because its friendly bacteria has decreased the amount of lactase, the agent in yogurt that is a problem for lactose intolerant people.
Be sure that your first concern is that your baby is getting the recommended amount of breastmilk/formula in my book during his/her first year according to age in months.

BOTULISM AND CORN SYRUP: There are conflicting opinions from the experts about whether it is risky to give your baby corn syrup--some say it's possible that a baby can get botulism from corn syrup, some say it's not. (NOTE: The corn syrup used as an ingredient in baby formula is safe. See page 36.) Many pediatricians recommend giving Karo syrup in water to a baby with constipation. Your pediatrician and you should make the final decision on whether you will give this to your baby. To help with your decision, here are some webpages and newsgroup/chat group postings with more information on corn syrup and botulism:
http://www.pcc.com/lists/pedtalk.archive/9710/0611.html
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/epi/botuf.htm
http://www.pcc.com/lists/pedtalk.archive/9711/0339.html
http://www.drgreene.com/970602.html
http://home.coqui.net/myrna/botu.htm
http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/pages/families/nncc/Nutrition/make.babyfd.html
http://hlunix.hl.state.ut.us/els/epidemiology/epifacts/infantbo.html
One reader says that her pediatrician told her to put a teaspoon of dark brown sugar into her son's formula for his constipation. You might want to ask your pediatrician about this.

FRUIT: On page 88, it says that you can introduce mild fruits, cooked and strained, but on page 454, it says they shouldn't be introduced until 8 months.    At 5-7 months these fruits should be COOKED and STRAINED. At 8 months you can start feeding them to your baby RAW according to the directions on page 455. Wash, peel, remove pit and puree. It's important to peel because the peels are choking hazards.

HOW TO COOK FRUIT: To cook fruit, wash, peel, core, and cut into uniform chunks. Put the chunks into a small pot with a little water and cook over low-medium heat until fork-tender. Use some of the water you cooked the fruit in to puree the fruit, it has valuable nutrients in it. Feed immediately (after cooled, of course), refrigerate well-covered for no more than 1-2 days, or freeze for up to 2 months using the Food Cube Method.

WATER FOR YOUR BABY: Water is discussed in the book starting on the bottom of page 61. Note that your baby does not need any water UNTIL SHE STARTS SOLID FOODS to help the kidneys. I get many emails from concerned parents whose babies refuse to drink water.
1. Try putting just a teaspoon or two in a baby cup and give it to your baby. The cup might be interesting enough to your baby that s/he will drink the water.
2. Try mixing a teaspoon of water with a tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of formula/breastmilk in a cup. If your baby drinks it, increase to 2 teaspoons water + 2 teaspoons formula/breastmilk. Then gradually keep increasing the water and decreasing the formula/breastmilk until it's ALL water. Remember to limit baby's consumption of water as directed in the book, and to keep baby's formula/breastmilk consumption to recommended amounts for baby's age.

MY BABY ISN'T EATING ENOUGH! I can't count the emails I get from concerned Moms and Dads who think that their baby is not eating enough. First, remember that breastmilk/formula is THE most important food for your baby during at least the first 8 months of her life. Some Mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for the entire first year -- no solid foods at all -- and their babies are perfectly healthy. Now I'm not recommending this; I'm saying it so you won't worry so much about solid foods. Be sure your baby is getting enough breastmilk/formula for his/her age and be sure that your baby is getting enough iron, and don't worry about the solid foods so much. Almost always, these parents who email me have babies who are between 7 and 9 months old. They are in a panic that their babies are starving. Please know that this "not eating enough" period WILL end in a few weeks. It happens every single time that these parents email me a few weeks later saying their baby has started eating like a cute little piggie. :-)  Often parents become concerned when their babies begin finger feeding and lose all interest in spoon feeding. Parents claim that their babies ate lots of food happily from the spoon before they started finger foods and now refuse to eat anything from the spoon. Again, not to worry! Your baby is almost definitely eating enough. Try sneaking in spoonfuls of food WHILE your baby is finger feeding; many parents have success in spoon-feeding this way. See also the paragraph above on Finger Feeding Super Porridge. For parents who are still concerned that their babies are not eating enough, do this: Keep a food diary as described on page 57 and show it to your pediatrician.

Page 466 Dundee no longer sells irregular diapers. One reader suggested
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/.      If you order from this company, please email me with feedback so I can pass it on to other moms and dads. Thanks!
Elizabeth M. wrote: "I got my first round of cloth diapers from this company and there have been the best quality so far. I got the second round of diapers from www.weebees.com and those aren't as good - the thread has started to unravel because the sewing machine didn't sew down the ends. Wee Bees has great diaper pins, and I also got great cloth diaper wipes from them." Thanks for your input, Elizabeth!

BORAX: The borax that I discuss on page 474 can be found in the laundry detergent aisle usually. A common brand is 20 Mule TeamŽ Borax. Remember to keep it away from baby because it is not baby-safe, but it is more friendly to the environment than other disinfectants, which is why it's in my book as part of the homemade dishwashing machine detergent on page 476.

Re-freezing Foods: Many readers have written to me asking about re-freezing foods. In my book, I say it shouldn't be done. Some experts disagree, although re-freezing foods causes nutrient loss and possible bacteria problems. For your information, a reader emailed me with this information on a webpage: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/freezing.htm. I put it here so that you can discuss re-freezing with your pediatrician and decide what is best. Thanks, Donna K for pointing us to this information!

Tip on removing air from plastic freezer bags: To get air out of a plastic bag, DON'T try to suck it out with a straw. Instead, close the bag most of the way, and then submerge it in a large container of water. The water pressure collapses the bag, forcing the air out of the corner you left open, and there you go! Zip it up the rest of the way and you have far more air out of the bag than by trying to suck it out. (And no choking on crumbs of food! ) Thank you, Melissa S!

Page 42 Baby Alive Video: The AAP no longer carries The Baby Alive video. You can, however contact the production company to receive a copy:
Dr. Maurice Teitel
Alive Productions
PO Box 72
Port Washington, NY 11050      #516-944-3232
Thank you for this info, Aimee M.!!

My thanks to those that emailed me with questions and pointed out these corrections. If you find any other errors in the book or have any questions, please Email me at ruth@superbabyfood.com. I'll post them here for the convenience of other readers. Thanks in advance for your time!

The Super Baby Food Book is
THE most complete book and reference manual
on feeding your baby on the market today
--ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED!!

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Updates to the Super Baby Food Book, Second Edition

Updates to the
Super Baby Food Book, Second Edition