As many parents find the different stages of feeding babies and young children daunting, we give clear recommendations through the stages of weaning and beyond with recipes and menu planners to help you to provide all the nutrients your child needs in the correct amounts. Busy lifestyles often leave little time for cooking, so we have devised recipes that use a wide range of cooking methods  – from quick stir-frying to baking to slow casseroling. We have also included some recipes for foods that can be made in advance and frozen, as well as some that simply involve combining different foods on a plate in the right proportions. 

      Healthy eating does not have to mean depriving your child of their favorite foods. By using quality ingredients you can make delicious burgers, nuggets, pizzas, fries, and kebabs that are far more nutritious than the commercial varieties, which usually contain additives and an excess of salt, sugars, and fats. Research has shown that most children today eat far too much sugar, fat, and salt – mainly in the form of highly-processed snacks – and as a result, many of them are becoming overweight. By encouraging your child to be active, and above all by developing healthy eating patterns from an early age, you can prevent your child from developing such weight problems. Most parents – understandably – also worry when their child seems to lose his appetite. But most children go off their food from time to time. Bear in mind that your child doesn’t need to eat well at every meal, or even every day. As long as he consumes a good balance of foods over a period of a week or so he will obtain all the nutrients he needs.