How absolutely sad and depressing! Another reason to start fresh wholesome foods early on!

3 to 5-year-olds [in this study] generally thought of fast food, for example, as “fun, exciting, and tasty”, and thought of cola brands as fun for reasons such as “the bubbles are fun,” and “lots of people like them.”

The researchers wrote: “Contrary to conclusions drawn in prior research, the present findings suggest that children aged 3 to 5 years have an emerging capacity to understand the symbols of brands for which they form part of the target segment. Preschoolers can and do judge others on the basis of brand use. This finding has clear public policy implications in relation to at least two issues: materialism and the formation of eating habits.”

Read more here

Last week I was contacted by “jane” whose daycare center told her she would not be able to bring in her homemade baby food any longer.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children is a body that daycare centers in the U.S. seek accreditation from.  The NAEYC has proposed an “emerging practice” that would inhibit the ability of parents to bring homemade baby food to daycare.   At issue is Section 5.B.10

I spoke with Suzy at the NAEYC 5th MArch and she was happy to answer my questions regarding this matter.  She assured me that the Section in question was an “emerging practice” and not a mandate.  She was unaware of any centers telling parents that rules regarding homemade baby food had changed due to this.  Suzy set up an ID so that I might login to the NAEYC’s TORCH database and make my concerns heard.  On 5 March 2010 I made the following comment:

I was hoping to post this to the Section 5 discussion however it has been closed. I am wondering specifically about how Section 5.B.10 will affect parents who make and feed their infants homemade baby foods.  I have heard of a center that is already banning homemade baby food and the parents must now bring in jars; “emerging practice” not withstanding…

To limit the parent’s ability to send in homemade baby food (not to be shared) seems rather draconian.  With the rising numbers of parents who choose to make baby food at home, there should continue to be a supportive environment. Section 5.B.10 might be a [negative] factor in a parent’s feeding decision.  Also, there are many infants who will refuse jarred foods if they have been fed homemade foods (and v.v).

I am hoping that this section be amended to include homemade baby food!  Thank you for your thoughts, replies and considerations.

Maggie – wholesomebabyfood.com

I also sent a letter to the daycare center in question at the beginning of the week.  At this time I have yet to receive a reply via email, letter or phone call.  I will once again contact the center’s headquarters.

In the meantime, please go to http://www.naeyc.org/academy/ and highlight LogIn then click TORCH Login and register to let your thoughts be heard. It is important that families be able to send in their own homemade baby food to their daycare centers.

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post about this on 5th March on Facebook so you can let us know if you have experienced being unable to take homemade baby food to daycare.   Comment here or on Facebook!

I made a meal with orzo the other night.  Orzo used to be made from barley but it’s now commonly made from durham semolina (wheat).  Orzo is also known as “rice pasta” and is about the size of cooked rice grains.

You can find orzo in many colors though it is most commonly found in the white-ish yellow color of pasta.   Rainbow orzo will be red, green and yellow/white.  Try the Rainbow Orzo for your baby; it’s colors will stir interest!

Orzo is another great finger food for babies and is really great for those learning to self-feed.  Cooking orzo is as easy as cooking pasta and is as versatile as pasta is too!

For babies, cook orzo according to package directions then add ingredients as you please.  Try adding these ingredients to orzo:

Applesauce
Pear Sauce
Sweet Potatoes
Peas
Squash – winter  or summer squash
Shreds of chicken or beef
Bits of cheese
Egg Yolks
Broth and Veggies

The possibilities for an orzo meal for your little one are endless!

We ate the orzo with sauteed chicken and topped it with a black bean sauce – YUM!

Well I’m back with the Yam/Name update.  I promised to peel and cook this little yam but alas, I can’t.  As I began peeling the Name I noticed an odd smell so I decided to cut it in half.  As you can see, this is clearly NOT how the name should look.  And the smell….

So instead, please enjoy the pictures of the opossum that I found in the backyard last night.  The camera was a bit slow in the flash and tracking….

I’m so excited! I found a real true yam in the grocery store a few days ago! Having just come thru 5 days sans power/cable/internet/phone, I’ve been waiting patiently to be able to post my find! So here it is, the real true Yam or Name. The name Name is pronounced Ny-Aah-May and it looks like a really dirty white potato. Here’s a few images to tide you over. Tonight I will dissect and cook this little yam and report back tomorrow!

See the difference?  Nifty huh!  You can visit our Sweet Potato Baby Food & Recipes page to learn more