Baby Nutrition

Obviously my 16 month old, loves the Raw Crunch bars, (check out the old wrapper design :). In fact, due to some luck, what I ate during pregnancy and what I fed her as an infant she prefers healthy fare over sugary junk. Some of her favorite foods include: avocado, hummus, edamame, cheese, green beans, asparagus, sweet potatoes, carrots, tofu, eggs and almost every variety of fresh fruit especially strawberries, mango, bananas and peaches. I do my best to buy all organic for her, especially her strawberries, potatoes, green vegetables, beets, carrots, free-range eggs and avocado. I peel the peach skin on conventional peaches since the fuzz hold a lot of pesticides. Ever since she and my son turned 5-6 months old they have had a this smoothie for breakfast. Here is the recipe (feel free to add or remove any ingredients):

2 tablespoons organic baby oatmeal (in box, I use Earth's Best)
1/2 cup whole milk organic yogurt, plain
1/2 banana
2 pieces each of fresh/frozen pineapple, peaches and/or mango

1 teaspoon whole flaxseeds (brain food for babies and helps with digestion)

1/4 avocado (brain food for babies)
1 teaspoon wheatgerm

1/2 tsp. Vitamineral Green (optional)
Dash of water and/or orange juice

Blend all ingredients in the blender or baby mixer until smooth and make sure the flaxseeds are ground very well. Pour it in the sippy cups with the straw attachment if your child is able to sip from a straw. If not, make half the recipe use less water and/or orange juice so it is a bit thicker and you can feed it to them with a spoon. This should be used as a staple in their diet. Avocado, by the way, is one of the healtiest foods for you little one, especially during their brain development, considering the brain is made up of mainly essential fatty acids.
If you have any questions on baby nutrition, I'll be glad to try and answer them. There is also a good book called "Super Baby Food" that you may want to check out.
Kathy