To think Annabel Karmel is just sugar and bread?

[Udderly]

I bought one of the Annabel Karmel books during the week to get some finger food ideas for my 8 mth old. I am absolutely at the recipes, loads of sugar, loads of bread - e.g sandwiches with cream cheese and raspberry jam!!! I was expecting the recipes to be a little more healthy than they are!!

I'm not a fan as I don't have the attention span to follow any recipe (my problem not AKs), also I don't like the way everything has to look like a smiley face or a boat or something, I'd rather start at the point of serving up food as it comes, and only having to dick about with it if I had an invalid child who HAD to eat. Or a special event.

I honestly don't get the fuss about AK.

I bought the recipe book. I have made quite a few of the recipes. The ones I'm not keen on (for whatever reason) - I just don't make them! Easy peasy!

I've don't feel like she's preached to me about sugary cereals, or tricked me into adding unnecessary sugar to DS's food. She's just given me some ideas about what to cook when I was feeling uninspired!

I used to loathe AK esp all the puree nonsense which wre one of the main reasons i did BLW but then discovered her Top 100 Pasta (which is not just pasta oddly enough) and top 100 finger foods recently. These are much better, more varied, and actually has food that we all like eating as a family, and are suitable for our BLW 9 month old. I've surprised myself with how much i do cook from them. So maybe look at those books for ideas. The other book I love is Jennie Maizels Finger Foods book.

The Jennie Maizels is the book I linked to. It is good - am about to dip in again for the third baby!

For anyone worrying about fat, you do realise that young children need way more fat than adults, don't you? Frying things in healthier oils is really not a problem for babies and toddlers who are a healthy weight and is actually a good way of increasing the fat content of their diet. Similarly full fat everything is essential - I often make a tomato sauce for us and then add cream or cream cheese or mascarpone to the children's for example. Low fat diets for small children are not a great idea.

Oh, and my tomato sauce ALWAYS has a pinch of sugar in it :)

Cripes! I thought finger food was just food cut into small pieces! Y'know- bits of apple and banana and bread and butter!

Agree with the poster who uses AK's book for inspiration. I used to always make the same stuff for DH and myself but using AK's books i found that casseroles are delicious and really easy to make and have added them to our repertoire. Also loved the idea of adding grated apple to chicken mince To give it a sweeter taste.
Just ignore those recipes you do not like the sound of!

Another good place for baby and toddler recipes is the Sainsbury's website!

Prudaloo, quite. But when you are a walking zombie from sleep deprivation and you look at your 5 and 3yr old eating crisps/biscuits/lollies/cereal bars*, then you look at your just-started-with-food 6mth old and think 'crap, what can i give you?'. So a book that says 'pancakes, cheese straws, cheese sandwiches' is (tragically) useful...

*not mine. oh no.

You can all knock her all you want but the fact is all 3 dcs gobbled down all her recipes I tried. Also a pinch of sugar in pasta sauce is not going to harm anyone. That said I think she lost a lost of credibility when she launched a range of ready meals, the whole premise of her books was that it was better to make your own baby foods than buy them.

Let the publisher know your thoughts and they should offer you a refund. I bought the Baby and Toddler Meal Planner and was really annoyed that although it stated 6 months for the weaning age the programme was suggesting the same weaning introduction as previously recommended from 4 months! She also advised no sugar, but has sugar in recipes and even honey in one from about 9 months.

I wrote my scathing comments to Annabel on her website and to her publishers. The publishers gave me a copy of Gins Ford's weaning book. Think that was probably worse! Think I got a refund also.

To get best out of the tomato sauce, yes sugar and salt.
Sugar will reduce acidity of tomatoes.
Proper "pomodoro" sauce has been made in this way for centuries.

OP, don't wast your money on cookery books, just give DC food you prepare for rest of the family.
Best snacks are fresh fruit, cut up hard cheese, cottage cheese, cut up vegetables, hummus, breadsticks, nothing wrong with bread or sugar in moderation.
I have certainly found with my DC's that transitional stage between a baby and toddler, carb demanding one.
They are growing rapidly and need energy.

I liked her first book. I used it when I worked as a Nanny and had to cook for the child/children I was looking after. It was very useful.