Reiew of My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus by Nancy Tringali Piho

Right up front this book states that it is not "a guide to children's nutrition" etc.  The book instead describes the author's philosophy towards food and her children's interaction with it.  There are many anecdotes along the way, both her own stories and those of the professional chefs-cum-parents she interviewed.

The overall philosophy seems to include giving kids quality food and teaching by example to appreciate what we eat.  Not in the kids-are-starving-in-Africa sense, but by appreciating the sight, smell, taste, and texture of what is being served.  She espouses the quasi-mantra of "things taste different, but they are all good in their own way" and recommends repeating that to the children again and again.

From this follows the idea that parents should not need to sneak nutritious foods into a child's mouth via spinach brownies and what-have-you.  Instead, children should be introduced to foods again and again, and they will likely develop a taste for them.  I've seen this idea elsewhere, and there are studies showing that a) it can take up to 10-15 tries before a child likes something and b) prior exposure to a food is the #1 predictor of whether a child will like it. (see My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus for a comprehensive list of references).

In the process of explaining this philosophy, Nancy Tringali Piho discuss the problem of "the big three"; fat, sodium, and sugar.  She also discusses the negative influence of media and advertising on children's food choices/preferences.  This struck me at times as a bit anti-corporate, but I do realize that others share her opinion.

One chapter I found quite helpful was suggestions for restaurant dining with kids, including ways to gauge the child-friendliness of the place as well as tips for getting through the meal.  And yes, she has successfully dined at restaurants other than the typical "family establishments" (as have I, and it can be done).

Some Amazon.com reviews of this title found the author to be braggadocios and felt the book was a compilation of her stories showing off the fact that her kids were great eaters.  If you're the parent of a picky eater and are turning to this book for help, I can certainly understand why you might get that impression.

I read this book just as my daughter was starting solids, so I had yet to experience any picky eater problems.  I therefore didn't see the book as braggy but rather an example of what kids could be like.  It was a nice example to counter the parade of children who only eat ____ (fill in the blank: pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, etc.).  I felt that I took away some helpful strategies to use as well as a better understanding of food, eating, and what is "normal" in kids.  The information about needing to introduce foods multiple times preventing me from forever swearing off green beans the first time my daughter spat them back at me.  Good thing, too, because they're now a staple of her diet!

I should probably re-read this book now that my daughter is a bit older and more likely to express her own preferences.  My first time through I found it to be informative, interesting, and somewhat helpful.  That said, I don't think it is a must-read, drop-everything-and-make-sure-you-buy-this-book.  I'm sure most kids will end up eating just fine anyway, even if they do go through a pizza-only stage.  If you're interested in food and want to make an effort to raise an adventurous eater, this book may help you out.  If you are already a "foodie" or adventurous eater, you children will probably follow your lead eventually, anyway.  For those reasons, I think the book is worth borrowing, but I don't think it needs to be a permanent addition to your home library.

Final Rating: borrow or skip

Review of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products by Sandra Gordon and the Editors of Consumer Reports

This book has a lot of useful information on a wide variety of topics.  For each of the many categories of baby gear there is a general description of what's available, feathures to consider, and recommendations.  However, there is very little discussion of specific brands, and there are virtually no comprehensive reviews of or recommendations for specific brands or products.  All of the information is generic, though images of specific products are shown as examples.

Let's take the example of Diaper Pails.  The "What's Available" section, divided into "cloth" and "disposable" sections, runs through a list of brands and provides their respective websites.  There's a brief comparison of features.  The "Features to Consider" section describes things like capacity, ease of use, and liners vs. bags.  The "Recommendations" has general information, such as "Pails that use their own liners typically contains odors better than those that use garbage bags, but refills do cost more."

Overall, I'd say that this book is chock-full of good info, but not exactly of the type I wanted.  The information is helpful and taught me lots about the categories so that I knew what features I wanted.  But the book left me to do the work of figuring out which actual products had those features, meaning I had to turn to other books and/or research the products online or in store before being able to make a purchase.  There's also a very real potential for information overload, and I found the book a bit dry to read.  And forget reading it cover to cover.  I was a type-A researcher when it came to baby products, and even I couldn't make it all the way through this.

If you need in-depth info on a particular category of baby products, this book will probably be a help.  If you want an easy way to find products to add to your registry, you're better off going with Baby Bargains.  I don't think Best Baby Products needs a permanent place in your collection, but it might be helpful to borrow from a friend or check out of the library prior to a major purchase.

Final Rating: Borrow, or skip if you're afraid of being overwhelmed