Once a baby can handle foods with a bit of texture (somewhere around 7 to 10 months old), it is a great idea to get familiar with the bulk aisle of a natural grocery store. This aisle, which is often intimidating for someone not used to cooking with whole grains, is chock full of nutritious, easy to cook, and very inexpensive foods for your baby.

Below, I've compiled some favorite recipes for cooking bulk aisle picks for babies. All of these recipes involve simmering, which as a bonus means that if you transfer the final product directly into the fridge, the food will easily keep for 3 or 4 days. I always make at least 1 cup (dry) of whatever at a time, which typically yields 3 to 5 cups cooked. For easy of translating these recipes into different quantities according to your needs, I listed all the amounts as ratios instead of cups or pounds. The one caveat to this is that once you get below about 1 cup of liquid, recipes tend to go haywire. So, for instance, if your recipe is 1:4 grain to water, cook at least 1/4 (and preferably 1/2) a cup of grains so that you are at or over 1 cup of liquid.

Here are a few bulk aisle picks that my baby loves:

Beluga lentils

• Ratio: 1:4 lentils to liquid


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Extra flavorful if cooked in dilute stock.

Steel cut oats

• Ratio: 1:4 oats to water


• Directions: Bring oats to a boil, then simmer very low for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.


• Tasty tip: Especially tasty with a tiny dash of maple syrup (for moms and dads)

Pearled barley

• Ratio: At least 1:4 barley to liquid


• Directions: Simmer in water or dilute chicken or vegetable stock for 35 to 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Great if cooked in the same pot as the beluga lentils!

Quinoa

• Ratio: 1:2 quinoa (KEEN-wa) to water.


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes. Quinoa will be soft and translucent when done.


• Tasty tip: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top for extra flavor.

Polenta-style cornmeal

• Ratio: 1:3 polenta to water or dilute stock


• Directions: Simmer very low for 25 minutes.


• Serving tip: Make sure to let it cool adequately before serving - polenta will retain heat more than the other recipes here.

Whole wheat couscous

• Ratio: 1:1.5 couscous to liquid.


• Directions: Boil liquid, stir in couscous, return to a boil, then cover and set on the counter for about 5 minutes.


• Tasty tip: A mixture of tomato soup and water is really tasty for the liquid portion.

Bon appetit! - Leigh G.

Registering for the real basics

A friend recently asked me what to register for. Now, my list of recommended items is probably more bare-bones than most, so I am likely to neglect things other people would want. So I thought I’d review some baby registry lists I found online to see what I thought of them. My assessments of six lists from leading parenting websites and retailers are below.

Good lists

Parents.com: I was impressed by this list. Sure, the quantities are off (8 pairs of socks? We had two, and we had a winter baby, and that was enough) and some things are not truly necessary (like a crib bumper, which is not recommended because of small increase in SIDS risk) but really, it is a good list. [Link]

Babyfit.com: A nicely organized, non-overwhelming list. Some things were a little odd (belly casting kit?) but most things were practical and safe. [Link]

Decent lists

Giggle.com: A good list. Again, too many of some things (seriously, how is a stroller blanket different from a crib blanket?) but not overwhelming and not very materialistic. [Link]

Target: Target’s Newborn and 0-3 month lists are comprehensive - overspendy but a good start to whittle down from. For instance, you do not need a diaper stacker, diaper disposal system, or diaper disposal refills, in my opinion. But that is your decision. And according to roughly 95% of the internet community, you can skip the wipes warmer. I know I did. [Link]

Bad lists

Baby/Toys R Us: Totally insane and overwhelming, this page would have made me cry. Unless you love to shop (and thus spend money), avoid. [Link]

Walmart.com: Whoa. Do not follow this list. Far too long, lots of unnecessary things, and at least one thing that is unsafe (sleep positioners). Finally, they completely lost me at “elbow cushion” for the bath list. Are they serious? I did not know such a thing existed. I think the "elbow cushion" of choice for 99.9% of moms is called a "towel." [Link] - Leigh G.

Making your own baby food is great for a lot of reasons, and one of them is that you can save money. I prefer organic food for myself and my child, but we all know that organic food is not cheap. Here is a quick example and tutorial of how you can make sure you are getting the most baby food for the least money.

At our food co-op, I could purchase a 4oz jar of organic baby puree for 75 cents. That means that a pound of pre-made puree costs $3. In the frozen aisle, 10oz of frozen organic veggies are $1.75, which is $2.80 per pound. Thus, if I buy frozen veggies, steam them, and stick them in the blender I save 20 cents per pound. Not a huge margin. Probably not worth my efforts.

The real savings instead comes from fresh seasonal produce. For instance, I right now I can buy organic butternut squash for 50 cents a pound. Given that the seeds and skin are fed to my chickens and not my son, I will hazard a guess that the usable portion might be only 2/3 of the squashes weight, so it is more like I’m paying 75 cents a pound for the edible parts. Thus, I save about $2.25 per pound if I buy the squash whole and cook and puree it myself.

I’m taking you through this math so you can do your own comparisons. Just figure out what you need to beat (in my case, I need to beat 4oz at 75 cents times 4 which equals $3 a pound) price-wise and then shop accordingly. Remember that 16 ounces is one pound, and that most frozen veggies are in 10oz, not 16oz, packages. With some quick computations you’ll probably save money in the long run- and you’ll be able to spot situations where you actually might be losing money with the fresh stuff.

- Leigh G.

If there is one thing that your baby is guaranteed to do (aside from loving you) it is emit bodily fluids. Whether we are talking pee, spit-up, drool, actual vomit, or all of these at once, the baby will be making a mess.

You’ll need to cope with these fluids somehow. If you want to minimize your expenditure on paper towels, and don't feel like buying a heck of a lot of actual spit-up rags or burp cloths, here are some other options for wiping, sopping, and dabbing.

Dish cloths. Dish cloths are great because once baby grows out of the fluids stage, you’ll still have them for use in your kitchen. Buy a dozen- they work wonderfully.

Face cloths and hand towels. Along with the dish cloths, you can use small terry towels. Again, the added bonus is that once baby outgrows the fluids stage, they are still useful in your household.

Cloth diapers. If you already have cloth diapers this is ideal. To prevent using them up too fast, we sort our laundry by its yuckiness level- so a cloth diaper that has a bit of drool and spit-up in it goes in the "baby laundry" while an otherwise identical cloth diaper soaked in urine goes in the "diaper laundry."

Onesies. Sure, you put them on the baby as clothing. But if you got dozens of them as gifts, why not use some as rags, too? They are convenient, soft, absorbent, and in many babies' wardrobes they are really plentiful. Cute tee shirt yesterday, wiping up drool today, toss it in the laundry and it’s a cute tee shirt again tomorrow.

Receiving blankets. Big messes require big rags. Don’t discount blankets - for drool, try to use them a couple of times (perhaps four messes, one for each corner) to minimize your laundry load.

Leftover paper napkins from restaurants. I don’t know about you, but I have a bunch of these in a drawer that I never remember to use. Recently I started putting them in the diaper bag for on-the-go fluids removal. So handy! I’m not usually a paper products kind of girl, but I figured if I already have these stored up in my house, might as well put them to good use. - Leigh G.

Planning for baby and looking for ways to save? Don't forget there are many things that mothers-in-law, websites and friends say are vital that you might not need. Maybe you’ll want them later, and maybe you will want them right away, but I’m here to tell you that you may never need them. And that is OK.

So call me crazy, but here is a list of six somewhat counter-intuitive things you really might never need. Who knows - they also might be crucial for you. Either way, food for thought!

• Bottles and pump. If your child will be breastfeeding and you work at home or are a stay-at-home mom, why not wait to see if you need them before buying?


• Pacifiers. If baby is happy with boob, bottle, or thumb, skip it. Another "wait-and-see-how-you-feel" item.


• Crib. Some parents choose to co-sleep long enough that they transition straight to a "real bed."


• Stroller. Baby might go from sling to front pack to frame backpack.
  
• Pajamas. All baby clothing should be soft, comfortable, and breathable so why do you need pajamas? Fleece sleep sacks plus regular onesies will accomplish the same end.


• Hooded towels. Cute and cozy? Yes. Truly necessary to dry a wet baby? No.


• Baby bathtub. Our child went from kitchen sink to the regular tub.

Do you have a "must-have" item it turned out you never needed? Speak up and add it to the list, keeping in mind that what might have proven unnecessary for you might have been a major asset to someone else! - Leigh G.