1. Just because there haven’t been any illnesses reported doesn’t mean that long-term damage hasn’t occurred which may not manifest itself until the child is much older
2. If something is classified by a governing body as a “potential carcinogen” I prefer to deem it guilty until proven innocent
3. Why did these products make it to national distribution before the contamination was detected?

This sobering news is just another reminder that these large conglomerates haven’t necessarily built their empires by taking the health needs of their consumers to heart. It has also given me the kick I need to start planning for when my 5 month-old starts solids in the next few weeks. I relied heavily on pre-made cereals for my firstborn, definitely choosing organic wherever possible. For my second I was somewhat enlightened as to how easy making my own baby food could be so he ate primarily homemade baby food. It would be all to easy for me to play the “I’m a busy working mother of 3 card” and opt for store bought this time around. I think I’ve been adequately inspired now, though, to dust off my tried and true food mill, which is now on it’s 3rd kid and get grinding! I’m also going to refresh myself and hopefully get some new ideas from our Sprout Right DVDs, created by a wonderful Canadian nutritionist who specializes in healthy family eating. I’d also like to take this time to plug one of my favorite cookbooks ever, called “Feeding the Whole Family“. Every recipe in this mostly vegetarian cookbook has ideas on how it can be modified for infants, toddlers and kids. There is also a host of information on things like what to eat when you’re breast feeding/pregnant, which foods to give to your baby (and when), as well as basics on alternative grain cookery, etc etc etc! I love this book!

My baby girl is so fascinated with watching the rest of the family eat that I am looking forward to starting her on the path to a lifetime of healthy eating (even if she does eat a few Cheezies along the way!)