When I had spoken to my GP and determined that my baby was ready for weaning onto solid foods, I felt a mixture of emotions - excitement that we were to enter a new phase and fear that I didn't really have a clue where to start. When someone suggested to me that I read this book as they had found it really helpful, I didn't hesitate to buy a copy - particularly as the author, Annabel Karmel, was someone that I had heard of before and was quite well spoken of for her expertise in the weaning area.

The book is of decent size, has a hard cover (which is wipeable, a very handy property to have when being moved around my kitchen mid-blending sticky purees!) and loads of content. It is well written in that it is not patronising nor does it assume that you have any knowledge or experience in baby feeding! It starts of by explaining weaning basics - why you need to move to solid foods, why you shouldn't do it before your baby is ready and what foods are good first foods and which should be avoided.

The book is then divided into sections - first stage weaning and after first tastes are accepted, second stage weaning, 9 to 12 months and toddler food. My baby has only just started his weaning journey so, although I have read ahead in the book, I have not put any of the later advice into practice. Each section contains recipes for food that you can give your baby - so starts with basic purees, moving to more advanced flavour combinations and finally meals that the whole family can enjoy (cheesy pastas, spaghetti bolognaise & pizzas - I can't wait to try some of these out!). The recipes that I have used have been really clear and concise & easy to follow. I love that after each recipe there is a tick box with a smiley or sad face so that you can record what your baby does or does not like. There are loads of great ideas for purees that combine different flavours that you wouldn't necessarily put together (for example butternut squash and pear) and loads of variety for your baby.

The best bit of the book for me, however, is that there is a meal planner provided to walk you through each stage of weaning - what meals to introduce first, what foods to use and when to introduce 2 and then 3 meals per day. There is also guidance as to when to give breast/bottle or substitute this with water or juice (the only thing that I didn't like was that no guidance was given as to how much water a baby should have).

I will be relying heavily on this book and referring to it constantly over the coming months and am really pleased with my purchase. The book is priced at £12.99 but can be found much cheaper online in places such as Amazon, and I would recommend it as an excellrnt purchase even at the full price of £12.99. Great book.