Anya’s Slow-Cooker Whole Roasted Chicken
Apple Cinnamon Greek Yogurt Dip
CC’s Avocado Chicken Salad
Jane Gray’s Porcupine Meat Balls
Leslie’s Easy-Peasy Roasted Potatoes
Leslie’s Overnight Oaks with Jam & Dates
Simple Shepherd’s Pie

You don’t have to cook another entire meal to feed just baby, nor blend everything you eat into a puree to support healthy growth in an infant. With a little patience, presence, and skill, you can transform nearly any family meal into a baby-friendly food. Who knew a little planning could have the whole family eating together, and better?

For thousands of years, humans have thrived without “baby food” (which was invented in the late nineteenth century). Think about it: the human race has made it this far largely on whole food. Only in recent decades have we begun overthinking and over-processing our foods, which has led to chronic dieting, chronic disease, disordered eating, body distrust, and epidemic confusion about the best way to feed ourselves and families. Eating is an innate skill that has been overcomplicated by marketing schemes and a dieting culture. It’s time to leave the dieting culture behind for the whole family. It starts with the baby’s first bite!

Aside from the United States, most countries are accepting of babies starting of solids with the foods of the family. With a focus on self-feeding and a baby-led weaning approach, nutritionists and wellness experts Wendy Jo Peterson and Leslie Schilling provide useful advice every parent should have.