This is quite possibly the most forgiving and versatile recipe I have ever made. Honestly, I’ve substituted potato flour when I had no plain, mixed almond meal and coconut when I was 50g short, and once, after three nights of no more than 2 hours sleep, I over measured the flour and ended up with a mix that wasn’t quite double, but still yielded 20 perfect little cakes.

Given that these can be made with any kind of ground nut meal, the possibilities are endless. I’ve just recovered from an obsessive need for a certain choc/hazelnut spread (eaten straight out of the jar!) and decided to try and re-create it in friand form using hazelnut meal. It worked and is delicious! Using ground coconut fills the house with the smell of summer as it bakes and creates a lovely moist cake. The more traditional almond meal friand with either peach or raspberry (or both) will always be the favourite in my house, although I think the chocolate coconut I baked today may just top it!

These are a simple treat to prepare and don’t scream ‘Gluten Free!’, in fact, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a friand with their mid morning beverage. I just hope that this batch make sit to my Mothers Group tomorrow unlike the last dozen that never stood a chance!

Basic Friand Recipe

150g almond meal

1 ¼ cups pure icing sugar, sifted

¾ cup gluten free plain flour

5 egg whites at room temperature

150g cooled, melted butter

Peach & Raspberry - finely grated rind of 1 lemon

150g mix of peach & raspberries (or as a single fruit)

Choc Raspberry Hazelnut - substitute hazelnut meal for the almond meal

1 T cocoa powder, sifted

150g raspberries

Choc Coconut - substitute ground coconut for the almond meal

1 T cocoa powder, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

You’ll need a 12 capacity muffin tray, lightly greased. I love my silicone friand/muffin trays. NOTHING sticks!

2. Mix appropriate nut meal, icing sugar, flour and flavouring (cocoa powder or lemon).

3, In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. I find the more you whisk, the lighter the end result.

4. Add to the flour mixture and fold in to combine. Stir in melted butter and fruit if using.

5. Spoon the mix into the trays. I use an ice cream scoop to make each friand even, as I apparently have an inability to bake without either ending up with left over mix, or not enough!

6. Bake until golden. This can take anywhere from 20 minutes in a decent oven to the 40 minutes it takes in my geriatric one.

7. Cool in the trays for around 10 minutes then turn out and cool.

Brew yourself a hot cup of coffee, pinch a piping hot friand, grab the latest baby magazine and sit and relax! (even if just long enough to eat the friand in one bite before the little one wakes.)

With excitement akin to Christmas morning we eagerly awaited the arrival of our first toy to road test and the ‘Farm Animal Sound Puzzle’ did not disappoint. Beautifully crafted by hand the puzzle has 8 pieces which have matching noises. My son Billy (2 years, 5 months) loved the puzzle with and without the noises (It took 3 trips to the shops to remember to buy the batteries and then once I got home I realised I had bought the wrong size and had the correct size batteries in the cupboard the whole time….it was one of those weeks!). Without the batteries Billy picked up each piece and said the name and made the correct sound before putting it in its place, as a child who usually calls the animal by the noise it makes I thought this new development was great. He was content to use the pieces with the puzzle and take them off about the house and use them in conjunction with whatever else he could find - his blocks, his trains, his baby brothers back.

Once the batteries were put in Billy thought the puzzle was hysterical and plays with it over and over again. The pieces have matching pictures underneath which would help with younger children who are new to using puzzles and the sounds would help those children who are learning animal noises. Even Patrick (7 months) thought the sounds were amusing and watching his brother play with the puzzle provided a good distraction while I was trying to get dinner. For the sake of my ego I maintain that the mass amounts of dribble were in anticipation for the tasty vegetables I was preparing and not his urge to suck on the pieces of puzzle. For anyone in the 1-2.5 year old bracket this Melissa and Doug Sound Puzzle is highly recommended!

Get the towels, suction down the bath seat, kneel on the hard tiles and send your back into spasm as you lift out a slippery, wet baby. This is the worst part of our giant bath tub.

I am firmly of the opinion that bath time is baby and Daddy time, so was horrified to discover, on a night where I had to do the bathing, just how impossible and back breaking it is to transfer our chubby little gentleman in and out. Too little to sit by himself in such a big tub, Alex tolerated being placed in his bath seat, sliding down and wedging himself against the hard plastic, in what can only be described as an eye watering position for a boy! None of us found bath time a particularly comfortable experience.

I already feel a little like an environmental terrorist with the amount of nappies I go through each day, so the sheer volume of water it took to give Alex his nightly bath just didn’t sit right with me. His original baby bath had long been banished to the garage where it now gathers dust. Being too shallow, too short and without a drain, it simply wasn’t going to solve our bath problem. I needed a bath that, after the 30 minutes it was in use, could be packed away for the remaining 23.5hrs!

Just as I was seriously considering the kitchen sink as an alternate bathing location, the Flexi Bath came into my life and has saved Alex from evenings spent as part of the washing up! Designed with consideration for the environment, health and safety, Flexi Bath is made from plastics free from BPA’s, PVC and phthalates. It’s soft and pliable to the touch, yet, when filled, holds it shape and is remarkably strong. At 66cms long, 38cm wide and 24cm high, it is the perfect size for most bathroom vanities. Visually, it’s clean and simple. Even the drain hole has been given the designer touch, shaped like a flower. Easy for grown up hands to put in, but hard for inquisitive little fingers to pull out. I realise I’m getting excited about a drain hole here, but it’s so efficient! Large enough that the bathwater drains easily and quickly, ensuring the after bath routine is completed as quickly as possible. Folding is as simple as flattening a cardboard box, just press and collapse. In under 10 minutes, the bathroom is back to it’s sleek, Zen best.

More than just a baby bath, in summer it will be a great outdoor water play area, and, when he’s too big for it, a place to store toys. I have a feeling it will also be utilised as a nice, deep foot bath for my tired little feet.

From the moment we lowered Alex into the Flexi Bath, it was apparent that our bath time nightmares were over. A huge smile, and I’m sure a feeling of relief, swept over him and he splashed and explored his new space with glee. He could sit unrestricted and enjoy the eye level company of his Dad, who, un-hunched, could splash and play right along with him. It may only be 30 minutes a day, but bath time is such a special father-son time. Enjoy it.

Check out the sexy Flexi bath here…

As Grace approaches her first birthday, I’ve found myself thinking back over the past twelve months.  It has been a year like no other, with incredible highs and the lowest of lows.

When Grace arrived on August 20, I was exhilarated.  It was the best moment of my life.  I had been so worried about the birth and in the end, things went better than I could have hoped.  And I had a girl.  I have always wanted a daughter.  I know I would have loved my child no matter whether I had a boy or a girl, but I had secretly wished all those nine months for a daughter, and here she was.

We arrived home and I was glad to be back in my own environment.  But by week three or four, I felt a real change in myself.  We were at my parents-in-law’s house, sitting down to lunch for Father’s Day when I started to feel very strange.  I felt like I was not present, but that I was watching myself from a distance.  I felt like I was in a fog and couldn’t think straight.

I was exhausted from the relentless feeding regime but there was no relief.  I couldn’t sleep, my mind was racing with thoughts.  I felt anxious and constantly on edge.  I had absolutely no appetite, which is not like me at all, I usually love my food.  I dreaded the sound of Grace’s cry.  I felt physically sick at the thought of having to feed her because it was so painful. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t cry, I just felt numb.  And while a friend was finally getting the hang of breastfeeding, things were getting worse and worse for me despite expert help from lactation consultants.  I felt like I was the worst mother in the world.

I took myself off to my doctor because I knew that this was more than the ‘baby blues’ and that I needed help.  I told her how I was feeling and that I was a complete failure because I wasn’t coping and I couldn’t breastfeed, something that was meant to be the most natural thing in the world. My GP, who is such a compassionate woman put her arm around me and said “Suzanne, you know that Grace will be fine.  We need to focus on you. What she needs is a Mum who is happy and well” And then I finally broke down and cried.

I made it through the fog of Postnatal Depression because I got help.  By the time that Grace was four months old, I felt like my old self again and I was able to really enjoy being a Mum.  As women, so many of us feel that we have to be perfect and to portray an image of having it all together.  But there is absolutely no shame in asking for help, in fact it is the best thing you can do for yourself, your relationship and your little one.

Here are some other tips that helped me:

Just take things one day at a time (or one hour if it helps!).  Thinking too far ahead can snowball negative thoughts in your head.

Get some fresh air each day.  At my lowest point, I would walk to the end of our street and back.  Just five minutes, but it made a difference.

Tell yourself “this too shall pass”.  You won’t feel like this forever.  You will feel in control of your life again.

Don’t compare yourself to other Mums.  A colleague of mine took her little one in to the office 3 weeks after she was born.  It took me 8 weeks until I felt brave enough to venture out to the supermarket with Grace.

Don’t isolate yourself and assume that people will be judgemental.  One of the best things I did for myself and for Grace was to go to Mothers Group and to be honest about how I was feeling.  They’ve been an amazing support for me.

Ed note: Thanks Suzanne for sharing your experience with the bebe community. I too suffered from PND with bebe baby #1 and found that trying to fix it alone was the wrong answer.  I spent months isolating myself “until I got better” but in the act of isolating myself made it worse. I found getting help, fresh air, socialising with other Mums (to normalise the new parenting struggles ) and looking after myself were the key to getting out of the PND rut .  Thanks again for sharing. Careyx

It’s raining outside the kids are under your feet, the days are dragging. Time to  pull out these activities for something new.

Activities for infants

Here’s smiling at you- join your baby in front of a mirror to make faces

Surprise box-fill a empty tissue box with scarves ribbons, fabric bits or even paper with different textures and allow your baby to remove. They love to put in and out (always supervise for safety).

Get Musical -dig into the kitchen cupboards and pull out the pots & pans ; arm Jnr with a wooden spoon. Sit back and enjoy a wonderful but noisy concert.

Activities for Toddlers

Get outside- rug up play puddle jumps great for the afternoon to shake off the sillies and head straight to a warm bath

Playdough- use just made nice warm dough your toddlers will love helping measure out the ingredients (they don’t have to be precise)

Build a cubby- drape the table with a blanket or sheet fill with pillow or cushions and have story & snack time inside.

Activities for preschoolers

Fashion fun- find the old shoes, scarves, handbags & hats from the cupboard then have a grand parade.

Sensory clay - pop on dads old t-shirt, spread out a old shower curtain under the table add a little water; get busy (can replace with sand or finger paint).

Play shops/ cafes- set up child sized pretend food/ real food, pretend Cash register allow them to serve you, pretend to have baby cinos, coffee & cakes.

Activities out & about

Educational fun-head to the museum to play in their special children’s area.

Shop til you drop- shopping centres provide great undercover play areas with a chance for that much needed espresso

Get wetter- head to the indoor pool for some wet fun.

Playdough recipe

1 cup plain flour

½ cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water with food coloring added

1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional but it makes the playdough smell nice!)

Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan & mix, then stir over a medium heat until the dough forms into a ball. Allow to cool until luke warm

Store in an airtight container (a Ziploc bag with the air pressed out is good).

Whether it be during illness, post-vaccinations or just one of those weeks, sometimes Wolf can be a very fussy eater. It can be hard to get anything more than toast and bananas into him. I’ve tried to instil Wolf with the spirit of a gourmet, but right now he displays all the worst characteristics of the sort of food critic you’d throw out of your restaurant. Admittedly Wolf is still getting over the tail end of a nasty week long virus, which the whole family shared.

On the plus side his aim is bang on; if you want a lamp chop - a former favourite - lobbed right at your face Wolf is your man.

My fail safe in these situations is pasta. We’re also going through another finger food stage where anything served via a spoon is a cause for tantrums. Carbohydrates keep baby from getting hungry and a sticky sauce full of good things ensure that while Wolf enjoys one of his favourite foods, he’s still getting some nutrition in there.

Pesto is really easy to throw together, especially if you have a food processor (mother’s essential arsenal), and you can hide a lot of green goodness in it. Pine nuts, an essential component of pesto, are actually the seed of the as a opposed to the fruit, so not actually a nut. Also, though raw garlic is usually used, I like to roast it for a milder flavour that is more baby friendly. Using spinach adds extra iron to your pesto, but you can replace it with rocket or any robust green. I bet everyone has a great pesto recipe, and I find this one works for me. This makes enough for three adult serves and one baby serve, with enough pesto leftover for a very delicious chicken sandwich for mum’s lunch the next day.

I like to use penne because even if Wolf is in an extremely fussy mood and tries to wipe off the sauce, he can’t extract the stuff inside!

Pesto Pasta

1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

5 garlic cloves

1 cup grated good quality parmesan, grated

¼ cup pine kernels

2 packed cups of baby spinach leaves

½ cup olive oil

salt and pepper

500g penne pasta

1. Set a large pot of water to boil with a pinch of salt. In a 180 degree oven, roast your garlic cloves, skin on, for about 7 minutes, until garlic is fragrant and soft. Remove flesh from skins.

2. Spread your pine kernels on a baking tray and place in the oven. Toast until golden brown. This will happen very quickly, within about 5 minutes so watch it carefully.

3.In a food processor add your basil, roasted garlic, pine kernels, spinach leaves and a couple of good splashes of olive oil. Process until smooth. You will need to periodically add splashes of olive oil to your mixture to help everything break down. Season to taste.

4. Add penne to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain.

5. Put penne back in pot and add pesto mix. Stir until all pasta is coated with sauce.

6. Serve with extra grated parmesan on top.

When I arrived at Melanie’s house, she and two week old baby Liam were crying. Melanie was exhausted and stressed about her low milk supply. She had been up three hourly during the night to feed then settle Liam so she could express around the clock. Since 6am she and her partner had been taking turns walking the floor with Liam. It was now midday and, guess what, Melanie hadn’t eaten a thing herself.

This scenario is not unusual. I have seen many mothers who set themselves extreme standards of nurturing and housework yet completely neglect their own well-being. It seems to be a reflection of the pressure (either external or self-imposed) that now you have a baby, you don’t matter. Of course a helpless baby needs to have his needs met but a hungry mum, affected by low blood sugar and exhaustion isn’t up to making good decisions or meeting her baby’s needs.

After asking Melanie, “when did you last eat?”  I sent her to the kitchen to find something healthy. While she made herself a toasted sandwich, I suggested Melanie’s partner rocked little Liam to sleep in a sling. Dad was then able to eat and browse the weekend paper before walking to the shops (with Liam) to stock up on staples like bread and toilet paper, while Melanie went off to bed for some much needed rest.

After eating, Melanie’s tears subsided and she was able to think straight as together we made a simple plan of feed baby; feed mum; and rest while baby sleeps. We also discussed what support was available as her partner had just started a new job and had to return to work.

Although asking for help is difficult for most of us, friends and family are usually very excited to be able to share the joy of a new baby, either by bringing food, hanging out ( the endless) washing or simply holding a baby while you rest. One forward thinking mum I met had asked baby shower guests to pledge help instead of baby gifts. She said this helped her feel very supported and eliminated the awkwardness of having to ask for help when she was feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed.

Of course, many new mums don’t live near their own parents and have a very small (if any) community of potential helpers. In these cases it is worth prioritising a portion of your budget to hiring extra help - a cleaner, a doula (a Greek word for ‘mother’s servant’, and this is exactly her role), a gardener or even dog walker - whatever will be useful to help lighten your load.

Taking care of you

If you want help from your partner, say so and be specific about what you need. Being a parent won’t suddenly bless him with mind reading powers and simmering with resentment won’t get the washing out.

Have a shower early - pop baby in a rocker in the bathroom if she is likely to yell. If you are dressed, you feel more in control if things go ‘pear shaped’ later. Also if you are dressed you can go for a walk -exercise will boost endorphins (feel good hormones) and getting out can help alleviate that ‘trapped’ feeling.

Stock up on nutritious foods that are easily prepared and eaten with one hand - bananas, boiled eggs, cans of tuna, yoghurt, wholegrain bread, cereals - and use cooking appliances that make life easy (a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a sandwich toaster and a blender for smoothies).

Accept all offers of help. If you are expecting visitors (or hear them pull up unexpectedly) leave vegetables and chopping board on the bench. You may need to mention, “I was just starting dinner when the baby woke.”  Only the most unhelpful person wouldn’t feel obliged to prepare your vegetables for you.

Make feeding time a ‘rest break’ for you. Fill a ‘feeding basket’ with snacks, water bottle, book, phone and remote control and while baby feeds, put your feet up and RELAX.

Pinky McKay is the author of  ‘Sleeping Like a Baby’ ( Penguin Australia) , ‘100 Ways to Calm the Crying’ and ‘Toddler Tactics’. A mother of five, Pinky is an international Board certified lactation consultant and a certified infant massage instructor.  For information about classes and workshops visit Pinky’ s website www.pinkymckay.com.au

The first comment anyone will make to you about your baby, irregardless of relationship, time or place, is that he or she is beautiful. This is of course truth beyond doubt. The first question they will ask is how old baby is. The second comment they will make is that baby looks exactly like you. Now there’s a debatable point. And debated it is.

My first irrational worry in telling my partner’s family that I was pregnant was that they would be disappointed, because our child would be a hybrid of Asian and Caucasian, and so not look the same. When Wolf was born, he really looked all asian. The thatch of black hair, the yellowish complexion, and large but rather squinty dark eyes. Honestly, you could argue that a lot of children come out looking quite Asian. But still, I seemed to have inadvertently given my side of the family an advantage in the resemblance wars.

Before Wolf was born one of Josh’s colleagues, also of Asian background, liked to claim that if he came out looking all Asian, then the baby was his. Easy going Josh was surprisingly irritated by this. A few months later at a work dinner, I carried Wolf over to this colleague’s table and demanded why he hadn’t even come to meet his son and where the hell was my child support? He looked like he had an aneurysm. Everyone fell over laughing. And claimed that Wolf’s resembled Josh far too much for there to be any argument.

Each side of every family would like to claim credit for the good genes that made baby so good looking. My in-laws like to say how much Wolf resembles Josh and his brothers in their own infant stages. Pictures for evidence are apparently on their way. My mother and aunts like to say how Wolfgang has a big, round ‘Chow’ head (I have the same. It’s terrible for hats) and is the spitting image of my paternal grandfather, right down to his chubby lobed ears.

Conversely, attending the large family gatherings of my in-laws, I’ve found that relatives seem to think the polite thing to do is say how much Wolf’s eyes resemble mine so I don’t feel too left out. The worst clashes are those occasions where both sides of the family must meet, like birthdays and christenings, where each claim to a winning feature can be met with a counter claim, and suddenly resemblance wars is no hyperbole. ‘That cheeky smile is so like Josh.’ ‘But those lips are definitely Em’s. And it’s game on. When alone at home, Josh and I like to say how much Wolf looks like the other, like a term of endearment.

I suppose it’s all in the eye of the beholder. But our children are more than the sum of their parts. We’ll call it a draw.

Oh Pinky, how I love thee. Let me count the ways……

1. You are the voice of reason in a time when I am told to ‘train’ my baby despite my instinct and my child telling me otherwise. You bought me back into my ‘self’ when I had lost my way in the early weeks of motherhood.

2. You don’t tell me what to do, you show me I already know. Your words taught me how to trust myself again, how to raise my child more naturally and gently and within my own limits of what is and isn’t appropriate for us.

3. You are passionate and unapologetic when empowering mothers to establish and continue breastfeeding. I downloaded your E book when I was one feed away from giving up. 7 months on and I am so glad I kept going and now absolutely adore this time with my child.

4. You are fair and balanced in your discussions when invited to participate in public debate. You state your case and opinion with kindness and support. In doing so, you avoid creating guilt or offence in those with opinions different from yours.

5. You remind me that my baby is a gift, a joy, not an inconvenience. That I cannot cuddle him enough, love him enough. That those moments when I’ve nursed him back to sleep and his little head is nuzzled into my neck are to be treasured and not thought of as ‘wrong’ because he didn’t get back to sleep on his own.

6. You let me read from other Mothers in the same situation and therefore create a community, a tribe of women, sharing knowledge and experience. I feel less alone at 3am knowing that they are out there too, singing endless lullabies or offering the breast for the 5th time!

7. You gave me confidence to co-sleep with my son. Although he now prefers to spread out in his cot (placed right up against our bed!), those nights when I heard him laugh in his sleep, or watched his drowsy little lids finally close will stay with me forever.

8. You gave my husband back his wife. In doubting myself, I was using all my energy on keeping up appearances and not really sharing this time with my husband. As soon as I relaxed and listened to my heart, the barriers went down and we returned to the joyful, supportive relationship we shared before baby came.

9. You gave my child back his mother. Alex knows I am here for him. That his needs will be met. He is a thriving, content, overwhelmingly wonderful little boy and I credit our relaxed, honest and attachment based parenting for this.

10. You gave me back myself. I never thought I could feel such love but such loss at the same time. The loss was my control and belief in my ability. I stopped, took a deep breath and commenced this mothering journey my way. I feel such passion for the incredible bond of mother and child and am blessed to have been shown the courage to embrace this time, not wish it away in the hope of 12 hours sleep. I now live, love, laugh and cry all from a place of integrity and confidence. I am more myself than I have ever been now that I can call myself ‘mother’. It was in me all along, but thank you Pinky, for helping me find it again.

You can check out Pinky’s wonderful books for yourself here at bebe

My name is Karen and I’m a coeliac. It’s been 449 days since I last ate gluten

Seriously, there needs to be a 12 Step Program for foodies like me, who suddenly discover that they can no longer eat whatever they want. Being diagnosed as a coeliac is life changing, and, although now I am reaping the health rewards of my gluten free diet, initially I was devastated at this loss of my gastronomic freedom.

Temptation is everywhere….surely one little croissant won’t hurt? How can this innocent looking cupcake do me any harm? I’ll just have one last baguette and then I’ll stop for good. I know I will. I can stop any time, right? The withdrawal I felt was nothing short of narcotic in its severity. Seriously, giving up smoking was easier than giving up gluten. But, as with cigarettes, I simply cannot have ‘just one’. Every pastry is doing me damage.

I had visions of gorging myself on the entire contents of my favourite bakery, resulting in waking on my kitchen floor from my gluten induced coma, dazed and confused the next morning. Something had to be done.

All I could do was surrender and, before I could lose motivation, I cleaned out every gluten containing food from my house. An hour later, I was faced with a virtually empty fridge and pantry. Thought gluten was just in flour? Think again. It’s EVERYWHERE! I sat on the floor staring into the vast emptiness of my pantry and wondered how I would survive eating nothing but rice cakes for the rest of my life. I was also 12 weeks pregnant and suddenly had the only food that didn’t make me throw up taken away…..soft white bread and vegemite. 449 days later and I still miss it!

Having no choice but to re-stock my supplies, I hit the shops. Thankfully, being ‘intolerant’ of gluten is quite trendy at the moment and there are a swathe of products to choose from. I happily loaded up my trolley with the gluten free equivalents of my favourite foods. Upon reaching the checkout however, I quickly realised that I may, in fact, have to sell the first born child I was carrying, in order to pay for my weekly shop!

Though many, many products failed in their attempts to re-create their gluten filled compatriots, some equaled, if not bettered them. Gluten free pasta, for example, based on quinoa and amaranth, produce a wonderful, light alternative to the dense, heavy traditional pastas. Gluten free bread, however, gets the big thumbs down. I tried every single brand imaginable and was disappointed at every turn. I think I may have cried when my first attempt at a ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwich crumbled in my hands. There are days in a pregnancy when only a toasted sandwich will do. Just as I resigned myself to a sandwich free existence, we discovered the bread that has literally changed my life. Even my mother, a bread aficionado, enjoys it. So, the range is out there, it just takes some looking.

Dealing with being a coeliac is hard enough for a grown woman, so I have such empathy for families with gluten intolerant children. Add to that the rise in egg, nut and dairy allergies, making feeding your children and their friends a challenge at best. Cakes, biscuits and sweets are a childhood rite of passage, so I hope to be able to provide some recipes for you that enable the odd treat! (I am yet to do a cake from scratch that betters the GF cake mixes available. The one pictured is a mix, tinkered with a little by me. Yes, it is as light as it looks, and yes, that is caramel topping!) Our family meals are also gluten free, so any lunch or dinner recipes I share will be suitable for all.

As my nutritionist said, it’s hard to call being coeliac a disease, as really, it just demands you eat fresh, healthy, unprocessed foods. Add to that how much better I feel when I adhere to my GF diet and I know I’ll stick this life long diet change out. Coeliac or not, we can all benefit from adding more fresh, whole foods to our diets. I have every thing crossed that Baby A escapes this condition and is free to eat and enjoy all foods he encounters as his diet expands beyond my kitchen. Life’s too short for rice cakes!