So there's an article with someone basically saying that the new studies that show early food introduction staving off some allergies is sort of bunk and a rallying cry for manufacturers of baby food here: [link] The woman who wrote it runs Mommy and Me classes at the Pump Station, a breastfeeding support place in LA. I love the first comment because the woman posting is a psychotherapist which makes her qualified as a nutritionist because. . . ?

I do wonder about the USian way of introducing foods as being weird and overly cautious (Granted, Noah at squash and mashed potatoes as his first solids at Thanksgiving dinner). I love the idea that kids in other countries eat what everyone else eats without a weird specialized diet.

Obviously I'm kinda obsessed with feeding my kids, esp. in light of Grace.

Love the Remix shoes, especially Kat's pair! I just bought the peacock pair from ModCloth. Only one pair left, and it's my size? What else could I do?

Sue, lack of pollination is becoming a persistent problem in North America generally, because of the bee collapse. Our local garden expert is recommending planting flowers that are attractive to bees, like salvia and agastache, among squash and cucumbers. Tomatoes just need insects landing on the flowers to disturb the pollen, since they're self-pollinating. That's why I find myself in the garden vibrating the tomato flowers. Yes, my only sex life is with my plants.

Should I vibrate the plants? I have flowers and no tomato!

Well Babble isn't exactly a respected peer-reviewed scientific journal. (Though I do agree with her that rice cereal going and staying out of style can only be a good thing. If we want kids to learn to want solids, why are we feeding them mushy rice???)

Nope. It's just funny that the first comment is about her qualifications. Rice cereal is a bit confounding but Noah liked it (and would eat all sorts of rice, except fried rice every day 3 meals if allowed) and it's a useful grain for Grace.

Rice cereal is so foul. I offered it, especially with Jake, because I was young and he was my first, and that was what (I was told) you did, but I didn't push it with Ben or Sara.

The only things we were ever careful with were eggs, peanuts, and honey, but we don't have any food allergies in the family.

I'm also snorting aloud while reading Catalog Living.

I'm sort of careful around milk with Grace. If by careful you mean I avoid cow's milk mostly. However, she has had had almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk and hemp milk. She eats goat's milk yogurt or sheep's milk yogurt (for the record, sheep's milk yogurt is The Best Yogurt EVER like Greek Yogurt but yummier) and cow's milk yogurt.

It's been years since she's had cow's milk and I know that if I go a bit without it, when I have it again, I feel sort of bloated and sick. Or at least that's my reasoning.

More faux science from popular media!

BREAKING NEWS SAYS FOOD ON MOST KIDS MENUS IS NOT HEALTHY

The greasy Mac & Cheese Quesadilla kids meal at Friendly's -- with a whopping 2,270 calories -- tops the list of unhealthy, fattening foods parents feed their kids at restaurants, according to an eye-opening survey by thedailybeast.com.

"Children's meals at restaurants are garbage," said Mary Jo Messito, director of the Pediatric Obesity Clinic at Bellevue Hospital.

"Somehow, the restaurant industry has created special meals for children that are trash. And I don't know where that came from."

Yes, it's just baffling why a chain family restaurant would put macaroni & cheese on their children's menu. Most kids I know would definitely prefer a nice piece of grilled fish with steamed veggies on the side.