Whether you’re merely hoping to get a carrot or two into your child’s meals or wondering how to provide a balanced, healthy diet for a budding vegetarian, check out these cookbooks. They’re chock-full of veggie recipes guaranteed to please fussy family members, including some that even kids can help make.

Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up
By Mollie Katzen and Ann L. Henderson (1994, Tricycle Press, $17. Reading level: Ages 4 to

Vegetarian foodie Mollie Katzen (author of The Moosewood Cookbook) and educator Ann Henderson have teamed up to create a kid-friendly, nutritionally mindful, and parent-perfect book. Each of the 19 recipes starts with individual instructions for both the adult and child, is illustrated with cute animals, and includes insider reviews from kids who have tried the recipes. Children will love the easy-to-follow step-by-step illustrations, and parents will like that science and math lessons are covertly woven into assignments for mixing and measuring.

101 Meatless Family Dishes: Delicious & Satisfying Recipes the Whole Family Will Love (Even the Kids!)
By John Ettinger (1995, Prima Publishing, $15. Reading level: Adult)

Whether your family shuns meat completely or you just want to switch out a couple of animal-based dishes each week for plant-based ones, this book, written by the food columnist for The Portland Oregonian, offers plenty of options. The sheer number of family-tested recipes, such as Texan Stuffed Peppers, Spicy Vegetable Pilaf Casserole, and Herbed Cheese Ravioli, ensures that you’ll find something to please the palates of everyone in your home.

Does your kid prefer to flop in front of his PS2 with a bag of crisps or take a football and a bag of fruit to the park? Chances are your family falls somewhere between these two extremes, but with concern growing about childhood obesity and the associated increase in the incidence of type II diabetes, high cholesterol readings and later heart disease in our children, the time to introduce healthier lifestyle choices is now.

‘Parents need to recognise the importance of forming good habits in childhood, which will lead to a balanced and enjoyable diet later in life,’ advises Sarah Schenker, a dietitian with the British Nutrition Foundation. ‘Eating a wide variety of foods is the most important thing,’ she adds, ‘and a gentle, consistent approach usually results in a broader eating range.’ Here are some questions to ask yourself.

1. How does your child eat?
2. What would you pack for a picnic or school lunch?
3. How often does your child have sweets?
4. What does your child drink?
5. What do your child’s after-school activities most often include?
6. How much walking do you do as a family?

Feeding solids on the go

Starting at about age 4 to 6 months, your child will probably start eating solid food — so get ready to add soft spoons, dishes, bibs, and more to your already bulging diaper bag.

What helps: Disposable or plastic-coated bibs.

Disposable bibs are really extra-thick paper towels with Velcro-like closures that you toss after one use. Plastic-coated bibs can be wiped clean with a wipe or napkin and machine-washed when you get home. Portable placemats. Portable placemats that you can lay down on restaurant tables or highchair trays give you the peace of mind of knowing that your baby’s eating off of a clean surface. You’ll find reusable or disposable mats made of plastic — these are handy because they don’t slip. Disposable placemats (essentially heavy-duty paper towels) also do the trick, but they don’t stay put as well as the plastic ones.

Mini-food dicer. Tired of cutting your baby’s food into bite-size pieces?

A food dicer does the job quickly for you and is small enough to fit in your diaper bag. Just drop the fruits, vegetables, meat, or poultry that you want to feed your baby into the dicer, press a few times, and the meal is ready to serve, safely.

Knowing the safety rules of baby food.

If you’re offering food from a jar or container, don’t dip the spoon back into the food after it’s touched your child’s mouth unless you’re sure he’ll eat it all (or you don’t want to save what’s left). The spoon will contaminate the remaining food with bacteria. Instead, use a clean spoon to scoop a small amount of food into a bowl and serve from there. Once a jar of commercial baby food has been opened, it will keep — refrigerated — for 24 to 48 hours (read the jar’s label for specifics: Fruits keep longer than meats). If you don’t have access to a refrigerator, sandwich any leftovers in ice packs in an insulated cooler. When in doubt, throw it out. It’s better not to risk serving contaminated food.

Clip-on seat or self-inflating booster.

Helpful whether you’re dining in a restaurant or at a friend’s house, these seats attach to virtually any table, or even a picnic bench. A self-inflating booster is compact enough to fit in most diaper bags or backpacks.

Disposable snack cups.

Fill a couple of plastic cups with fitted tops with snacks appropriate for your child’s age: rice cereal for an infant (add breast milk, formula, or water when you’re ready to feed), toasted O’s cereal, teething biscuits, goldfish crackers, mandarin oranges, peeled and sliced grapes. These containers keep food from spilling or getting crushed — and they make great serving bowls for jarred food, too.

Disposable spoons.

Infant- and toddler-sized disposable spoons are useful for mixing cereal and for feeding your baby. And you don’t have to worry about cleaning them to take home.

Mini-insulated tote bag.

A small cooler bag with ice packs keeps formula, juice, yogurt, cheese, and other perishable foods fresh until you need them. If your baby is still eating just a few foods, it will make your life easier if you keep them on hand and then “supplement” with appropriate foods available wherever you happen to be eating.

Portable mini-fridge.

For longer outings such as road trips, a portable refrigerator with a car adapter (which can also be plugged into a standard electric outlet) keeps jars of opened baby food, snacks, breast milk, and prepared formula cool.

Tip: Even when you’re at home, offer jarred baby food at room temperature rather than heating it. That way, when you’re out (where warming it up would be inconvenient), your baby will enjoy it just as it is.

If you’re like most new moms, feeding your baby on the go makes you a little nervous. It’s not always easy to breastfeed comfortably or to calmly prepare a bottle of formula when your baby is screaming in a public place. And when solids are part of your baby’s daily diet and you have to juggle jars, containers, spoons, and bibs — what’s the best way to manage?

Here’s a guide to help you survive those outings from day one through the first year — along with practical products to make eating out easier.

Breastfeeding in Public

Prying eyes, leaking breasts, and a hungry baby who can’t wait for you to find just the right place for feeding: Nursing your child in public can be nerve-racking at first.

What helps: Nursing bras with cups you can unhook with one hand.

You might be surprised at how much fumbling it takes to get your bra unhooked and your baby latched on when you’re not sitting in your favorite nursing spot at home. A bra with cups that you can maneuver with one hand will help you avoid those awkward moments. Nursing tops. Like maternity clothing, nursing-wear has gotten very stylish. You can find tops, dresses, and sweaters that look like regular clothes but have discreet openings near your breasts so your baby can get to his lunch while you stay covered up.

A cover-up.

A lightweight blanketlike drape that attaches around your neck with a snap or Velcro provides privacy and stays put — even if your baby tugs on it while nursing.

A breast pump.

If you get into the habit of pumping and storing breast milk, you’ll always have the option of bottle-feeding your baby. That comes in handy when you’re headed somewhere (such as a wedding) where breastfeeding might feel awkward or be inconvenient. You can store pumped breast milk at room temperature (no more than 77 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 degrees Celsius) for up to four hours, in a cooler with refreezable ice packs for up to 24 hours, and in a refrigerator for up to 72 hours (three days). (To heat it, just run the bottle under hot water or use a portable bottle warmer.)

A car-adapter for a breast pump.

The most effective breast pumps are electric, so if you’re traveling by car and won’t have access to electricity, buy an adapter that allows you to plug your pump into the car. (You can also use a manual pump, but they’re not as efficient as the electric ones.)

Inflatable breastfeeding pillow.

Breastfeeding can be a ticket to back pain if you don’t have proper support. Look for an inflatable breastfeeding pillow that tucks into your diaper bag — it will position your baby correctly and reduce strain on your back and arms so you can nurse comfortably wherever you go.

Tip: For more discreet breastfeeding in public, wear a blouse that buttons down the front and unbutton it from the bottom so your breasts stay covered.