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9/01/06 // Say “Aaahh!” Organic baby foods & the upside of stress

The latest culinary trend, organic, has trickled down to baby food, made fresh and shipped right to your door or available at select retailers. Developed by moms, these infant and toddler edibles have higher price tags, but they tout convenience and better nutrition. A sampler:

Plum Organics Flavors include Red Lentil Veggie and Banana Peach Rice Pudding. Available at select Whole Foods and Wild Oats Stores. ($2.89 to $3.49 for a box of two 4-ounce cups; http://www.plumorganics.com)

Bohemian Baby Tempting combinations like pear-pomegranate or fig-raspberry yogurt are sure to please, while a Cultural Cafe list offers options such as Cuban black beans and brown rice. Delivered fresh, not frozen. ($3.50 per 5-ounce jar; http://www.bo-baby.com)

Evie’s Organic Edibles Choices include winter vegetables and rice, and sweet potato- rutabaga. Shipped in 100 percent biodegradable coolers. ($2.25 to $2.75 per 4.5-ounce container; http://www.eviesorganicedibles.com)

Homemade Baby Flavors include Squapples (roasted squash and apples) and Just Apples. ($24 for twelve 4-ounce containers; http://www.homemadebaby.com)

Nami Each bag contains ten 1-ounce-serving cubes of pureed organic single-ingredient veggies or fruits you can mix into your own combos. Papaya and peaches, baby? ($4.98 per bag; http://www.mynami.com)

Relax!—Some Stress Is Good Stress

A little tension in the life of a pregnant working mom might be a good thing—even for the baby. In a reversal of some research suggesting a link between prenatal stress and preterm births and lower birth weights, a new study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reveals that pregnant women who experienced mild to moderate levels of stress—the kind we experience every day as we balance home, family and work—had babies who at age 2 were somewhat more advanced developmentally than tots of moms who reported that they were less stressed during pregnancy.

Researchers measured the stress levels of women—mostly working moms-to-be—at various intervals during their pregnancies. Two years after delivery, the women’s children were tested for skills like walking, doing puzzles and talking. The toddlers whose moms reported higher levels of prenatal stress and anxiety scored higher on the developmental tests, says Janet DiPietro, PhD, lead study author and a professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “While high anxiety and stress can be detrimental to pregnant women and their babies, moderate amounts may help boost a baby’s development because cortisol, a stress hormone, is also responsible for organ maturation,” says Dr. DiPietro. “In other words, you can stop worrying about worrying.”