Healthy(ier) Alternative to Standard 1St Birthday Cake

Hi K.-

Check out this recipe for Carrot Cake from Dr. Weil.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/RCP00197

It has wheat flour, carrots, pineapple, and applesauce instead of a lot of oil and sugar, and is really moist and delicious for the whole family. I topped a sheet cake with a version of cream cheese frosting for the family, and then made my daughter her own small carrot cake topped with a little fresh whipped cream. (I was afraid her little body would go into sugar overload from a ton of sugary cake/frosting as well because she just hadn't had it). Hope this helps!

Check out the Super Baby Food Book by Ruth Yaron. She has a couple of great first birthday cake suggestions in there, as well as a ton of other healthy things for toddlers (and preschoolers and families) to eat. She also has a section on how to choose, store, and cook most produce. And a section on what nutrients are necessary and the best sources of them, PLUS natural cleaning product recipes, party game suggestions... My kids are 2 & 4 and I use it all the time!

For my son's first birthday I had the same feeling, so I made him his own personal carrot cake from scratch. I knew eactly what went into it. I used frosting (very little, not as messy :( but was better. Maybe you could use fruit as a frosting, bananas mashed. Just remember anything you make at home will likely be heathier than a store bought. If you want I can look up the carrot cake recipe I used, if I remember correctly there wasn't alot of sugar in it.

Congrats on making it through the first year's up and downs, remember that the 1st b-day is more of a big congrats to you being at 1 they don't remember much. We had some neibors and family over and later when our son was sleeping celebrated his 1st birthday as adults!.

I was the same. There are some recipes in "What to Expect: The First Year" They have some great recipes that dont use sugar. I made my daughter a cake out of there. They use a cream cheese frosting and sweeten everything with fruit.

Use white cake... it is just as good and pretty also.
I have NEVER used chocolate cake, if anything different, I use marble. Just lay a pad under the high chair and let them enjoy THEIR day w/ice cream and cake.
Have a blessed day!

Banana bread or Applesauce muffins would be good too, with or without a touch of frosting.