To wonder whether people get their knickers in such a twist over bought baby food

[pleasethanks]

I was pondering this as I watched the Jo Frost thread spiral into a ff/bf argument at points. It is clearly a very emotive topic and as someone who reluctantly formula fed, I clearly understand the health benefits of breast feeding. But this is again and again a topic which causes arguments on here and flinging of insults.

I really just wondered whether those people who get high and mighty about breast feeding and look down on those who didn't breast feed (and I know lots of people are pro breast feeding without being high and mighty) hold the same superior views when it comes to weaning on to solids. For example, do they all feed their children purely homemade food, rather than shop bought etc. I really just wondered whether homemade v shop bought baby food is the subject of such strong views, and if not, why not?

[SleepySuzy]

[pleasethanks]

And also, shouldn't the government spend money to encourage people to cook food for their babies, as clearly the provision of foods for your children is something which (normally) lasts far longer than the provision of breast/formula milk.

[pleasethanks]

And again, I should say I am asking this as a matter of interest, as I am genuinely wondering what the answer is, not trying to stir things up!

[ThePrincessRoyalFiggyrolls]

the problem is a little like bf/ff - some people are unable to bf so ff, some people don't want to bf etc etc, however some people really can't cook. I mean really can't. I have one friend who employed a nanny so that her child had real food rather than anything ready made (unless on holiday) as she really can't cook. Or rather won't cook, but equally can't cook

[usualsuspect]

Only on MN ,not in RL

[itsastrawpoll]

Good question!!

In answer to your OP, I think sanctimonius people who are well informed are sanctimonious about all of it.

I HAVE met one or two people who are very vocal about breastfeeding but then say things like "I buy fruit purees in jars when my toddler isn't eating because then I know they are getting all the nutrients", and think "but aren't most of the nutrients blasted out of them by heat treating?

[JamieAgain]

I suspect that people who EBF also only use home-made food.

I personally think making purees is a monumental faff, so used jars (this was in the days before Baby Led Weaning and organic socially- acceptable pouches).

I'm quite glad I don't have to worry about all this now.

[JamieAgain]

usualsuspect - probably right. Maybe I should say "I'm glad I wasn't on MN then"

[Mollyfloss]

The argument is not the same as bf/ff because the nutrients in good quality organic baby food such as Ella's or Plum as good if not better than homemade food. This is because in the UK there are very strict rules about organic food for babies. Of course you probably still want to feed your baby some homemade food so they get different tastes 7 textures etc and develop good eating habits etc. However your child will not lack nutrients if fed on good quality organic baby food - quit the contrary. That is what I have been told by a couple of pediatrician's in any case.

[Moulesfrites]

I am in the middle of pureeing hell - am not the most domesticated and am finding the whole process of making little ice cubes of mushed fruit and veg incredibly tedious.

(I do love the idea of blw btw but I have a wierd choking phobia and the few times I have tried too give ds finger foods I have been a complete nervous wreck and I know I am going to have to get over it - also, most of them have ended up on the floor and while I realise that some mess whilst weaning is important my "undomesticatedness" also extends to an aversion to constant cleaning).

Anyway, I have given ds some Ella's kitchen pouches, but the reasons I want ds to have mainly home made food are not because I am smug and middle class but because I understand that jars etc are often quite bland tasting and I want ds to get used to strong flavours.

My second reason is harder to articulate, but I kind of feel as if there is no need to buy jars when I can make it myself - it's similar to the bf/ff debate that formula feeding culture undermines women's confidence that they can feed their own babies without having to pay for formula and I feel the same way about food - although I don't love cooking I still feel empowered that I (and dh) can prepare my ds' food myself, ifswim. I'm sure there are lods of holes in this argument which will no doubt get picked to bits, but that is how I feel.

I am not obsessive about it btw - I don't mind giving the odd jar when out or for convenience but I would like the majority of his food to be prepared at home.

[itsastrawpoll]

Mollyfloss - do flash pasteurised baby food's like Ella's kitchen pouches retain the same levels of nutrients as fresh, homemade food, do you know? I don't know much about it but have always understood that heat treating at very high temperatures (like Ellas kitchen pouches are) can cause the nutrients to deteriorate.

I'd hesitate to say that EK pouches are better than homemade food. Why? Because they're made from organic ingredients? What about homemade food made with organic ingredients?

[icooksocks]

Moulesfrites-I have taste tested Plum baby pouches and pots, if you give your DC these he will definitely be getting some strong flavours (and very yummy too ) I went on the theory that if I would eat it despite it being baby mush then it was good enough for my DC. I wasn't such a big fan of Ella's kitchen as they mostly tasted of apple. I found a healthy balance between plum baby and homemade mush, and my now 18 month old eats just about everything bar Marmite.
Funnily enough I'm a fairly staunch bottlefeeder!

[Udderly]

The twisted knickers debate as such centres on purees v's BLW. Purees takes in shop bought and homemade.

[KateBC]

I EBF DS, and only used ready made food very rarely... Not because i have a problem with it, but because DS was monumentally fussy and the only bottled food he would be prepared to eat was some sort of raspberry pudding, which i wasn't going to give him three times a day!

DS2 is on the way, and he will NOT be as fussy, i am not having a freezer full of green bean ice cubes again!

[usualsuspect]

BLW is a poncy name for what we old timers called finger foods

[TillyIpswitch]

I'm in the 'I B/F but don't give a shiny one what others feed fheir babies' camp.

DS is 2.5 and DD is 11 months. They eat the same food. I bulk cook a lot of food and freeze it into portions - homemade pasta sauces, ragu, all sorts of different things which they have with pasta, rice, veg, etc. Ready meals, but cooked from scratch.

They sometimes have things like fish fingers as well, but they also have actual fish and other meat on the night's where I have more time to cook. so basically, the vast bulk of their diet is homemade with ingredients which I have chosen (so I know exactly what's in their meals, right down the last ingredient), as well as fresh fruit and veg but I take short cuts by bulk cooking and freezing, etc.

They have the odd biscuit, raisins, etc as snacks. Try to avoid crisps and give say, baked bagels, crackers, etc. But mine are still young enough that I can control what goes into their mouths. Ask me again in another 5 or 10 years and my answer might be very different. So yeah, I have tried to follow on the good practices I started with B/F....

[maypole1]

Because only a fool would buy a jar of apple for like £2 with all sorts of additives when you can buy a plain old apple for like 20p


And for those who reckon their not domesticated whats so hard with making dinner then hand Blending some set aside i. Mean its really not. That hard even my 11 year old could boil a carrot boil it then blend it with hand blender

[ItDoesntBodenWell]

Yes, any minute now, someone will come along trilling 'oh I don't know how people can be bothered pureeing, it's such a faff! My Tarquinius BLWed and now he eats everything"

[ItDoesntBodenWell]

There are no additives though, maypole, in the new organic ones, like plum and ella's. The ingredients are just veg / fruit / whatever you would make yourself.
But for 80p you get a huge range of flavour combinations to pick from, with no need to peel anything :)

[deliciousdevilwoman]

DD, 7 months, is primarily BF, with the odd FF top up. I weaned her at 20 weeks' (on the advice of the paediatrician, as she remains small for her age)and in the main, use organic, ready prepared baby foods such as Plum, Ella's Kitchen and Organix. I love the convenience and lack of faff! I do supplement these with some mashed up fruits/veg/yoghurt. I didn't go down the BLW route as I wanted to ensure I got more food/ calories down her. She has only recently got her first tooth, so I will be introducing more finger foods, but the core part of her diet will remain these pouches for a while yet.

[tyler80]

I never bought jars because I was stingy on a low budget

I don't really care what others do, most of my parenting decisions are made by deciding what's cheapest and what's least amount of effort because I'm monumentally lazy

[tyler80]

Also have a policy of not feeding anything I don't like myself (I hate waste so need to finish the leftovers) so this excludes all the bought baby food I've ever sampled, any sort of cooked fruit, olives etc. etc.