Are jars/sachets really that bad...?

[LindsayS79]

Ok, so I'm probably going to get shot down in flames here... But I genuinely would like to know, if I give my 8 month old DD jars/sachets of food rather than make my own, is her eating habits going to go wrong?!

I'm out and about a lot and currently in the process of packing to move house so blending food etc is something I'm struggling to do. I give her plenty of finger foods every day for her to practise chewing harder foods etc. I also let her dive into anything I'm eating so she can taste it.

So, can anyone tell me if you mostly fed jars etc and still ended up with a good eater?

[Figster]

We did a mixture of homemade and jars/pouches and my ds eats non stop everything and anything always has done. My friend seemed to rely heavily on pouches and had a terrible eater very sensitive gag reflex with new textures and consistency but that could be a coincidence.

[vichill]

I think as they all have a certain taste (due to the high heats used in the processing) babies get used to it. It may make it harder at a later date but they will wean off them eventually. do you have a relative or friend you could ask to prepare some meals? pre baby I would have loved an afternoon making baby food.

[jennyl131]

dd was mostly jars and will try anything.

ds1 was a mixture - home made at home or nursery, jars out and about. He's now a fussy so and so.

ds2 (11 months) eats mostly home made with pouches out and about. At the moment he'll eat most things.

The difference in the quality and variety of baby food for ds2 (8 year gap) staggers me. The Ella pouches of food actually smell like real food. Jars still make me gag though.

[MrsSteptoe]

Yes, I started off with the mashed vegetable in ice cube tray thing and moved on to jars. He eats anything and everything and comfortingly tells me "it's not that bad, Mummy" when something doesn't go quite right. Job's a good'un.

[BertieBotts]

It will be fine. Don't worry about it. When you're moving house you want any shortcuts you can take quite frankly! :)

[BertieBotts]

And as for making a bad eater - you can't do anything unfortunately! DS ate only home made, not even mashed BLW food from day one of weaning and yet he was still a fussy eater. I really don't think it makes any difference.

[LindsayS79]

Thanks everyone. I don't feel like such a bad mum now

I've got a speech therapist coming out next week to see if she has tongue tie, even though she doesn't actually eat her finger foods, I'm persisting! Been giving toast, crumpets, pasta, carrots etc! I'm hoping that I'll be able to just give her what I'm having soon enough!

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

With ds1, I spent ages cooking, pureeing, and freezing lots of veg and proteins in cubes, so I could give him a variety of different tastes each day. When ds2 came along, my get up and go had got up and gone, and he managed on a combination of jars, and whatever the rest of us were having, blitzed up. So did ds3.

All three are now taller than me, sporty, fit, happy young men - and I can't see any difference between the one who got all the lovingly pureed home made baby food, and the ones who had the commercial jars. They all enjoy a wide variety of food, eat well (and eat a wide variety of junk too), and the older two are making themselves good, home cooked food at university.

[cazrico]

My nearly 7 month has taken to chewing her teats during milk time...she will have an 8oz in the morning and at at 9/10pm at night but will only take 5 or 6oz in the day....she has cereal at breakfast and 1/2 jar of food/pudding at teatime and I have just started giving her a petit filous yoghurt at lunch....I think she is teething but also sleeps 8pm-6am....is this ok or should I give her more milk?