To ask what is so wrong with pouches

[HenryIsHungry]

baby food pouches, I mean. Genuine question, not trying to cause a bunfight. I've just tried one of the Ella's Kitchen ones and it was delicious. Ingredients lists just organic fruit and a dash of lemon.

I've spend hours pureeing (combining purees with BLW at the moment and happy with that decision before we ignite that debate!), freezing, then defrosting, warming, washing up blah blah blah, and now wondering why I can't just give him pouches 50 per cent of the time. Surely these foods have the same goodness as my home-cooked creations (and it's not like the food I prepare is fresh, seeing as I freeze it)

I know there's the cost issue, but I'm self-employed, so time spent NOT preparing food, is time spent earning moment or just enjoying some time with DS, so it all balances out I reckon.

Is it because DS would get used to them, so wouldn't make the transition to eating home-cooked food with the family as easily? If so, I'm not sure I buy it. As a family we combine fresh food with convenience food all the time (eg I might make shepherds pie with ready-made mash, pasta with Lloyd Grossman sauce). That's life.

Please someone tell me if I'm missing the point about why they're so bad? Is there something they don't tell you on the packet??

I'm happy to be corrected.

Mintyy - why would it make you scream? What's the difference between a child sucking from the pouch or drinking from a carton? Or eating with their fingers?

I genuinely don't get what the problem is.....

I really really don't understand the whole fanaticsm about not allowing any soft food during BLW. Ludicrous! I did BLW in that I handed DD toast crusts, broccoli etc but also she also had some soft porridge, yoghurt and so on.

Nothing wrong with them and i used many a jar. Only difference I would think between a jar or pouch and fresh food is that wouldn't the jar or pouch need to be ultra heat treated, thereby maybe lessening the vitamin content? Otherwise wouldn't it go off if not in the fridge? If you made fresh food and sealed it in a bag you would still need to put it in the fridge, so i'm assuming the pouches/jars are ultra heat treated?

Its just one of those things I don't like, along with grown ups eating meals on the tube, chewing gum whilst talking, customers in shops carrying on their phone conversations while being served. Its probably all down to snobbishness.

I think the only thing I'd want clarification on is the nutritional quality of the food.

Quite often processed food (which it is if it's a meal in a pouch) is lacking in nutritional value because of the cooking processes.

If that isn't an issue with the organic pouches then I don't see a problem with using them occasionally.

I don't think they taste as nice as homemade though. But for convenience, can't complain.

I think the difference between sucking from a pouch and a drink carton is that eventually the child will be expected to eat from cutlery and a bowl/plate and that those skills are developed early on.

I wouldn't give a child a pouch to 'suck' food from.

I did BLW but still used some pouches. Like a give a toss who's going to get a snoot on about that! Fuck all to do with anyone else, is it?

I have no idea why anyone would think there is anything wrong with them unless they fanatically do all baby food from scratch fresh every day.

I loved Ella's Kitchen stuff when in the UK and I am relieved that there is something similar available here in Australia.

When DS was too little to control the pouch himself, I would squeeze it out onto a spoon and spoon-feed him with the contents; when he was able to control the pouch, I would let him have one and he could suck the contents out himself. That, to me, is no worse than drinking out of a bottle with a drinking cap, or sucking on a Calippo ice lolly.

At 4.9, he still likes the fruit ones as an easy snack in the car or on the plane when we go back to the UK - I don't buy them for him very often because he can eat the whole fruit, but if we're on a long journey anywhere then they're quite useful. He eats normal meals without any trouble.

However, Y A BU to use readymade mash, IMO - disgusting stuff!

Nothing wrong with using them. I discovered them when i stopped being fanatical about pureeing homecooked delights ds was around 9 months used them occasionally and found them perfect for when visiting people or out and about as you don't have to worry about keeping fresh.
still don't like the idea of jars though - not sure why.

My DSs are very talented, they can both suck from a pouch and use cutlery, not admittedly at the same time.

Aren't the contents of pouches heated up to vast temperatures to kill any bacteria though, and thereby reducing the nutrients?

I'm not against them, btw.

SizzleSazz Thumbwitch I just want to clarify, I mean naice M&S ready made mash (you know jersey royals with double cream and nutmeg and all that loveliness) not Smash. Never, ever, ever Smash! Does that make it ok?

I don't know where I got the impression pouches were frowned upon, but I just thought slaving away pureeing carrots was something that Alpha mums did! Ah bollocks to that then.

Ps I actually referred to combining purees with BLW reluctantly, of course I mean I am just weaning. That's all. Hate that I've been suckered in by these cunty terms. Actually, I think we need to coin a marketing acronym for traditional weaning. What about PGW (parent-guided weaning)?

i apologise,its just a pointless thing that bugs me, like people who go mad about proper punctuation

I did an NHS post natal course where we were given spoonfuls of ready made babyfood to eat so we could try for ourselves how 'disgusting' they are, then lectured on how we shouldn't use them!

Only freshly made food pureed was acceptable... no mention of BLW or any other methods but this very regimented puree then mush system.

How do they make them last so long?
( I mean the best before date - not the baby's eating habits).

That's what I mean, Violetroses. I think they're probably ok now and again but I wouldn't use them with any frequency.

By heating the crap (and the goodness) out of them, Bongaloo.

Violetroses interesting, maybe that's true, kind of wondered how they kept for so long without masses of preservatives. Maybe they're a bit like UHT milk in that respect then

What is this BLW of which you speak? DS is only 7 but I don't think it was invented then...

I too came on to defend the kangaroo, but pouches are fine OP.

I thought this was going to be a thread about bum bags; so much wrong with those type of pouches.

grin

I think that's exactly what they're like, Henry

PLEASE can someone tell me posh M&S mash is ok to use in Shepherd's Pie. This is more important than my original question

paranoid now

I always did BLW. Of course, to me, it was simply 'weaning' but nowadays if you attach a wanky term to it and put the middle class guilters on, it becomes the fucking law, and anyone who doesn't follow it is a bad parent or even worse....common.

You can wean them without going through the hideous soft food / puree stage?! Tell me more, quick - DD is due to be weaned in just over a month and I HATE it. If I can just stick breadsticks and bits of carrot or cheese in her mouth from day one, I will be a happy bunny!

Mine sooks them straight out the pouch! Always thought of them more as a smoothie than food, which is why meat and veg ones give me the boak.