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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To give my babies ready made baby food sometimes?

121 replies

Fondantfancy66 · 07/04/2016 11:49

I'm surrounded by friends and family giving me cats bum faces over giving my 7 month old twins pouches and jars of baby food. I'm avoiding ones with sugar. Im making my own purées too, but sometimes life is just too busy. I'm not unreasonable am I? One baby has a dairy allergy, the other refuses pretty much everything and particularly homemade puree, I have a three year old as well, and a husband who works away during the week.

You'd think I was giving them gin by the looks on some peoples faces......

OP posts:

Sparrowlegs248 · 08/04/2016 10:35

I'm doing blw so haven't used jars yet I have looked when out though, they're so bloody expensive!! But, no, yanbu.

jobrum · 08/04/2016 10:37

My mum was the other way round! "I gave you hars of food and there's nothing wrong with you". I used pouches of food sometimes when weaning, I was pleasantly surprised at the absence of sugar in them and how similar they were to things I made my self. I always ensured I had a spoon and pouch when out and about foe emergencies.

No matter what you do, someone will always tell you tou are doing it wrong. And you have an older child, you know what you're doing!

docpeppa · 08/04/2016 10:37

I do both, I make a big batch of food and store in the freezer.

I also have pouches and use them when I'm out and about.

It's what works for you and makes your life easier

Pinkheart5915 · 08/04/2016 10:40

Your baby so it's up to you how you feed them.

I do make everything haven't given a jar do ds who is 7 months but I have the time to make stuff.
If your short of time then I do see anything wrong with using pouches, jars. Do what works for you

SmarterThanTheAverageBear16 · 08/04/2016 10:51

Or even if you're not short of time and just feel like it

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 08/04/2016 11:15

YAsoNBU. DD never touched ready made foods but it wasn't for the lack of trying on my part! They will do the DC no harm and should help make life that little bit easier for you.

Totally agree with pps about asking the eyebrow raisers to do some batch cooking for you!

TremoloGreen · 08/04/2016 11:19

Well I don't think you're being unreasonable. But at 7 months old, they don't need mushed up food, you can just go straight to normal food off your plate, that cuts down on a lot of faff/expense. Both mine just started on finger foods from six months, no need for purees. My understanding is that feeding babies purees is just a hangover from when babies were weaned at 3/4 months.

NewLife4Me · 08/04/2016 11:26

I never used jars or packets and my dc didn't have processed foods at all.
Being at home enabled me to cook from scratch everyday and also saved loads of money so I didn't have to work.
It was our decision and I don't think our dc have turned out differently from others at all.
If I hadn't the time I would have used jars and packets too.
Just ignore them OP.

Schwabischeweihnachtskanne · 08/04/2016 12:41

TremoloGreen my Pfb was finger foods only (actually by accident as the bugger would not tolerate being spoon fed at all, only heard of baby led weaning when I asked on the baby forum I was on pre MN whether she could get enough nutrients from the food she was feeding herself with her fingers). My younger two were mostly - DC2 used to scream in frustration when he was hungry though so I fed mashed with a fork food from what we were having too - but - and it is a big but - the OP's twins have food allergies.

The entire wonderfulness of realising you can actually give the weaning baby an only slightly edited version of what you are eating a lot of the time is entirely lost if the baby, or one of them, has a full blown allergy to a category of food and ingredient rather than just one obscure thing, so the OP would have to change what she is cooking for everyone and make it all scrupulously dairy free to feed her allergic baby what she, her DH and her DC1 are having. Obviously she will have to do that eventually (if her baby doesn't outgrow the allergy, which some do) but just at the moment it possibly won't make her life easier to give the weaning 7 month old twins what the adults and 3 yo are having, in her case.

Jw35 · 08/04/2016 13:03

Yanbu. Ella's kitchen are the best ones IMO. They're the only ones I bought! I didn't do blw and my dd had these with finger foods and porridge until around a year old. Sometimes I puréed the family meal if it was suitable but she had around 3-4 of the pouches a week

TremoloGreen · 08/04/2016 13:13

Oh, I see, sorry. OP, I do think there is nothing wrong with the odd pouch, was just hoping to make your life a bit easier, but I obviously didn't read it all properly, sorry. FWIW, DD1 has dairy allergy too, but I find we eat lots of things that are dairy free anyway curries/stews/omlettes/stir frys/spag bol. However you decide to 'do' weaning, they'll be off the purees soon anyway and this pouch debate will all be forgotten and everyone will realise it doesn't matter.

I do think next time you get the cat's bum face, you should tell them to feel free to drop round some frozen batch cooked food if they like.

SmarterThanTheAverageBear16 · 08/04/2016 13:32

But at 7 months old, they don't need mushed up food, you can just go straight to normal food off your plate, that cuts down on a lot of faff/expense

Would people ever shut up with this crap? SOME 7 month olds were prem and aren't ready. Some were full term and aren't ready. Some just prefer pureed or spoon feed. Many of us eat food that isn't at all suitable for a 7 month old (really, should I give my 7 month old vindaloo, or pickled cabbage, or fiery thai red curry, or any number of things with lots of salt or chilli or whatever? )

Stop commenting on what other people choose to feed their babies! Thats the whole point of the thread, that people should mind their own business.

Jw35 · 08/04/2016 14:10

Well said smarter! I chose to give puréed foods to my baby. I don't like blw but each to their own

PurpleCrazyHorse · 08/04/2016 14:51

Smile and say 'thanks, I'll bear that in mind'

End of.

newmumwithquestions · 08/04/2016 15:06

I'd suggest they aren't very good friends if they are giving you a hard time about feeding your babies - I think a mix of readymade and homemade sounds great. I only gave DD1 homemade food and then went away for a weekend and tried to feed her on Ella's kitchen supplemented with a little other stuff. I tried loads of different flavours and she wouldn't touch the pouches, whatever I did. Made a total rod for my own back - DD2 will be getting some pouches from the start!

UmbongoUnchained · 08/04/2016 16:14

BLW's get a tough time off people too. I think people just enjoy putting others down.

Caterina99 · 08/04/2016 16:20

I have the opposite problem (sort of!). I made all DS food and also did some blw. He's now 9 months won't touch any bought baby food and not for lack of trying. I think it's the puree texture. My mum and mil keep telling me it did us no harm to eat them and I was creating a rod for my own back by making all his food.

Fortunately, after spending time with us they realised that he can mostly eat normal food and so it's not a big problem to just give him what we have.

YANBU. Tell your mum to make the food for you if she's that bothered!

KatharinaRosalie · 08/04/2016 16:29

DC1 would have starved if we insisted on BLW, refused to eat food that wasn't finely mashed until he was almost 2.

DC2 refused everything that was smooth/mashed/pureed and pretty much started gnawing on an entire chicken leg as soon as she could sit up.

Kids are different. Do whatever works. Nobody has died of eating Ella's pouches and just because food is 'home made', it does not necessarily mean it's healthy.

Schwabischeweihnachtskanne · 08/04/2016 16:36

Katherina this:

" just because food is 'home made', it does not necessarily mean it's healthy."

is very true! There is lots of added salt and sugar (comparatively speaking) in the Annabelle Karmel baby recipe book somebody gave me, and on the "grown up food" end my mother is unshakably convinced the pork pies, pasties etc. from her local butcher are a health food because they are made in house :o

Pippidoeswhatshewants · 08/04/2016 16:52

Tell everybody you are using a new, continental approach.

When my dcs were little we lived in Germany and nobody in their right mind would have dreamt of cooking your own baby food or doing blw!

Mine have never had anything but jars until we switched to them eating the same as us. Both dcs teenagers eat anything now.

If you are very worried, decant some jars into little Tupperware containers.

Xmasbaby11 · 08/04/2016 16:59

Don't worry. Thousands of parents use jars even when they don't have twins or older children - they just don't want to make purees. I made all purees for dd1. We tried now alongside but she had no interest in solid food until she was at least 1 - just wouldn't put anything in her mouth. She loved all my varied homemade purees. Dd2 on the other hand refused purees and ate the same as us. Now they are 2 and 4 and both terrible eaters!

FankEweVeryMuch · 08/04/2016 17:00

YANBU, Op. Over four children I've done it all and each one has been different. All of them have had pouches/ jars here and there and I've only had singletons.

I am a bit at the idea that Ella's kitchen is somehow far superior to the other brands. Marketing at its finest.

my2bundles · 08/04/2016 17:15

Vscattymere I was quoting someone else then disagreeing with them, go back and read my full response before making a judgement please.

lessthanBeau · 08/04/2016 17:28

The only important thing here is that your babies are getting fed! You should have seen the pre prepared shite I used to feed my babies 25 years ago! They are both still alive and well. Healthy,High achievers and not overweight in any way. Don't sweat the small stuff, or worry what others think.

Janecc · 08/04/2016 17:34

Its not like you're pureeing McDonald's.... Dd mainly had home made food but she's an only child and I batch cooked for her. Tbh I had to because she was so fussy and would only eat very few foods at one time. She went through her Greek yoghurt stage, her toast stage, her cottage pie phase etc. I tried Ella's kitchen but not much liked and she wouldn't eat anything with lumps at all or finger food. I despaired as I watched my friends son eating handfuls of sweet potato, peppers, carrots etc etc. You do whatever you need to do. You are their mother and sound very sensible.

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