To say 'Fuck you, Ella's Kitchen, I'll boil my own carrots!'

[missmillimentscardigan]

Obviously I get that those pouches can be convenient; I just don't understand the blind adherence to the Ella's Kitchen 'feeding a baby everything from a pouch' idea. Why would you pay probably ten times the cost of a carrot to buy a pouch of pureed carrot? I hate the twee packaging and the stupid baby talk on the packets and cynical marketing guff.

I think parents are led to believe that they couldn't possibly prepare something for their baby to eat themselves, and that it's better and somehow safer, to buy them a pouch of fruit or veg and feed them that instead. So many of my friends, when starting off on weaning their babies, have just bought a load of EK pouches and given them that, and only that. And I find that a bit sad, that parents think that they couldn't /shouldn't cook a parsnip / bit of broccoli for their child, and that the first flavours their baby tries are from a weird vacuum pouch that doesn't even need refrigerating.

I'm no Annabel Karmel, and my children certainly don't eat lovingly prepared homecooked food all the time (hello, beans on toast). But I do enjoy cooking for them and my DH, and so does he. Those pouches have a place, but not at the exclusion of everything else. It's satisfying to see your child eating something you made and that you know is nutritious.

I'm not criticising mothers and fathers for using them; I just feel a bit sad that we are losing and abandoning simple skills, like very basic and inexpensive cooking for children, because baby food companies want us to think that they know better than we do. And they don't!

Good point treeclot - it's bloody expensive to batch cook and freeze a bunch of meals your dc are unlikely to eat

First baby?

WellErr

I am sure we all know that the closest to nature food is the better it is for babies and adults. It's how I eat and it's simple, quick and it works.

I feed Ella's Kitchen pouches to my hedgehog. They make her very happy.

OP, that's just you. I have never heard anyone using pouches because they thought they were better! They are convenient, faster, portable and many things, but never have I heard that they are healthier or safer (The fruit ones can be brilliant to make cocktails, there was a fantastic thread about that a few months ago).

I don't anyone either who has trouble cooking a bit for fruits and/or veg for their baby. Use what you have or buy a baby food processor (they are a life saver) and job done.

namechangingagainagain Thank you.

I still think about the money I wasted and the fear that I couldn't be sure that I was doing the right thing - unless it was written on the packet that I was. My first trip to Mothercare when I was about six months pregnant was terrifying. I had no idea how "unsafe" everything might be. And all the women in the ante-natal group fed each others' fears.

I did use some jars but I was quite isolated as none of my friends had kids. Mostly I ate with my children and we ate the same thing at the same time - mushed or chopped. BTW I have plenty of problems with my, now teen, DC so not being smug.

I agree, OP. I saw some dreadful marketing strategy from (I think) Ella's Kitchen on how to discourage parents from slipping away into home made alternatives. It's a money-making scam.

False economy cooking and pureing bits and pieces for very small children. IME they get more variety with the bought stuff. Save the hard work for when they are able to share a meal with the rest of the family. After all they are only getting trace elements from their solids and are reliant on milk. Research shows that young children who are given tiny amounts of a variety of foods are less fussy, more adventurous eaters later in childhood/life, albeit they might go through fussy phases.
Children prefer the familiar so best to put as many appropriate foodstuffs as possible on that familiar list.
Doesn't bother me in the slightest how much commercial baby food is sold.

I agree with Chicara - and the OP - the marketing for anything baby/parent related is huge, huge business and I do think it is sad that so many parents who perhaps cannot afford them think that you have to buy jars/pouches of baby food.

Sadly there are people who really do believe all the advertising hype and perhaps we are just as judgemental towards that attitude - I help in a Food Bank and the lack of understanding/knowledge about basic eating principles is really low, so many people spend ££££s (that they haven't really got) on expensive baby foods/products etc because they do think it is best for their baby.

Fine, if you can afford to buy ready made stuff then spend your money how you want even if I do judge people for wasting their money but if you are struggling, it is sad to see people spending money on baby food. .

It's not a "money-making scam", it's just another part of the food industry!

worral Not everyone is in a position to do their own 'research' and a lot of these products have technical gobbledegook on the packet that makes it sound 'expert', leading naturally to the idea that buying the product is what 'experts' recommend. With a baby, you're bombarded with guidelines from experts that parents ignore at their peril; advertisers are riding on the back of that (even to the point of being distributed in a bounty pack along with proper expert advice). It's just wrong.

I'm weaning DD, mixture of food we've made and pouches/packet stuff. Would settle for her being taken with anything and wanting more! YABU.

I hate the word pouch. Gives me irrational rage. Food shouldn't come in pouches.

Now I've that out of my system

With DS1 I was very stupid and thought babies could only eat baby food from a baby jar or a box or whatever. So that's what DS got and he is the fussiest child ever now. With DS2 I didn't purée or blend anything nor did a single jar or "baby food" item pass his lips. He had everything straight off my plate and mushed it between his wee gums and teeth and now aged 7 he would eat the kitchen table if he was allowed.

Worra I agree that personal responsibility is frequently sidelined. In some of the sugar tax threads I argued, ( different user name), that it was not the food industry's fault that parents with no sense fed their kids fizzy drinks.

Having a new baby though throws you into a world which is unfamiliar and so you are vulnerable to suggestions that you are not doing it right. You have no experience to fall back on.

I just wanted to say that whilst in the first few posts most of the comments jumped on the OP for judging rather than addressed her point.

I agree that people are frequently too lazy to find something out but there are others who enable/ encourage that for profit.

Lucky you! You have time to cook! And your DH! Double lucky!
Some people have full time jobs as well as children and sometimes they have to buy food that has been pre prepared. Because they don't have the time nor the energy. You are looking down your nose at parents.

The marketing of Ella's is absolute genius.

The way they evoke a sense of innocence and 'goodness'. The fact that they appeal to both child and mother simultaneously. The language and aesthetics is fresh and appealing (or at least it was at the start).

The product is pretty 'meh' though.

Actually, OP, you've got a good point about confidence. I've come across parents who believe that 'totally smooth' is the only non traumatic/safe approach for early weaning and beat themselves up about not achieving that with their own efforts. Which is clearly BS.

But then my son wolfed down half a whole banana on his first attempt, so not something we had to worry about.

When I had DC1 8 years ago I worked part time and everything was lovingly made by hand. DC2 had a few pouches and now DC 3 has come along and I'm back working full time. DH works away all week and I have complete responsibility for the kids - DC3 has only ever had pouches! Nothing to do with marketing or lack of confidence in my skills.
I am a confident enough person to decide that my time after work is better spent with my kids than devoted to puree.
Parents should be less judgy - just because someone doesn't do something doesn't mean they can't. It might mean they have chosen to do something else.

If new parents are so lost (and I agree they are) it's an absolute shame there isn't more support in this country. Once you send people home with a baby, they are completely on their own. You can see a GP for medical reasons, go to a baby clinic to check the weight, but there is no-one to help and advise.
Other countries give you the choice of a monthly appointment with a pediatrician, pity we don't have this in this country.
I wouldn't even blame the food industry, but the government for not offering any support. Long term, its not really cost effective, is it.

Ahaha! I cook everything from scratch for my family. I don't use processed food, no jars, no packet sauces, if I don't need special machinery to make it then I make it myself. I'm fully capable of putting together a swanky three course dinner, let alone mushing some steamed veg up for a baby.

I weaned dd1 on Ella's kitchen pouches and bits of food I chucked on her high chair tray. For no better reason than I couldn't be arsed with the faff of cooking stuff up and blending it and thinking about even more meals than I already provide. Now she eats real food and she has the same as we do.

I fully intend to wean DD2 in the same way in a couple of months. Works for us.

And you know what? For families that don't cook, there's a hell of a lot of worse things that they could be feeding their baby than overpriced mush in a pouch. And it's a much more pervasive problem than baby food manufacturers convincing parents that they can't cook, it's a loss of basic skills in the post war generations with the rise in convenience foods.

At the risk of being lynched I did baby led weaning with my dd now aged 8. She just ate what I ate plus milk - it was fun and she has always been a good eater. Wed go to pret for lunch and she'e eat the chicken and the avocado out of a sandwich and then the bread. it was really stress free too.

Food marketeers get paid a lot of money and have tonnes of research at their disposal to understand exactly what benefits/language/imagery resonate and are persuasive. It's their job to get you to buy this stuff.

So I wouldn't beat any body up for falling for their bullshit. Some of it can be very clever.

People saying buy pouches from Amazon and fill them yourself.

Holidays/weddings etc where you need food for little one and go overnight with no fridge I'm not sure how well home made ones would last.

I did batch cook my own purées (had a love affair with my steamer blender) but used pouches for such occasions as they were really handy.

If our kitchen was being re done or for any reason I couldn't cook or have a fridge or freezer than in not sure how you cope without this option.

Goady as fuck thread.

Oh come on.

Anyone with internet access or access to a HV can do their own research.

You can't blame the food industry for everything

Parents also need to take responsibility.

I went all out researching and buying a purée book and storage pots and that, only problem Isi couldn't put baby down as she was a high needs -clingy- baby so couldn't seem to get anything made without us both in tears. I did baby led weaning in the end as it was just easier. I didn't buy pouches as I had ended up ff at £20 a week and didn't want the expense and I hate processed food (even with simple ingredients, just tastes funny to me) and I had tasted baby food before i had her and it was gross. Babies seem to like gross tasting stuff though!