To think pouches are awful?

[AIBUnamechanger9]

I have two DCs and have never fed them from pouches. I see babies and toddlers sucking on them everywhere and it seems horrible for their teeth? Also for having a routine of eating at mealtimes or teaching them to eat properly. I recently spoke with a friend (who I am quite close with and believe she’s a wonderful mum) and she told me her 8 and 10 yo children still eat from pouches, especially if they’re on a day out, etc.

AIBU to despair at the prevalence of pouch feeding?

Yup, very lazy unfortunately. There is always an excuse why you can't first grow your own bananas then mash them yourself. Presumably you don't buy your own food from the shop as that is the height of laziness. Definitely nothing to do with convenience.

Being a parent means providing for your child. If that means giving them a pouch on occasion then there is nothing lazy about it.

Judging someone else for a non-dangerous, non-neglectful parenting choice makes you a horrible person on the other hand. I know which one I'd rather be...

Good nutrition can be found in pouches and jars. It’s a part of being a parent to make many decisions as to what is best for your DC’s. Time was a priority in our house so we used jars and pouches.

My thirteen year old admitted she had never tried a Gregg’s the other day. I was frankly horrified!

Oh come on it’s about bloody weaning pouches. How ‘goady’ can that be?

You should hang your head in shame.

have you rectified this?

The OP said she despairs at the use of pouches and doesn't think someone who has a pouch will learn to eat properly. Seems goady to me 🤷‍♀️

Sorry you’re ill. But I’m betting this isn’t your first time on Mumsnet

Secondly, you can mash a banana then not interact with your child all day. Mashing a banana isnt what makes a parent.

I was a cook from scratch and puree the baby's food mum, but when travelling premade was a godsend. It was vile and expensive and I only used it a couple of times. But I could have been one of those mum's you're disapproving of.

I think you're being a bit judgemental.

And your precious non pouch eating smug superior children will one day be teen agers mainlining on maccies and greggs

Ironically, my preteen does not like junk food, prefers broccoli to chips and loves salad bars. Hm, must be because he was deprived of nutrients when he was a baby, so he's now compensating by eating all the greens?

Today we are in search of a jumbo sausage roll! Hurrah! (Are they open on a bank holiday?)

Same here! My DS1 had reflux, was waking every 45 minutes at 7 months and waking 2-3 times a night from around when I returned to work at 11 months until he was three years old. I would have loved to have batch cooked and feed him home made purees, but I was too busy trying to survive the sleep deprivation induced psychosis. Thank goodness for Ella's kitchen.

Better than what was in my school lunchbox as a child: little pyramid shaped containers of sweet condensed milk. Sucking on them throughout the day would "give you energy", said my mother. (And lifelong dental problems). It was the total norm when I was a child!

I see little ones eating a hell of a lot worse than that on my local high street. Can of coke in one hand, some bucket of sugar or salt for breakfast. A pouch would at least have some nutritional value.

Basically, a mother's place is in the wrong. (Mother's - any dad who is out with his child will get a medal no matter what they do). I'm pretty sure we can find a way to mom-shame any choices anybody makes as a mother. Pureed own food - but what about salt? Pureed apples - but the sugars? Spending time on making homemade purees when you could be reading to your child, how neglectful. And purees are bad for them anyway, why aren't you doing baby led weaning? And so on and so on.

No matter what we do they’re still going to eat stuff they found on the floor. This is something that doesn’t warrant fuss tbh.

No, I don’t think they are awful. Most parents I know have used them at some point, all the children have turned out well.

And incomes were high enough to have one parent at home or working part time, and for many of those parents it wasn't their first choice to be home. Working hours were shorter, so were commutes. Ordinary families could live in the south east.

Pouches and other convenience mechanisms are a response to changing lifestyles and changing societal demands. We could argue all day long about whether those changes are good for women, children and society as a whole, but please don't pretend you did all that in the circumstances in which many families currently live.

I agree, appalling waste of plastic. I’ve never used them - we just take proper food out in boxes.

We both work full time and we use reusable nappies and I’ve never bought any prepared food. You can make choices that help the planet and your Wallet

OP, I think you are a real marvel. To raise your own family to perfectly and still find the time to judge other, less perfect mothers, must be exhausting. Well done you!

(For the record, I have never bought a pouch, but neither have I sneered at people who do).

They are a convenience food I suppose. Not everyone has time to purée stuff in advance or maybe they are caught short whilst out and it’s a quick fix. My children are teenagers now, but pouches were around when they were toddlers. I tried them but they didn’t like them and they were very expensive, but I can see why people do. I don’t really care how other people parent tbh.

We both work full time and we use reusable nappies and I’ve never bought any prepared food. You can make choices that help the planet and your Wallet

I earn enough that buying pouches does not have a noticeable effect on my wallet. Making my life a little easier does have an effect on my mental health though.

Pick a service station or tourist spot and you’ll be grand!

good luck in your search

I used pouches when i went on holiday and dc was a baby. I never give them at home. When dc was a baby i blizzed loads of fresh veg, froze it in ice cube trays and decanted into a big freezer bag. Just took a couple of cubes out each day. When dc moved on from baby food, we just stopped salting our own cooking and dc eats what we eat. We add salt on the plate for ourselves. I do a lot of batch cooking so i just do a few small tubs and we always have meals to hand. I did buy some reusable pouches. Iv not used them yet but in the summer i planned to put some greek yogurt and fruit purree in them. Less sugar than supermarket varieties.

Our little one has pouches. Mainly when daddy is the one looking after her. I prefer this to her eating blended KFC at random o'clock or dodgy sausages with bread or whatever he is eating at the time.
She also eats what we eat if we've cooked something nice (about 3 times a week), what nursery gives her, restaurant food from my plate (once a month), some takeaway sushi with me (twice a month), fruits and veggies every time they're around..

And whilst we are very time and space poor when it comes to making food, I prioritise reading (in three different family languages) , music making, swimming etc with her every second I have spare. Choices, choices.

Well done OP. We all do our best. I am grateful for pouches. I prefer my dd to read an extra book with me every day as opposed to blending bananas. I know it's not ideal. What is?