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?

Don't be so deliberately obtuse; you know fine well what the point is - that stuff can be, and was, done before the invention of a way to do it conveniently. The world should not end because a 'modern' thing does not work.
You know, stuff such as cooking, arithmetic, entertaining your kids without resorting to a screen...

I can see why people take use them out and about for a quick and less messy snack etc. I don’t think they’re all as good as they claim and a lot are mostly made up of apple sauce with a little other flavouring. It would be better eating the whole fruit but I definitely don’t feel as strongly as despair.

I never used pouches or jars but I recently made strawberry yoghurt to put in one of those reusable pouches for my 4 year old to try in her lunch box and at first she had no idea what to do with it. Quickly learnt though!

Pouches helped get me through a very rough patch during my child's weaning. They have their place

We did bsby led weaning so he ate what we ate at home but if we ate out I didn’t want him eating restaurant food whfn he was very little as it’s usually very salty. I’d often take a pouch of organic puréed food for him to eat instead. Obviously I could’ve made it myself, frozen it in tiny potions and taken one out with us but sometimes we’d eat out unplanned.

I find it odd that older children eould eat from pouches, mainly as the ones my DC had were super bland but maybe there’s something more exciting out there I’m not aware of. Either way, I wouldn’t get too worked up about it.

it’s you who’s being obtuse… and not deliberately.

@MatterNot 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

ds was weaned on ouches, he had a medical condition which meant his food needed to be a certain consistency and there was a lot he couldn't eat. Although they were put in a bowl to feed himself.

My DD would not take anything from a pouch or what you would find in the baby food isle, she has eaten what we have eaten in the same form as us since 6 month.

But surely, its none of your business!

It's like the whole breast/formula argument, fed is best.

Those pouches are designed for baby food so if a parent wants to use them or jars or homemade food that's their business, not yours. The parents aren't feeding the kids crack for goodness sake.

Go do something more productive today than judging strangers!

But probably worked less hours

You state that without knowing anything about my circumstances and that of other women?
Wow

Just because you tried one once many years ago that you didn’t like doesn’t mean they are all bad.

Do people recycle them? If not , it's strange that pouches have become so prevalent when jars are much better for the environment ( if you recycle them).

@MariaVT65

"My first DC was a refluxy baby who would only contact nap with me for the first 7 months and was a nightmare at night. So as well as not having a lot of spare hands to do lots of batch cooking and pureeing, I was also contemplating suicide from extreme sleep deprivation. So sometimes my son had pouches. He eats really well now, good weight and dentist confirmed his teeth are fine just last week. "

Ditto. I am with you. I had to carry DD2 constantly I remember telling a mental health nurse I was fantasising about jumping in front of a bus so I could be in hospital and get some rest. Things are never black and white.

Yes same here. In fact I couldn’t get my DS to wean. He hardly ate! So yoghurt pouches bridged a gap along with some blw. And yes my kid ate a sausage roll in a bag occasionally!

You know, sometimes I see things in life I don’t particularly like and yes I judge (we all do it) but I usually keep it to myself as I know it’s unreasonable and probably based on some unconscious bias. And wrt this AIBU.,there are worse things!

DC1 had very occasional pouches. DC2 had quite a lot, from 5 months, often with oil mixed in. That was because he wasn't gaining weight due to his congenital heart condition and I was doing everything I possibly could to get calories into him. You have no idea what's going on in other people's lives, so try not to be so judgemental.

You'll see them more when people are out as they're convenient and keep well on an outing. Shoving a couple of pouches for a baby in a bag is easier than a pot of spoon feeding food which will could pop open and destroy the bag contents 😂

It also doesn't really matter if they're a staple in someone's weaning diet. There is a reason they're available - they are convenient.

I didn't use them myself, did baby led mostly and home made purées when at home - but I have a stash of them for my 5yo and find them amazing if he's got a sore throat. They keep for yonks and when he literally won't eat if poorly they are great. Oh and he has pouched yoghurts when we are out, they're convenient. Judge away!

You are despairing at the prevalence of pouches? Really?

What a strange thing to be so upset about, particularly as your two angels never had them and can actually sit at a table and eat. Not like those pouch-fed ipad babies obviously. I'm terribly suprised you mix with those sorts of people.

Oh well, I washed nappies but also fed dc2 pouches sometimes because with 2 under 2 sometimes that was the easiest option.

I wasn’t referring particularly to a particular time or person just that as women collectively we have become busier with more demands on our time outside of the house and as a result we have to find some things to help burden the load and that is different for everyone and everyone should be able to figure out what works for them.
before washing machines we were washing clothes by hand but most households moved on from that etc. Some people will choose not to make every single meal from scratch whilst others will choose something else and we shouldn’t be so judgemental about it.

Sometimes it's confidence and not knowing how to freeze, defrost etc batch cooking. I've been involved in cooking classes in children's centers and for families caught up in the child protection system. Also marketing is exceptionally effective.

@AIBUnamechanger9 I'm nearly 60, having seen two generations and various feeding methods, each to their own, as long as the baby is fed a range of flavours and the teeth brushed. They can do a complete turn around and be food refuses as toddlers.
I can't watch my youngest GC (7) have a yogurt pouch, but it's a sensory thing for me.

Are jars better for the environment? (I have no idea) They are much heavier which will cause more co2 upon transportation for one.

Don't feel shit. You are doing your best for your baby. The fact that you are so worried about him means you are almost certainly a great mum. Feeding is just one part of caring for a baby and it will change and develop over time. The way you do things in 3 months or 6 months or a year will be different. Right now, you've decided that Ella's pouches are the healthiest solution for your baby's needs and your family circumstances and that is absolutely fine! You are his mother and you should have confidence in your decision making.

Most people when you're out and about won't even notice you feeding your child. A few might think "oh there's a cute baby having some food". Unfortunately a few will be like OP and judging. What you have to think about is, why on earth would you care what someone like that thinks about you? Is that the kind of person you admire and want to impress? Surely not. Just ignore them completely, and if you give them any headspace at all then it should be to pity them. Pity them because instead of enjoying themselves or thinking about anything meaningful, they are "despairing" over a stranger feeding their child some healthy food that happens to come in a pouch. How pathetic is that?

This
Couldn't agree more

I thought it was about cat pouches too.

OP- I am sure you did things with yours that others though 'that's weird / lazy / expensive / insert other word here...'

Pouches in the scheme of things isn't a big deal.

I am surprised at people who say they don’t taste nice. Baby food has always been bland as it contains less sugar and salt . I work in retail and I am surprised at the variety of pouches available . The fruity ones like prune sound quite healthy ( my kids never had prunes) If it makes life easier and the kids are thriving does it matter really?