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?

Pouches are about as close to "fruit and veg" as juice cartons or baked beans. They're hugely watered down to bulk out the volume and heat treated which destroys whatever nutrients are worth mentioning. Most contain about 80% cheap apple sauce and only a trace amount of whatever exotic fruit is being advertised on the package.

It's fine if people understand that pouches are the equivalent of a processed snack that's very convenient in certain situations, and obviously not harmful in moderation. It's worrying when people start to believe they're actually a substitute for unprocessed, whole foods.

@VestibuleVirgin you're going a bit overboard, mate.

Yes, it's the school holidays. Arugument of a child

A banana would be better. Apple, strawberries etc

They have their uses, such as when out and about. Not many toddlers will be out for every meal so plenty of opportunities for home cooked stuff too.

Not for 8 years olds though unless it’s yoghurt or something.

@Craftier fellow twin mum here. I would love to have seen the OP chop/steam/blend every single meal for 2 babies at the same time, only to watch it be flung about/puked up.

OP, stop with the judgement. You have no idea why other people parent the way they parent. And it’s absolutely none of your business.

Don't worry, you do you. People are quick to judge. I had one perfect child and one very not, its luck of the draw 😂

Carry on with what works for you, it's hard enough with all the perfect mums on social media let alone a parenting forum were you would assume they would be helpful and understanding.

This is just weird mum-shaming. A bit of a strange habit but I adore the LIDL apple banana ones and can easily mainline about 12 of them in one go.

Not pouches but DD2 did have jars. She wouldn't eat home made, even mixed in with jars.
She's 15 now. Eats really well, normal weight and has the best teeth in the family.
Even if she was overweight with bad teeth you still shouldn't judge. You have no idea how much shit I (or other people) was going through at the time.

I thought this would be about some new style of handbag.

Childhood obesity is skyrocketing as is rotting teeth. There is a reason for that. Kids growing up eating processed mushy crap without having real vegetables and fruit in their hands

What's it to you? Get on with perfectly parenting your own kids and mind your own business.

Here are the ingredients for the Ella’s strawberry and apple.

Organic Apples 79%, Organic Strawberries 21%, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate (a dash), Other Stuff 0%

Obviously, teeth wise, the actual apples and strawberries are better but as part of a balanced diet, or if your child can only eat purées, they’re great.

I know sweet Jesus christ what has the world come too. seen simular this weekend (live in a touristy area) man pushing buggy can of Bulmers in the coffee cup storage part 2 year drinking large can of coke watching tablet. while walking beside the beach. After me commenting it was great to see all the kids playing in the sea and beach even though wasn't that warm

Yes you are being unreasonable. Along with superior, judgemental and condescending.

Food standards in the UK re really high, the food in the pouches are absolutely fine. Over priced tbf, but fine.

My son ate them regularly, he loved them. He also had bits of what we had. He was feeding himself with cutlery way before my friends kids and has never minded strong flavours or sauces/things mixed together. But I never, ever judged or even really thought about how their kids ate because I've actually got a life and better things to think about.

So next time you find yourself "despairing" at how another parent feeds their child (unless it's crack or something) maybe just move along.

It might be easy to some but when you've got a baby with reflux that vomits large amounts every single time they feed, you lose your enthusiasm to freshly prepare every meal.

I know a 10 year old who is still being fed them. Absolutely outrageous really. No special needs either before people jump in with that.

I used to love baby food pouches and would beg my mum to buy them well up to the age of ten (maybe older). Even now as an adult I am always so tempted when I walk past them.

You also don’t get as many of the benefits once the fruit has been pulverised as it changes its structure e.g less fibre etc.

I vaguely remember spoon feeding my now 17 and 13 year olds when they were little, probably because I needed to get them fed and out of the door in a relatively clean state before I went to work (remember, some of us are not at home all day so don't have the time to make every meal time a sensory learning experience for our child, sometimes it is a case of fill their bellies and get a move on)
You will be thrilled to know that despite my terrible parenting decisions they are both now perfectly capable of feeding themselves, they can even use a knife and fork and have impeccable table manners.

I know some types of pouch can go with soft plastics recycling at selected stores these days so I really hope the uptake is good and that people are making responsible choices around the environmental impact of single use plastics. That's the biggie; the nutritional content is a red herring. Ella's are trying to lead on environmental awareness, but the bottom line remains ‐we are corralled toward convenience at the peril of the planet. Let's keep our eyes on that particular ball.

I fed mine normal food, mashed and and meat shredded from 6 months anyway so I really don't understand why older babies and toddlers are sucking on pouches. When mine were tiny (weaning was 4 months then) they would have mashed banana, potato, avocado or I would puree the veg I was already cooking and freeze in ice cube trays. Puree is only for 6-8 weeks anyway

Why don't you just think it, keep it in your head, stop judging/trying to make others feel bad and get on with your day.

DT’s were weaned on jars and pouches and spoon fed them. Did not want to do any blw - way too messy for me. They have grown up eating everything under the sun, no dental issues and healthy. Worked perfectly for DT’s.

Bad for their teeth?? It’s like using a straw, the contents bypasses the teeth surely.
I’ve only ever used the fruit ones, don’t see how it’s different to a smoothie.