AIBU to think it's strange there's no discussion of latest baby food pouches news on here?

[parakeet]

Maybe I've missed it.
Here's the BBC report https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62j0l0gg4go

Not surprising given the amount of sugar it seems is included.

Of course your baby would love the pouches. The same way an older child would love McDonalds. But you can’t seriously be arguing that feeding a child a bad diet is okay so long as you supplement it with a vitamin?
Show me a mother that isnt busy… it’s not really an excuse for feeding your child processed slop every day…

There was an identical thread on pouches a while back where someone posted a study showing that the "maceration" process of creating pouched purees destroys important nutrients. There was one user who was determined to defend pouches to death and claimed that the maceration process of chewing fresh food has exactly the same effect so you lose vitamins either way. That's the average intelligence level of someone these baby food companies target.

Fed is the legal bare minimum.

It's certainly not best to feed unhealthy food to babies.

I don't care what you or anyone else feeds their kids. It's a free country.

But let's stop the wishy washy snuggly mummy knows best BS and just speak the truth.

We used these occasionally when we were out and about, they're convenience food like any other I guess. It's not really surprising that fruit/vegetables put in a pouch and kept there for weeks/months are not going to have many nutrients left in them.

Agreed.

“Fed is best” is about formula, which is highly highly regulated to ensure it provides all the benefits it can. The idea you can use it to try and convince yourself that pouches are healthy is laughable. Use them if you want, but where does “fed is best” end if you’re using it for this?

For anyone stuck for quick food to offer their babies and toddlers tonight,

soft boil an egg, and serve with dippy wholemeal fingers.
Or cool shepherds pie
Or mashed potato mixed with finely diced cooked chicken.
Or couscous with cooked tomatoes and a little finely grated cheese.
Or poach a little white fish and mix with mashed garden peas.

Or just give them a little of whatever you are having. My ds used to love my mushroom risotto and cheese. 🙂

@totallytotiYou do realize
you’ve contradicted yourself there, don’t you?
Never had a pouch…
Pouches gave them upset tummies…
Why contribute to the thread with lies?

Isn't there a Panorama programme about it tonight? Maybe there will be a discussion tomorrow.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002bl1w

I don’t know how anyone could afford for pouches to make up the bulk of their baby’s diet or would choose to when fruit and veg is so cheap, and generally easy to cook.

Mine both had the pouches on occasion but mostly ate what we did.

The sugar content is surely not particularly surprising.

I would however like to see more discussion about the findings re degradation of nutrients due to manufacturing process. This surely has big implications for food in general, not just baby food. There’s a surprising amount of people who rely on pre-made food for huge parts of their diet - for example some people never make their own sauces for dishes

DD had quite a few pouches when she was little. Mainly Ella’s Kitchen. By the time I had DS a couple of years later I knew better and didn’t give him a single pouch. They are now 11 and 9. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that DD has a very sweet tooth and would eat sugary crap all day if she could whilst DS has almost no interest in sweets and will choose a plate of vegetables over a bag of Haribo.

This is depressing. DC did have alot of these and has a very sweet tooth now. No going back in time

So they HAVE had them then?

I've never posted on Mumsnet.

Mine were born in the 80s and 90s. We had the option of jars, but they were SO expensive that no one used them for anything other than a trip out. Home cooked food without the seasoning. So we would do potatoes, veg, meat with no added salt etc. Pasta with tomato sauce. Fish pie with no added salt. Really easy to do with a freezer too.
DGC been raised the same. Surely people don’t give toddlers these pouches for every meal?!

We used ones that were just vegetables. Things like sweet potato, carrot, other mixed vegetables there wasn’t anything else in them except veg and I accept it’s more processed and probably heat treated? So less nutrients but for a quick dinner when we got home from nursery a vegetable pouch and some mashed banana plus a bottle of milk was I thought not too bad at all!

Most of the veg ones are at least 50% pureed apple to make them more palatable

We never used any with Apple as my dd was allergic to apples and pears

If it helps at all I never gave either of mine a single pouch and they're still both absolute sugar fiends now.

We never used them and I did get a few comments and eye rolls about the home cooked food I'd batch cook and freeze, I also had little stocks at Parents' and in laws.
It was also a bit awkward as my DNs were basically weaned on them so if must've felt like judgement to DB and SIL when I wouldn't use them.
I found MN a bit of a haven back then, other people who felt the same.
Last year FIL made a comment about how I was 'ahead of the curve' with UPFs, I wasn't it just didn't feel right, I don't eat ready meals really so why would I give my baby the infant equivalent?

I was lucky enough (!) that my daughter turned frighteningly blotchy with apple or mango, at a stroke taking out most of the pouches.
I have to confess that I use the Annabel Karmel cottage pie every couple of weeks and my now 3yr always scoffs it.

It's mainly vitamins b and c that are slightly lost. When veg are boiled 30% of vitamins are lost, that's why steamed is better. So i think it's a similar comparison. Iron is heat stable so not lost, but maybe not high to begin with depending on what's in the pouch.

I did some googling and some pouches are actually fine for sugar levels. I think it's the fruit ones that are especially unhealthy, similar to orange juice or apple juice etc where you get all the sugars without the fibre so not healthy but marketed like it is.

I think it's like any meal plan though, if its varied then nutrients will be fine across a whole diet with a few pouches included. So my understanding of that article is if your baby relied on them as their main source of nutrition, then it's not nutritious.

I posted it on the weaning board yesterday morning. But overall I agree OP.

I feel like whatever we do (or don't do) we are judged as parents though. My daughter is only 3 but wouldn't engage with BLW at all and refused all home made pureed veg. The HV sat with me and fed her a Ella's kitchen carrot pouch when she was 9 months old - it was the first thing she actually ate as 'food'. The HV suggested I fed her pouches because of the consistency so I followed that advice. At 3, she'd still take that pureed pouch (but not a 'chunky' pouch) if she was given the chance. She does eat 'food' now but she is extremely fussy and has a god awful diet. I've asked and asked and asked for support but because her weight is ok, they'd be happy if I fed her McD every day (I don't but only because I couldnt look myself in the mirror if I did..it would certainly make life easier if I did though). No SEN /ND identified at present.

In contrast my son (who granted is only 8 months) will eat anything in sight (well suck it to death) and steadfastly refuses the pouches even though I stocked the cupboard with them assuming he'd be like my daughter. It's one heck of a lot easier to BLW in my opinion (although much messier), nutrition aside simply because he just has whatever I'm having (sometimes the meat element depending what it is).