To give a pouch of baby food

[weaningtime]

Just that really. Shamelessly need validation. I am absolutely sweltering in this heatwave with a Velcro baby who only wants to contact nap. DD is nearly 8 months and I’ve watched the panorama on shop bought baby food so not fed her any shop bought jars or meal pouches. I try and be conscious with her food, she has a healthy homemade porridge for breakfast every day with nut butters, seeds and fresh fruit and then usually a BLW style tea or a recipe we’ve followed from a baby cookbook. She usually really enjoys her food. We are getting takeaway, so can’t share that. Last night I cooked a vegetable and cheese pasta for her and she had two mouthfuls and wasn’t bothered, probably the heat I’m guessing. I’m putting so much pressure on myself and have run out of ideas for tonight and food shop doesn’t come till tomorrow.

Would it be that bad nutritionally to just buy and give her a pouch tonight? I have seen people compare it to junk food and fast food so feel like I’m not doing good enough and not prioritising her if I default to that. Is it ok or any other food ideas that are very minimal prep?

A one off pouch is fine, but with this heat I’d honestly just do a picky tea and call it a day.

My daughter is just over 1 and for tea tonight she (and we all) will just be having a cold picky tea with some bbq bits, cucumber sticks, cubed cheese, some chicken/sausage/burger, some raspberries/strawberries/grapes, some crackers etc. it’s one night.

The advice isn’t to never give them. It’s to not use them as regular daily meal replacements

I'd give one if I had one in the cupboard, but to go out and specifically buy one? No I wouldn't personally. Just give her some porridge for her tea, or beans on toast.

Of course it won’t hurt. Scrambled egg is also an option.

Why can't the baby eat what you're eating from the takeaway? Mashed up if needed

In the same situation, I would have given the baby some of the takeaway. It's easy enough to keep the salt below the limit with the quantities they eat. My daughter loved curries and daal.

There's so much pressure, don't worry about it. I used jars of baby food for both my kids, as I wasn't a confident cook. They're both in their 20s and absolutely fine. And ignore the critical comments on here - I doubted myself all the time ....xx

The occasional pouch is going to do absolutely no harm. In this heat they may actually be better than homemade because of the amount of water in them. Pouches of fruit puree are a normal snack in France, even for older children, and when my then 4 year old got heatstroke in France many years ago the doctor told us to feed her fruit puree to help rehydrate her.

Please, it is definitely ok to give bubs a sachet of baby food.
With this heat it will make things less stressed for you and baby.
Even a nice fruit purée would be fresh and cooling, or baby yoghurt.
Baby food is good quality. My babies had it occasionally many years ago, and all 3 healthy young adults.
Or the pouches they can suck on, they weren’t available back then.

Gosh people are just shocked that shelf stable mush in a jar isn’t the same as fresh food, because they wanted to believe it and the companies making money were pushing it. Lots of people were convincing themselves that feeding their child only pouches was fine and obviously it isn’t really ideal.
it isn’t poison though.
And a pouch occasionally is ok.

I made my own purées, I’ve never fed dd any sort of ‘junk’ even the junk aimed at babies and people are always commenting on what a good diet she has, how she’s so adventurous with food etc. but about once every 3-4 weeks I give her a pouch. she often has the pouch with some fresh fruit or veg on the side, but if it’s been a rough day then I think it’s better she has a less frazzled mum, than a homemade bowl of pasta or whatever.

other quick options would be cereal, a bowl of fruit, a slice of toast with a nut butter or cream cheese, or a scrambled egg. But if you’re going to do the pouch don’t also feel guilty about it, that defeats the point of it saving you energy

I cook healthy, homemade food for my baby and toddler most of the time. But they have both had pouches occasionally to make life easier (travelling/days out, if I’m sick, we’re late home, if I’ve cooked something that isn’t suitable for babies).
The occasional pouch isn’t going to do them any harm at all (just like the occasional ready meal in an otherwise healthy diet wouldn’t do you any harm).
Part of having a healthy relationship with food is allowing some flexibility and not always worrying about it being nutritionally perfect!

The odd pouch is fine, just the same as the odd happy meal or sausage roll from greggs is fine when they get older.

Absolutely fine to give her a pouch. However, if you are going to have to go to a shop to buy her a pouch anyway then couldn’t you just buy something else that you’d feel happier giving her?

I get it. With my first all the rage was 'baby led weaning' with all these Insta accounts showing babies grabbing fistfuls of spaghetti bolognaise and smearing it on them, and dire warnings about how purees and spoonfeeding leads to lazy, fussy eaters who won't ever eat food with a texture (I mean, ffs!!!).

Well my DC1 ignored or threw on the floor any food that was put in front of her for the first couple of months and I felt like the worlds worst mum for resorting to making healthy purees that she actually ate 🙄🙄🙄

She is now 4 and I can confirm she has no problems with texture and eats completely normally (aside from the usual kid fussiness at this age). I still laugh at how ridiculous I was at the time. DC2 is now 14 months, happily does baby led and spoonfeeding and eats whatever I give him and I couldn't give two shits that he started off on purees.

There will always be another stick to beat mums with and at the moment it's food pouches. They are not cocaine and are fine for a meal here and there. The problem is when people use them as a baby's main source of nutrition on a daily basis with little to no other variety.

I fed mine a lot of jars / pouches as I was working full time once they started eating. I bought organix on the basis that would be better. My child is now a teenager and perfectly fine. Please don’t feel guilty about the occasional pouch or jar, although if you have time you could always make and freeze some purées to defrost when needed

It's fine. Give them a multivitamin if you are worried. Babies are hard to feed, it will get easier to feed them more nutritious foods as they get more capable at chewing and used to more foods.

As long as they're getting some nutritious food every day it is fine.

Sometimes people don't actually do what they say they do. Look at the array of pouches in the average supermarket, do you think they would be "wasting" that space if no one bought the products? No they wouldn't. Loads of babies being fed baby pouches and other products and they seem to be fine. You sound like you are doing really well but cut yourself a bit of slack, it will be fine and like you said in this heat the baby probably won't eat it anyway. Mum's milk is much better for a hot baby.

@weaningtime she'll not come to any harm with it, but if she's used to BLW foods and she's into her food then she might well not eat it. My second sounds much like yours and when I tried to give her a ready meal baby thing she refused.

I'd go with PP and give her some toast and a banana or whatever you have in. She's only little still, no need to stress about it.

This ^ is my advice too.

A pouch for convenience a couple times a week isn’t a huge deal. 3 x pouches a day - most likely not ideal?

I was ill postnatally so couldn’t breastfeed and weaned mine exclusively on jars until they were eating exactly the same as us. They’re both very healthy indeed and very intelligent. Don’t fret.

Definitely putting too much pressure on an already high pressure job. You said you can't share your meal as you're having takeaway tonight so just to put it in context: OMG, takeaway?? Have you seen the salt/sugar/additives in takeaway, how can you eat like that????
Yes takeaway every night would be disastrous, but once in a while is fine. As for pouches, of course home made is going to be better (provided you check that you are giving the right nutrients) just as breast is better for babies but that doesn't mean you are failing if you use formula or pouches/jars. When it comes to kids, fed is best. You clearly are making every effort to give your little one the best start in life, well done to you, but don't forget the most important part of the job - to enjoy the time because all too soon DD will be toddling off eating mud and worms in the garden as soon as you take your eyes off her 😂

I would just give her some of the takeaway. My DD had a small amount of whatever we were having, including takeaway (although it’s rare for us to have them anyway).

OP don't beat yourself up, do what you need to do for your baby. As for what family, friends and randoms advise, Take the advice YOU feel comfortable with. There is so much random shite online about the whole process of baby feeding etc.
Heck knows how the human reace has survived as long as it has before the media, shite influencers and apps telling you how to breathe. 🙄
MIne were all raised on a variety of home made, packets and jars as babies and horror of horrors formula.
No allergies, not that many illnesses between them. All healthy adults, no weight issues.
Must have done something right with them.

thats what they are for. Convenience. Different matter if that’s all you were giving them. I wouldn’t feel a single bit of guilt.

Tinned beans? Shop bought bread? Don't see why that's any better or worse.