to think that puches and jars of baby food are yuk!

[RubyBuckleberry]

I was going to post this on another thread but thought it was hijacking so thought I should post it on a seperate thread.

It is a genuine question fuelled by my thinking I might be BU! I just hate the thought of what is in those pouches and jars, am convinced they add stuff to make it last ages - if not how does it last so long, and can't see how it is a good idea to feed them to a small baby. I was looking at them in the supermarket today and couldn't help but REALLY turn my nose up .

I am up for being re-educated .

AIBU?

[scottishmummy]

i puree fags,irn-bru and rub gums with whisky.

never did me nae harm

[RubyBuckleberry]

i like your style sm

porca - i can see where they are coming from tbh!

runnybottom - that is exactly what i was querying! i looked at the ingredients and thought squash - good, carrots - good, sweet pot - good, quinoa flakes - good, so why did i think they were so yuk!

not trying to be one-up-mum-ship incidentally - more wondering about my own thoughts and views.

[Spatchadoodledo]

"one-up-mum-ship" - never seen that phrase before!! LOVE IT!!!

[scottishmummy]

might shamelessly thief dat phrase.along with bonkers as conkers.another stoater not mine but i love it

[runnybottom]

bonkers as conkers was also mine!

[scottishmummy]

2 crack-a-lakin phrases.your on fire hen

[runnybottom]

[SeasideLil]

The jars/pouches have been criticised for using a lot of sweet (orange) vegetables (e.g. squash, carrots, sweet potatoes) and rather less of the things that aren't so initially tempting to babies (greens etc). So, they eat a sweet main and a sweet dessert and get used to sweet foods.

A lot of foods have added sugar in now, like meats (e.g. sliced ham). The real deal I used to get from some organic supplier (not now in the middle of the recession) tasted very salty and very savoury in comparison.

The general argument is that by giving children lots of fruit all the time, it's not actually that healthy. It's not just about baby foods.

I don't personally care too much, and used jars when out and about, but at home, they did have to 'enjoy' the same as us (wonders if this is why my two don't like hardly anything I cook...)

[runnybottom]

depends which you buy though, doesn't it? Yes you can get sweet potato/squash ones, lots of them, but you can also buy spinach ones, cauliflower, cabbage etc.

[IsItMeOr]

That's interesting SeasideLil. DS much prefers sweet potatoes to regular potatoes.

[MrsCrafty]

I wouldn't buy them for pure monetry reasons. It's so easy to take a day out, go to the market, buy loads of cheap veg, potatoes etc and make a load of it. Shove it in freezer and you have a months supply for about £6.00.

[GoldenSnitch]

I think I'm going to order a few organic veg boxes when DD weans. That way I'll ensure she has fresh, seasonal veg while also avoiding my own preferences/dislikes. If she eats what I like, she'll be on nothing but carrots, peas and broccoli!

Will be taking pouches on holiday though. No way I am filling my suitcase full of homemade baby mush!! Can just imagine the state of my clothes by the time we get there!!

[MorrisZapp]

I don't get the whole 'just puree what you're having for lunch or tea' thing.

What if I'm having a ham sandwich and a packet of crisps for lunch?

Or fish fingers and oven chips for tea?

I do see the uses and benefits of pureeing, but I'd probably find myself making up purees just for baby, as I don't really eat a lot of food that lends itself to going in a blender. And I'm too old to change my eating habits now!

[smallorange]

These threads always make me think of this

m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=GB#/watch?client=mv-google&tspv=v1&v=08z-wumItZI

we are having fish fingers and oven chips for tea

[IsItMeOr]

smallorange - not sure that link is working, sadly. I'm assuming you didn't mean me to watch Nick Clegg on the Digital Economy Bill...

MorrisZapp - so long as you watch out for salt, nothing wrong with fishfingers if you do Baby Led Weaning at 6 months.

[smallorange]

Oh it works on my phone. Will try again as it gave me a laugh ( as did Nick Clegg)

try again

if not
you tube- catherine tate, aga saga yoghurt pot

[spybear]

My sister used to BEG my mum for baby jars to eat apparently, up until she was about 6

So they must be a little bit tasty.

Mmmmmm no lumps

[GoldenSnitch]

I had Rusks till I was about 10!

I my defence, I had a borther 6.5 years younger than me, so I was 7 or 8 while he was still genuinely eating them and Mum says it was just easier to pass them round than find something else for us bigger children

[marenmj]

can't critisise mums who use the jars... sadly DD never accepted anything mashed/pureed/etc. I unintentionally did BLW as she wouldn't accept the mushed up foods and I was shattered. (found out about a month in that desperately handing bits of my tea over to baby to nom so I could get a few minutes peace to eat had a name!). We just prepared all our meals with no added salt/sugar and salted our own portions after.

I was hopelessly jealous of my friends who could just toss a jar into their bag for a day out.

Even now DD (16 mo old) acts as though I've put toxic sludge on her tongue if I try to give her applesauce. [cries] What baby doesn't like applesauce?? DH tried to give her a bite of his baked sweet potato the other day and it made her vomit a little, but in her defense, sweet potatoes are vile and make me gag

[Starberries]

I buy the Ella fruit smoothies (Apple & Banana is fave, also Strawberries & Apple, Peach & Banana) as a snack or breakfast for myself. Partner and I fight over them.

They are CHEAPER than the new Pulp range at Ocado made for adults in the exact same pouch style.

[dingdongding]

My baby occasionally has the Ella's Kithen pouches or the Plum pots and pouches. She loves them but then again she's not really fussed about what she eats. I see nothing wrong with the ready-made stuff and also sometimes use the pouches to mix with my homemade food (such as the fruit pouches with an avacado).

Good stuff about it:

1. Its easy and convenient, especially when you are out and about.
2. Its organic
3. Its only fruit and veg (I dont buy the meat ones)
4. Its full of goodness and not many nutrients are lost as they probably use fresh fruit and veg to make it, its only gently pasturised as you do with milk. Whereas with homemade food, the fruit and veg I use usually stays in the fridge for sometime before its used meaning some nutrients are lost anyway. More are then lost through the cooking process.
5. Most babies love them, even the fussy ones so easy to get some fruit and veg in them

Bad stuff about it:

1. Most of them contain more fruit than veg so babies can get a sweet tooth if used on a regular basis
2. Its expensive
3. Babies can get too used to them, they usually dont need to chew this stuff so they're more likely to be fussy with homemade stuff. They need textures and need to know what fruit and veg actually look like.

Sorry for going on there, just wanted to point out that its not all bad.

[RubyBuckleberry]

thanks dingdongding - v.interesting list there. didn't know they were pasteurised - any implications of this? i suppose milk is pasteurised?!?!

[dingdongding]

Not sure about implications but I guess any amount of heat is likely to get rid of some nutrients.

This page has some information about the Ella's Kitchen Pouches.

Plum say's the following:

Q. How do you achieve such a long shelf life without preservatives?

A. There are indeed no preservatives in the Plum Baby range. The steam method of cooking is done under pressure and this, together with the airtight seal gives Plum Baby pots and pouches a 12-month shelf life without the need for any additives. Once opened, of course, treat the contents of the pot as fresh, store in the fridge and use within 2 days for our 4 months plus range or 24 hours for our 7 and 10 months plus.

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

I tried the Heinz banana delight at a weaning meeting I went to last week. It had 16% banana in it! Dont understand why someone would rather give that than just mashing up a banana.

DS used to luuurve the "Globe Totters" trays. Cant remember who made them Cow and Gate maybe? Sweet and sour chicken. Beef curry etc. He practically lived on them.