Baby eating shop bought baby food.

[jodiekidd]

My baby is 9 months old.

He loves shop bought baby food which I've been mainly feeding him on since we started weaning.

He's putting on weight well and is 50th percentile.

He does eat other little bits but it's mainly jars and pouches.

I'm feeling quite shameful and embarrassed that he's eating this but he likes it and it makes my life easy.

Will this effect his eating habits going forward. Has anyone else fed their babies solely shop bought food?

I did with my first then realized how much apple juice 'healthy' pouches use for flavour, so much sugar! Then I realized by my second how much easier it is to just blitz our normal meals and feed them that. I think it's a confidence thing with your 1st, by the second you'll give them anything.

One of mine had the Ella’s kitchen pouches and refused anything else once he got a taste for it. It was handy but pricey. The other one was more BLW/ whatever we were having.

There’s really no difference in what they eat now, they’ve both gone though phases of fussiness but will eat most things.

Actually this is what they all recommend. And as someone here said she had no serious allergies in her family and her baba had serious reaction. So I'd rather be safe than sorry. It does happen.

Please do NOT smear food on your child's skin. If there is dry or broken skin at all then the food protein will get into the body that way, and as the body has no history of accepting the food through the gut as it is supposed to, it might recognise it as a 'harmful' substance and release antibodies. That is how an allergy is formed.

The same goes for foods in moisturiser and baby oil: do not use any skin products on babies that have foods in them (nut or seed oils are common ingredients, as is oat)

If there is no broken or dry skin I will be doing it. I won't just feed him it in case he has a serious reaction

Do you have a link evidencing the change in recommendation?

It's perfectly safe and nutritious. It is however very consistent and a lot of it rather smooth so my only concern would be baby getting too used of that and not wanting different textures. At his age I'd make sure to introduce finger food and lumpier textures. Maybe try to get in a routine of finger food for one meal a day or something? As with most things variety is the spice of life 😁

Its what my health visitor said. If some want to risk it so be it. But I won't be.

I personally wouldn't give my son shop bought. The only thing he's had is Ella's kitchen but that's quite expensive. We make all our purees for our son as its healthier. But each to their own.

All babies are different. Are you offering a few bits of things he can chew like bananas and finger food of other textures?

My son only liked the very smooth jars. Wouldn't entertain the next stage up of puree with lumps in. Didn't approve of my home made efforts as I couldn't replicate the texture. He would eat cut up fruit etc. I worried I fed him the lower age range stuff too long but anything else he got distressed at.

I think essentially he was a lazy chewer and he certainly wouldn't have eaten a pork chop baby led weaning style. He'd have just played with it.

Once he got to a year and more proper food he improved massively. Now an enormous nine year old that will eat most things so hasn't done him any harm (though he's still not a fan of things in sauces. Will eat all the bits of a stew happily but picks them out individually rather than shovelling it in with the sauce and dislikes gravy on anything!)

This is the correct advice. Don't rub allergens on your baby's skin 🤦🏻‍♀️ The evidence that allergy is initially caused by skin exposure is strong!

I don't think it's bad as such but as others have said, it can be quite sweet. Also, you have to make a real effort to increase the variety of textures and I would definitely recommend that if you're sticking with pre-made food, start getting some proper kids ready-meals in as they're more diverse and have more texture.

At 9 months though, I'd also be adding some finger foods. Fruit, bread sticks, toast, sliced cooked vegetables etc.

And certainly, he should be eating a bit of what you eat. So a bit of spaghetti bolognaise or a piece of chicken or whatever.

I liked the Hipp organic ones largely because they didn't drop everywhere. I think the jars have a bit more variety than the lower age range pouches which are quite pear heavy.

Keep offering different things but not to the point it's a battle you are not winning and causing upset all round. In my view that's worse than weather a jar or homemade is healthier but others will disagree

I wouldn’t worry too much - but why not just give him whatever you’re eating (with no salt in). So much cheaper, and will give baby experience of much more taste and texture variety.

I'm just going by what my health visitor said. I'd rather do it that way then feed him it. Its safer. As long as there's no dry or broken skin its fine

We used jars and pouches for convenience. Anything for an easy life!

Wow I had no idea about this! We just offered things like nuts (in paste form) early and kept an eye. Luckily he didn't have any reactions and I think has had all allergens now. This should be more widely published if that's the case I don't know anyone who did that

It's not widely published because it's not the correct advice. It's very outdated. Introduce allergens orally, start small and increase the amount as you go. Beware that a reaction might not show on first, second, or even third exposure.

Nothing particularly wrong with jar foods, sweetness and cost aside.

However, at 9 months you should be introducing more table foods, to support pincer grip development and also jaw and tongue development, which is required for speech.

Its what my health visitor told me to do. I'd rather do it that way 😊

It is the correct advice. My health visitor wouldn't of said it otherwise....

I think the 'advise' being shared here has potential to be dangerous-please stop repeating it as though all health visitors know everything. They don't.

My health visitor has said some absolutely mad, out-of-date and downright wrong things

I’m not saying you are wrong on this, you do you, but not everything they say is gospel!

You’re taking the piss, right? Where do you get your Ella’s kitchen from?😂

Allergy UK does not support putting food on baby's skin first. They are clear that new allergens need to be ingested first. Skin contact first is a risk for developing serious allergies.

Sorry to correct you, but people should be aware of the misinformation on this thread. It is not "safer" to do skin contact with allergens first.

Allergy UK's advice is the same as the NHS, and all other major health organisations:
www.allergyuk.org/resources/weaning-and-introducing-your-baby-onto-solids-factsheet/

If you have a family risk of allergies, of course you should follow whatever other advice is appropriate to your circumstances.