If you use toddler jars/pouches/ready meals...

[Greys007]

Firstly, this is not intended as a debate on what’s healthier etc. If your kid is fed, happy days 👏🏼

I’m curious as to how you manage the cost of it?! Conversation with DH last night - he’d been chatting to an ex colleague that he’d recently got back in touch with. They found out they’d both had their first DC within 2 weeks of each other so were catching up on all things “dad”. DH had mentioned our DS (currently 13m) and how much he was loving his food. Colleague said his was the same but he couldn’t believe how much their weekly food bill had increased by - they spend around £60 per WEEK feeding their DS alone 😳
DH says he wasn’t sure exactly what they were buying but that the colleague had mentioned “a couple of those Ella things, a microwave meal and his snack bars each day” plus his formula.

I had no idea what was the kind of cost involved 😳 I’ve met a few mums through a local baby group and 1 in particular really struggled financially - but I know that’s she also uses pouches and ready meals etc.

Is it not a horrendously expensive way to feed your child?! 😳

DS just eats what DH and I eat. We both love to cook so I’m aware that alone makes a big difference. We are both lactose intolerant and DS is not so we do now buy cows milk/yoghurt/cheese etc on top of our dairy-free versions which does add to our food bill a bit but certainly not to that extent!

If you go for a £2.50 Annabel Karmel ready meal, 2 Ella's pouches and some miscellaneous organix snacks every day that's over £60 a month, not even factoring in milk.

I expect there are cheaper ways to get them/get them on offer but still I can see it adding up!

DD costs us an arm and a leg in strawberries and blueberries... (But not £60 a month...)

My dd ate what what we ate at 13 months but by 2 years old she had become really fussy so we have to do more traditional 'kids meals' which are more expensive

I'm sure it's the brand that's making it add up. Ella's kitchen is quite expensive. Cost wise, you're better off buying a baby blender and just whizzing some veg, mash and meat up for a fraction of the cost.

We used a few Ella meals etc with my children- like all child related costs we sucked it up- like £11 formula and nappies and wipes! Working and having young children sometimes an Ella meal was more sensible for a 10 month old than feeding her the fish fingers and chips or pesto pasta her sister was having.

We used jars and pouches as they were quick and easy and time was precious. We worked through the age ranges and then onto regular meals. Worked well for us.

@User478

If you go for a £2.50 Annabel Karmel ready meal, 2 Ella's pouches and some miscellaneous organix snacks every day that's over £60 a month, not even factoring in milk.

I expect there are cheaper ways to get them/get them on offer but still I can see it adding up!

DD costs us an arm and a leg in strawberries and blueberries... (But not £60 a month...)

@User478 £60 per WEEK they are spending 😬😳 Hahaha, it’s blueberries and raspberries in it house - I feel you on that one 🤣

We managed it because we could afford it.

Absolutely get the convenience 😊 life is busy and kids need fed!
I just never realised the cost involved in using them a lot 🤷🏻‍♀️😊

It's like everything, really. Some people have more money and choose to spend it in different ways. Formula is pretty expensive by itself, and if you're getting the good quality baby stuff, it can add up I guess! Like everything, you pay for convenience, and different people judge the value of that differently.

I didn't spend much on food with DD but I spent an eye-watering amount on other stuff like clothes because it gave me pleasure and we could afford it!

Also some people struggle with parenting and babyhood and sometimes cooking nutritious meals every night or thinking of what to feed every mealtime is difficult to manage when you're exhausted and suffering from PND, etc. Even if it is an struggle financially, sometimes it's still better than the alternative in terms of mental health,

Of course it's expensive, you pay for convenience. I don't think people should struggle financially to keep buying these meals but if people can afford them and they're the best way for them to feed their child then that's fine.

I used to use them with DC1, baby led weaning wasn't really a thing and I wasn't the most confident cook.

DC2 and DC3 ate what we ate but I did buy some cold compressed ones for a while as they had some quite unique flavoured ones.

Now DC3 has a 'ready meal' once a week. She likes a few different meals that I don't cook at home as no one else likes so I'd rather do this than her miss out. I don't tend to buy the specific children's ones though as you can find adult versions which are lower in sugar and salt and higher in protein.

7 branded breakfast pouches about £10
14 branded toddler ready meals about £25
14 branded toddler snacks (~2 a day) roughly another £10
Formula on top
I can see how it could be £50-£60 a week. If you need convenience and have the finances, it’s probably money well spent. DH mostly works from home and I’m part time, so we have the luxury of cooking from scratch all the time. If our circumstances were different, I think our food bill would be much higher.

Also those baby crisps and biscuits cost a lot- thankfully Aldi and Lidl do own brand rice crackers now

I use to buy the stewed fruit pots from the supermarket near my parents in Brussels - brought them home by the caseload - they were delicious!

I got 3 AK meals for a £ frozen, mine refused them! Yes I could easily see £50-60 gone. Personally I find DS eats what we do... cheaper

Ds eats what we do generally, but it’s not free. How could it be when he’s eating 1/3 extra almost. Ie if dh and I eat banana every morning, Ds now eats a whole one himself also. So that’s 21 v 14 previously that we would need per week.

He’s 1 1/2. Not full adult extra sized portions, but he eats a decent toddler portion.

Also, I would previously have just eaten cereal or toast if I couldn’t be bothered, but I obviously try and give Ds a balanced diet.

At a guess, we probably spend an extra £30 per week, no ready meals or formula

It’s like ALL THINGS BABY..

People sell you shit to make you think your life will be easier/better if you had it. All the gadgets, rockers, cots, prams, pram adapters, baby gyms and blended vegetables… and they just want to be attached to you, so what you’re doing and eat what you’re eating.

😂

Do what you’re doing**

DD1 wasn’t fully onto proper adult meals when I went back to work at 8 months, so sending toddler meal trays to the in laws each day made sense. We wouldn’t expect them to cook anything special given their kind provision of childcare, and DP and I both work days and evenings (teacher planning and tradesman doing quotes etc at night) so we swallowed the cost to make our lives easier. She transitioned easily onto what her grandparents ate after a couple of months.

I used to cook for a living, so cooking a meal wasn't an issue - I always cook from scratch. However, I like to cook with salt, big spices, lots of heat etc. A lot of which is not really ideal for a baby. So Ella took the hassle out of it for me.

I think that it's rare for people to use baby ready meals to that extent. Sounds like quite an extreme situation. I don't know anyone that spends £60 a week on them! We use them alongside "regular" food. Asda do the ready meals for 95p and we probably use a couple a week. Baby snacks are about 50p -£1 a bag and probably use a couple of those a week too. So only about £3 a week on them and I wouldn't say they are miles more expensive than making from scratch.

I actually didn't know people used the jars and pouches for every meal every day!

I'm certainly not bragging about feeding baby some amazing homemade food, but she's one and she's eaten what I've had since I started weaning her, but obviously made appropriate for her - when she was 8 months old, if I was having sausage, beans and mash, she'd have the beans and mash, or if she was 7 months old and I was having a roast, I'd mash her the veg down with a tiny bit of low salt stock as gravy for her to taste.

I thought people might use the pouches for convenience out and about. I haven't been out much for mealtimes, but I've always just taken a banana or something!

I'm not the healthiest, but I've just adapted my meal to suit her.

It must be so expensive. No idea how people manage that cost tbh!

@bcc89 - for us the cost was worth it for saving time and convenience. We both work full time and we got home from nursery (DC’s started full time at six months - standard maternity leave then) between 6-6.30 so pouches and jars were a life saver.

We had to use jars and pouches for DD as I was pregnant with DS and couldn't stand the smell of food cooking so couldn't make it myself for her (she eats what we eat now though) and quickly realised that supermarket own brand stuff was the only way we could afford it! Ellas stuff is ridiculous in price and tbh DD seemed to prefer the supermarket ones! Will definitely be making food myself for DS!

[quote Parker231]@bcc89 - for us the cost was worth it for saving time and convenience. We both work full time and we got home from nursery (DC’s started full time at six months - standard maternity leave then) between 6-6.30 so pouches and jars were a life saver.[/quote]
At least that's not so bad on your purse if it's just the teatime meal then. I imagine it would add up if it was every meal.