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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Is jarred food a good thing or not?

34 replies

Boydus · 09/04/2006 21:23

Can anyone advised me please on whether jarred baby food is good or bad for our babies i have read so many things fore and against i am very confused! It cannot be so bad if it has been sold for years can it?????

OP posts:

hulababy · 09/04/2006 21:24

Home made food is obviously better and ideal, but the odd jar or so is fine too. Some are better than others though.

alicemama · 09/04/2006 21:26

Personally I make my own food and found with dd1 it helped her move on to family foods easier as they are used to food with lumps in, which you don't get with jars. But jars can be handy if you are going out or on hols. Its really easy to make your own tho, just steam some veg, blitz it in blender and freeze in ice cube trays.

MerlinsBeard · 09/04/2006 21:27

U know what is in home made food right down to the l;ast grain of rice (or whatever) and u know the environmnet it was made in and u know the date it was made.

I used jars 100% with ds1 tho, just never occured to me to cook for him, i didn't cook for myself at the time. ds2 has the occasional jar and he isn't as weighty as ds1 was at the same age.

I use jar s for things that i will never ever cook, like spinachy things (no one likes spinach in our house)

Original poster

Boydus · 09/04/2006 21:29

Yes your right home made food is much better really think i will stick with what i am making for him. many thanks :)

OP posts:

intergalacticwalrus · 09/04/2006 21:30

Some jars look rank, Hipp organic always look to orange for my liking!

I cook most of DS's food myself, as it's cheaper, but jars are great for when you are away/out and about. There's no harm in them having them occasionally, and I don't think they are as bad as people make out. I think you just need to check labels etc to be sure. That said, I don't think it's good for them to have them everyday, as they all look/taste the same to me! Plus, we'd be bankrupt in a week, as they are expensive.

LIZS · 09/04/2006 21:31

Think jarred food is nutritionally ok assuming you read the labels and make an educated decision as to what is suitable for your baby. I was mortified to have fed something containing gluten to ds before I'd intended to just because the jar was labelled as suitable from 4 months. The flavours can be pretty artificial - think tinned carrots vs fresh - and tend to be relatively sweet. tbh it is overpriced and lacks the natural subtle variation in flavour and texture of home cooked food. Jars are either smooth or lumpy. They are fine in moderation though.

dinny · 09/04/2006 21:33

just taste them, Boydus, they are vile on the whole. miles healthier & cheaper to just make your own.

expatinscotland · 09/04/2006 21:41

i used jars whenever we went out. but couldn't afford to use them all the time.

Squarer · 09/04/2006 22:25

lol Dinny - I agree. Taste them and see what you reckon! Absolutely unparalleled for going out with though, but you have to consider that once baby gets used to home cooked there won't be many jars on the menu, like it or not!

chipmonkey · 09/04/2006 23:07

LOL, Boydus, they've been making cigarettes for years and they're not much good!

brimfull · 09/04/2006 23:18

They taste like nothing,very bland,if I remember correctly.Just as easy to cook and freeze in batches.

I could never bring myself to feed ds them as I wouldn't feed them to myself and the dog wouldn't even eat them.Mind you the dog is a fussy bitch.

I wasn't so fussy with dd 14 yrs ago and used to feed her dried food .Came in a packet and you added water,looked like green poo when made up...she loved it!She a picture of health now

Skribble · 09/04/2006 23:23

There was a packet apple pudding one thet DD loved, very handy.

snowleopard · 09/04/2006 23:37

I make baby food myself for DS to eat at home, and take jars when we go out - my thinking is they're sterile until opened, whereas something from home sitting around unrefrigerated in my bag all morning in a tupperware box might well not be very healthy by lunchtime.

I find DS (when not having a strop about being spoon-fed!) likes puddings from jars but is not so keen on the main courses - but there are a few he's OK with: lentil ones and cheese-based ones. He's just starting to eat a bit of what I'm having instead, like a cheese sandwich or whatever, which is such a relief.

chipmonkey · 10/04/2006 00:05

Snowleopard, I just use a cool-bag with an icepack and bring my homemade food. If not going out for too long I use an Avent gel-pack which keeps food cool for 4 hours. ( not important that it's avent, btw, but they're what came with my breastpump!)

lockets · 10/04/2006 07:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

koolkat · 10/04/2006 07:50

I did a few jars of fruit or veg or yoghurt when I was out but for convenience. But I have been cooking and batch freezing since DS was 6 months old (that's when I started solids) - he just never caught on with the jars because they taste so different to home cooked food.

Jars are convenient at first but I don't think anything out of a jar or tin is ever going to be as nurishing as home cooked. Most weaning foods are dead easy, quick and very easy to batch freeze in ice cubes or little containers and then defrost. This way you also waste very little as you only defrost what you need at each meal

TheBlonde · 10/04/2006 08:45

I only use jars
Can't be bothered with cooking and the freezer is already full of other stuff

006 · 10/04/2006 08:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Auntymandy · 10/04/2006 09:06

I used a mixture.
probably mor homemade with number one and more jars with number 5!!!
Although when you wean at 6 months the sloppy stage doesnt last so long!

moondog · 10/04/2006 09:09

I felt that the pure fruit and veg ones were ok and used them occasionally for a period of a few months if out and about.
Wouldn't use anything with meat in it though.

Well,I say 'meat' but everyone knows that it is really goats' arses and monkey bollocks.

lazycow · 10/04/2006 11:23

I still bring jars sometimes when out as ds hates sandwiches and for some reason won't eat a lot of stuff out that he does at home. I have also brought home-made with me when out and about but generally a jar is easier as ds prefers his food warm and heating up your own food is difficult when out.

At home he has 99% home cooked (he's now 16 months), though in the early weaning stages I did give him pureed veg in jars a lot more as I really hated boiling and pureeing veg and the jars just said 'organic carrot' or 'organic spinach' which struck me as easier than doing it myself and there was nothing added.

Once he was on to more interesting food (about 8/9 months) I pretty much cooked it all myself though. Jars of mixed foods do taste pretty rank I have to say though ds doesn't seem to mind too much.

schneebly · 10/04/2006 11:41

Just to go along with what most people have said - jars are not evil but very useful when out/having a bad day etc! That said it is a lot cheaper to make your own and when they get a little older they can just have mashed up versions of what you are having (without added salt) Think shepherds pie, risotto etc - easy and nutritious and tastes a lot better than jars.

koolkat · 10/04/2006 17:36

Moondog - the monkey bollocks - did it say on the jar what the salt and sugar content is ?

Racers · 10/04/2006 17:38

Highly salty I would imagine!

bleurgh!

Mercy · 10/04/2006 17:43

With dd I used jars about one or twice a week for a while (especially when out), usually Hipp Organic or Sainsbury's Organic. There were a couple of 'meals' she particularly liked. Or just the plain fruit ones for variety.

ds has had about 4 jars in his whole life - just refused to eat them. He just had pureed versions of what his big sister what having.

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