Is jarred food a good thing or not?

[Boydus]

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?????

terrible- should only use hand-blended veggies from your organic allotment

(I was talking about the monkey balls, btw, not jars!)

lazycow glad someone has a toddler like mine, he is 20mths and also hates sarnies and home food when out, wont even eat cheese so can't even give him that with crackers... so jars are a life saver for me at times.

Monkey balls are surprisingly low in fat and a great source of Vitamin C.

I don't think they're harmful - laws in this country v. v. strict re: not having salt and stuff. Definitely very useful for outings where small babies are concerned.

My caveat is that you could make a 'rod for your own back' if you overuse them. I think that they have a very specific 'processed' flavour (and texture). They're also quite conservative with respect to the flavours/textures/lumps it expects babies of any particular age to manage.

My experience with Dd has been that she has become an increasingly conservative eater from 6 months to now (2 years). At nine months she had a penchant for raw onions!

Depending on the age - I think it is best if the core diet is either purees (freeze in ice cube trays, to save effort) or just soft regular food. Then you have the best chance of integrating the baby with regular meals and good fresh diet in due course.

My Dd - don't know if this is typical - loved jars, but for homecooking always preferred 'single foods'. That is - she always declined 'Anabel Karmel' type miniuature sheperds pie/chiken stew etc. However, she enjoyed - say - mashed potatoes, chicken chunks, steamed vegetables, when they were served on their own. It saved me a lot of effort and heartache.

i dont buy jars often and when i do i really check the label, for example on some jars they add 'maltodextrin' which is actually the glue like substance they use on the back of postage stamps! i tend to find the organic ones are the best i think the HIPP ones, rest of the time i do my own cooking :)

Like most people I give ds homecooked food most of the time. Make up large quantities nad freeze, in cubes and in small containers. And lots of bananas

I do use the odd jar and petit filous if we're out and about.

Variety and balance is the key.

Jarred food is a good thing if that is what you want to feed your baby, I use them when out and about, and at home I use powdered stuff and home cooked stuff.

Everyone has a different point of view on this some people feed jars only and yet some mums on here have been known to call that child abuse (a total over reaction imo) make whatever decision you are happy with and don't let anyone put you donw for it, just remember if the jars were the evil of the world they certainly wouldn't be on sale.

ohhh flutterbee don't start the jar argument all over again!