To think that weaning with baby food from jars is fine?

[joannita]

It's specially developed for babies right? So how come everyone is dead against it? I don't think 50p a jar is that expensive either. Baby led weaning ain't going to work for my twins. They choke alarmingly as soon as they bite a piece off anything. Pureeing stuff is a pain. So I'm doing jars.

I actually think this thread has gone pretty well really. The OP has had views for both sides and no-one has been too rude to her.

I did mostly jars with DD aged 4. I started off making my own puree bt she wasn't keen, so I switched over to jars after a couple of weeks. She loved them, mainly C&G IIRC! We moved fairly quickly through the stages onto the lumpier ones and added plenty of finger foods early on. She has no problems eating most things now.

I certainly understand why a Mum with twins and a 3 yeard old would try to make their life a little easier (what they felt would easier).

Until he was one, DS would not it gag on any bit of food he tried that was lumpy or bitten off, he would then projectile vomit. And I would have to feed him all over again, hoping he didn't gag and vomit it back up again. When you're on the third time of feeding them dinner/cleaning up sick, you'll do whatever it takes to get food into them. And I didn't start with smooth purees, we did a mix of the odd bit of puree and loads of finger food from day one. So it wasn't that only feeding him purees had caused it, he just wasn't very adept at eating. He's figured it out now, but I do use those toddler meals occasionally when I can't be arsed and we only want to eat cereal for dinner.

The "if I wouldn't eat it" rule doesn't work for me.

I am a grown up who was a very picky eater as a child and still bears some of the scars. There are some healthy foods I won't eat, but I want my children to eat them.

Root vegetables (mashed ones in particular - boak) are an example.

It will be fine. I was weaned exclusively on food jars and I am fine, eat normally and am a healthy weight. My dd has had a mixture of pouches and home-cooked, and eaten both with relish. And I think some of the pouches (I'm thinking Plum beef and bean stew in particular, or their chicken and lemon one) taste lush! I always try them first, wouldn't feed them otherwise. Also how expensive they are is subjective - I wouldn't find that a lot to spend, so if you don't either that's fine. Haven't followed the link to alphamum up thread as the last thing of her's I read, about breastfeeding, was horrendously judgemental and unkind, as well as containing laughable leaps of logic, and it made me livid. I actually suspected she was an assumed persona satirising the views she seems to promote - is that not the case?

I can totally understand you wanting to cut corners, Twins take up so much time, but IMO food/nutrition is not the place to do it.

I did nanny (intensive job 24/5) baby twins and the fussiest 5 year old in the world. While the twins had their afternoon nap I would make up a big batch of food and then wizz it up, divide it up into ice cube trays and tubs. Once I got a routine going I only had to do this once or twice a week.

The trouble with powdered baby breakfast cereal is the sugar content. Theyre usually 30-40% sugar :( it makes the child want to eat it but its hardly healthy

You see my kids don't have structured naps none of them. They are rarely asleep at the same time

You have a 3yo and twin babies, wow! I say do whatever makes your life easier.

DD1 was weaned on lovingly homemade purees- she is still fussy as anything at age 5.

DD2 was weaned on a mixture of pouches and mashed up versions of whatever we were eating. She did, and still does now age 3, eat anything and everything!

Btw I don't think pouches are 'better' than the jars, that's just marketing crap. But they are easier to carry about in your bag, and you can squeeze them straight onto a spoon.

Blinking eck u are right about the sugar in the cereal! 29.4 g per 100g in Heinz! Cow and gate is better but that stuff is grim and mostly air. Oh dear no wonder its so nice!

Oh and both mine went straight onto weetabix or readybrek, baby cereal is a con!

I don't think 50p a jar is that expensive

Hmmm. I paid £1 for a butternut squash yesterday. I roasted it, the pureed it. Half has gone into the freezer as is..the other half we made Cod, Butternut Squash and Cheese Sauce. Lovely recipe. Tasted bloody gorgeous. That too was then frozen into individual portions.

The cod was left over from our tea.

I think there are about 20 + meals in the freezer now.

Freezer also has frozen sweet potato in there currently.

Breakfast this morning was half a melon whizzed with a banana. Small portion given to DD. The rest was for me as a smoothy.

Personally, I wouldn't feed DD jars. However, it's your call. I see them the same way I see ready made meals. Expensive, convenient and full of shite additives.

It really didn't take very long. The trick is to batch cook and then freeze. You need a good freezer tray for the portions (mine is OXO one and it's ace) and then you just pop out of the tray and put into a big freezer bag so you can take out whenever. The night before I defrost what I need for the next day.

Jars taste, look and smell bloody awful imo.

Why not just add the salt at the table rather than to the pot. You're going to have to start cooking for all 3 at some point eventually.

My eldest 2 (14 and 16) mainly jars, dd 2 mainly purée and dd3 BLW. As long as they're fed who cares!

Hmm I viewed jars as ready meals which on a daily basis I wouldn't serve to my dc either.

When I weaned my twins I cooked my own for the week on a Sunday night and froze,just used jars if we ran out and on holiday.

There was a cancer scare back then re the lids and after tasting one I realised how foul they are.They taste of zilch and the vitamin content must be low.They cost waaaay too much for me with twins too.

I think if you look what is on each jar/packet then you can make a decision on each case. Wrt your mil cooking how about taking some bits out before the sauce is added? You could thin with some baby stock (this is NOT stock made from babies). Or what I did was make a batch in one go and put it in the freezer, then it only take a minute or so extra to heat up than a jar.

I used jars sometimes, I used baby cereal, rusks (or risks )

I can't imagine having 2 to deal with along side my dd so whatever keeps you sane.

Re not salting while cooking mil says meatballs cannot be salted at table they have to have salt running through them or they will be bland. Bland is the biggest insult to Spanish food!

puréed meatballs anyone?

Organix Wholegrain Banana and Raisin Oat Porridge (it's a 7m+ one) is bloody delicious. I ate more of it than DD.

DS1 and DD1 were both weaned on powdered baby foods. I was 15 and 18 when I had them and just did what my mother thought was best, but I remember thinking at the time that removing moisture to preserve food was preferable to adding preservatives IYSWIM? I have no idea if I was correct but they loved it and are no worse off for it. I remember a particular broccoli cheese meal that stank of sweaty feet. They adored it.

DD2 was easiest to wean, she literally ate what we did from day one, I had 3 under 5 at that point and even warming up a jar or mixing cereal took too long for me. So accidental BLW occurred as I just plonked whatever we had in front of her.

By DD3 I suffered awfully from anxiety that focused on choking, so I used pouches as they were smoother than anything I could make myself. I tried finger foods but had a panic attack each time she gagged so pouches it was, and she's fine.

I think the pouches are different from jars as they are pasteurised to preserve them rather than chemically preserved. Which kills nutrients obviously, but still in my brain felt better than actual preservatives.

In the middle of weaning DS2 now and he mostly eats what we do with the odd pouch thrown in.

You can't tell which of my DC were weaned which way, although out of all 5 my only fussy eater is the one I accidentally baby led weaned. Go figure!

I used a mix of both.

Jars for DS1 as they were far more imaginative than anything I could produce - although my mum had just died and MIL could be a bit of a helpful force.

For DS2 I mainly did my own food. It was far easier to batch cook once a week and blend.

Mind you my life was to short to dice, so I did cheat and used small grain rice and baby pasta to put the lumps in when texture was required.

I remember MIL saying "Well, if you can't feed him properly (ie Heinz) at least you are filling him up"

This from the woman who thought three bananas would kill you

You are all more organised than me with this freezing in advance thing. I will be going back to work with 2 jobs soon! But mil is up for making some purees. I guess we will combine that an the odd jar. And a bit of blw. Will see how it goes. Thanks for opinions! Now I know what's behind disapproving glances at checkout!

Lol at baby stock is not made from babies!

I'd say do what is most convenient for you. Babyfood jars won't kill your children and in the grand scheme of things they won't be eating them for long until they start eating your food.

Ella's Kitchen do a nice range if you put off by the jars

I wouldn't tbh unless an emergency, the baby jars seem so fake, too much colouring etc. I made my own and puréed it and when old enough they basically had what we had by crushed a bit. I even make some extra in tiny containers to freeze for the baby in case of emergency. We are having take away r something. I liked Ella's kitchen food always seem more natural than te usual ones but they are pricey

I've been using puree and offering some finger foods. Not found it that hard. Mango, banana, avocado don't need cooking. The recipes all make a few portions and taste yummy!