Using prepared packets/jars

[3cupsoftea]

I've read up on BLW but it's just not for me. I enjoy making purées and DS (6 months) happily eats them. They aren't always super convenient when traveling or out and about or I'm just running low on homemade!
I'd like to get some prepared baby food to have the cupboard. It all seems much of a muchness. Is there any benefit to Ella/hipp over cowandgate/Heinz/boots own?
Thanks

Check for water, fillers, etc as some have extra water added and then starches to bulk them out rather than having actual ingredients

Actually no, there are only actual ingredients in there, standards for baby food are very strict, legally. If you look at labels you will see its just veg/fruit a little meat or pasta or whatever. Yes there is water, just like your own food (when you make rice or pasta, how much water do you think is absorbed into that? Same in baby food).

Buy whats on offer, or what you like.

You can buy pouches to put your own purees in can't you? If you want to avoid deciding!

If you look at the jars they add water and then cornflour /rice, etc to bulk it out. There are sometimes hardly any meat in the meat based ones. I did use them occasionally but they are not the best option to use all the time e.g. In the heinz broccoli and cauliflower cheese you will find rice - do you put rice in yours??

If you look at the jars they add water and then cornflour /rice, etc to bulk it out

The cornflour is a tiny bit to thicken it. Like you do with many sauces. Water/milk/stock and flour/rice flour/cornflour... the basis for thousands of dishes we all eat. No difference.

Stop demonising baby food.

I'm not, just pointing out some are better than others which is why it's best to check the labels to see that you are getting what it says it should be

Of course you're getting what it says you should be, labelling laws are very strict. And you are taking positives and using them as negatives : there is little meat in the meaty ones..yes thats because you don't need very much meat for babies, and they are supposed to be light on the meat.

I'm sick of people posting rubbish on here to make others feel bad about their choices. Opinions are one thing but posting outright untruths is not ok.

A bit touchy there! Compare labels. I bet there are some with more veggies/meat and less water/rice/cornflour and they will be better value for money and give greater nutritional value

And I already said I used them so not against them at all.

Ok so I had a voucher for 20p or something off a cow and gate Sunday lunch jar. I picked it up and looked at the label. It looked very convincing but here's the label:

Ingredients

Baby-grade Vegetables (43%) (Peas, Carrot, Tomato, Sweetcorn), Potato, Cooking Water, Chicken (10%), Corn Starch, Rapeseed Oil

So I take it 53% is veg/met. So that leaves 47% is starch and water?!?

No. It doesn't say what percentage is potato, which will make up most of the rest of the total, along with water. There is only a tiny bit of cornstarch as a thickener.

That is the same ingredients as if you made it at home, though you might not use cornstarch. Its a harmless addition if you did though.
Proving my point. Perfectly normal food, just mushed up and in a jar. Nothing wrong with it.

I don't know penguin. It may not say the percentage of potato but even if it was 40% and the rest cornflour and wanted, I still think that's too high.
No one is demonising baby food. My question was there much of a difference in brands. Looking at the labels today, I think there probably is- some have higher content of meat/veg then others

Ingredients should be listed in order percentage, so if the chicken is 10% the potato and water content will each be at least 10%, likely more.

As with all things, have a look at the labels but jars/pouches as and when you need/ want to use them really isn't a problem, do what works for you. I made a lot of my own, but out and about mainly used pouches in the earlier months of weaning, and when I was pushed for time.