Are Ella’s pouches okay to use?

[cornflowersandpoppies]

I mean obviously no babies will be harmed from using them but I am feeling bad about it. I had envisioned organic veg and lovingly prepared meals but it isn’t happening …

Yep did the homemade purées with both mine and both rejected it. Also agree that you can give them the tastes of the exotic fruit that if you bought would just sit in the fridge and rot my first had jars my second mainly had what I ate. Both fine and now they're older will try anything.
Just relax on it it's a long journey and their tastes/likes/dislikes changes all the time

I didn’t use them because of the sugar and the packaging. Terrible environmentally. Some babies take a while to get the hang of food but it’s better if they don’t get a taste for the processed stuff. Continue trying with what you’re having, eat together because they copy! And be patient - it’s fine if it takes a few months for him to get it.

I’ve just looked at the 4+ months pouches to check I wasn’t misremembering and they all have high fruit content:

‘Pumpkin, apple and blueberry’
‘Pears, peas and broccoli’

Up to 12g sugars in one pouch. Obviously sugar from fruit is slightly better but it’s still going to make everything taste very very sweet.

Well, as stupid as it sounds, I think baby led weaning is just that, led by baby. If he’s not interested I’ll keep offering but (try) to stop worrying!

I used to make a big pot of beef or chicken stew in the slow cooker ( heavy on the veg, one low sodium stock cube- tasted sooo bland) and then blend it up, portion into tiny containers and freeze. Very low effort

BLW and 'perfect' mums are out in force.

OP, pouches are absolutely fine.

For all those preaching 'THEY HAVE SO MUCH SUGAR'... I'm not sure how a 100% broccoli pouch has so much sugar

'good' eaters are not produced through how they are weaned, they are produced through mainly luck

Short answer - yes
I used them in sensible moderation, mixed in with many other things for both my daughters.
They are both now healthy and thriving and excellent, adventurous eaters.
Use your common sense and relax!! Food is food (mostly!)

'good' eaters are not produced through how they are weaned, they are produced through mainly luck

Completely agree with this!

There was a cherry pudding pouch DT’s loved. I bought it from the supermarket near my parents and would fill the suitcase with them in every free space. Was always amazed customs didn’t stop us at the airport. Their other favourite was one with beetroot - looked disgusting but they liked it.
Pouches and jars didn’t do them any harm. In fact they were good as they were introduced to a huge range of different tastes.

@Parker231
Oh my word cherry pudding sounds delicious!

DS2 always had pouches if we were eating out somewhere, or if I had to give him lunch while waiting for DD2 to come out of school. It's good to get them used to cold pouches so they'll eat them in an emergency.

Oh gosh he's only 6 months, stop worrying!

Ella's pouches are fine but I wouldn't only use them. So buy a few and give them for lunch when out and about (they're so convenient!) and a few meals a week. Give some finger food so baby can explore new textures and tastes and then a bit of mushed up food like the salmon and broccoli or classic dinners (just minus the salt) like bolognese, shepherds pie, etc. Normal meals. If you cook a roast, give them some veg, a bit of potato and some shredded meat (I'd save the meat until maybe a little older it's a hard texture at first).

Neither of mine ate anything really until they were about 8m. Then they decided they rather liked this food stuff and wolfed it down. Not all babies learn to eat properly at 6m it takes time.

Remember with the pouches, they have tiny tummies. So the Ellas 7m+ meal pouches are way more than one portion for a 6m old baby. I'd expect a 6m old to eat a couple of spoons, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a pouch for a meal. You can squeeze them out into a tub and keep them in the fridge for a day to save waste.

We got Aldi’s Mamia ones, DS used to like a fruit pouch on the train home from nursery. He didn’t like savoury ones though. Aldi also do some baby oat bars my DC enjoyed. Both my DC were slow to take on solids - I was very envious of the parents of babies scoffing down plates of food at 6 months while mine were still licking half a tomato and tossing it on the floor at 18 months, but they’re 7 and 4 now and the eldest is a brilliant eater, the youngest is picky but she’s slowly improving.

Thanks, I’m trying not to worry but this is the problem, lunch isn’t really a concept here! I will keep offering but it’s hard as he eats nothing, really!

@cornflowersandpoppies

Thanks, I’m trying not to worry but this is the problem, lunch isn’t really a concept here! I will keep offering but it’s hard as he eats nothing, really!

Honestly, this is normal. He will, in time. The more you stress over it the worse you'll feel and I promise you he won't give a shit! If you feel anxious over mealtimes he will, eventually, pick up on it and then you've got a toddler and mealtime battles on your hands. You think it's annoying when a baby won't eat? It's way worse when they're older and no longer have milk and are stubborn, stroppy terrible two years olds.

Food before one is not just for fun as other pp's have said. That's such a myth. It is important that they learn to eat and children aged 6-12m do need food because their iron levels start to drop (especially in BF babies, babies who have at least 500ml formula a day at this age are ok on this front). Iron is essential. But that doesn't mean he needs to be in 3 meals a day at 6m. He needs to learn to eat and enjoy food. He doesn't understand at the moment that it fills him up it's just another thing to play with.

Thank you. I will persevere with joe wicks!

@cornflowersandpoppies

Thanks, I’m trying not to worry but this is the problem, lunch isn’t really a concept here! I will keep offering but it’s hard as he eats nothing, really!

DS is a fantastic eater now at 3.5 but he definitely didn't eat much until 9-10 months

Would you eat food out of a pouch? Meat that's been pureed, put in a pouch and then left unrerfridgerated for who knows how long?
It's emergency food but what's wrong with steaming and pureeing a few veggies? If you going to the shops to buy the pouches anyway just buy proper food?

Silly question, but have you reduced his milk feeds at all? He won't be interested in food if he's not hungry. It's possible he's just too full of milk and if you cut back on that a little he'd have a better appetite. What's your current schedule?

@88soph88 - weaning coincided with me returning to full time work and DT’s going to nursery five days a week. Pouches and jars worked for us as I didn’t want to spend what little free time I had messing around preparing baby food. A jar or pouch of food, warmed in the microwave and then spoon fed was the best use of time. Babies were healthy and happy so a big tick in my book.

At 6 months my babe would eat half of one of the first taste pouches for lunch, a tiny amount! Try not to worry!

Yep I eat myself up something rotten about not making home cooked food straight from joe wickes and anabelle Carmel’s book.. I tried and tried and he wouldn’t eat it however my son loved all the pouches.. veggie.. fruit.. Mexican chicken.. risotto.. the lot and he’s a thriving 18 month old.. honestly they are fine and healthy.. has everything he needs.. give yourself a break.. you will look back and think why was I so worried when he’s found a manly old biscuit from under the sofa to munch on lol..

In fairness 88 I don’t give him the meat based ones, just the veg, and no, but then I wouldn’t drink milk or try to shove a spoon in my ear either

what’s wrong with steaming and pureeing a few veggies

Nothing, but you might want to tell this to ds, as he doesn’t bloody eat them!

furry thank you. I’m worried about this as I don’t want to drop his calories, he’s already dropped a centile from birth.

He usually has six 5oz bottles a day.

Well, no parker obviously you make that decision if it works for you. I would like to get this right for me though as I’m still a bit upset about breastfeeding not going to plan. So I am looking for tips. Trying to shame me though as if I’m just lazy and can’t be bothered steaming some veg isn’t fair, it’s just ds really doesn’t seem keen.