which baby food brand and why?

[Miscellaneous]

Blagsta's right. You might as well give the baby food with some taste, and get them used to what you eat as a family. I gave my son jarred baby food twice but he refused it point blank, he wouldnt allow it near him.

He did have packet rice when we started weaning at 4 1/2 months, but after that, he was eating basic versions of what we had, just blitzed down.

 

[moomoo]

A bit off topic but I was really surprised to hear my friend saying that she had made a shepherds pie but she'd had to make it really bland as her children wouldn't eat anything strong tasting. I'm sure there is a connection between that and the fact that her kids were raised on tasteless tinned baby food.

I've offered to feed her kids when I've made too much curry or pasta or whatever but she always says "Oh, no - it's too spicy / garlicky / whatever, they won't eat that". But they've never tried it.

I didn't make my own baby food because I was being an earth mother btw. I did it because we were skint. A few vegetables, potato and a bit of leftover chicken go a long way!

 

[Strumpet]

Mine adored mashed banana and avocado.
I used to make all my own baby food and freeze it in ice cubes. Annabel Karmel does a fantastic baby recipe book. I did use jars if we were out for the day though -

*nods*

Hipp Organic

Minime loved this brand too.

 

[weepiper]

can't believe everyone here is so worthy... surely there are times when you cant/dont have time for the 'make your own' option.

Well with 3 under 5 I don't have a lot of time so my youngest gets jars at the moment - he's only just started weaning though (5 months). I like the Plum Baby ones but they're very expensive... Ella's Kitchen ones which come in a sort of squeezy pouch are very good too, some odd flavour combos (butternut squash, carrot, apple and prune anyone?) but minipiper seems to like them a lot. He has also had some mashed tatties off my plate when we've been having that and some mashed banana etc, but I don't have time for the pureeing/freezing/thawing etc.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Blagsta's right. You might as well give the baby food with some taste.

Ah, but just be careful, babies don't like (and shouldn't really be introduced to) strong tastes at such and early age. That's why baby food in jars tastes so bland to us. Babies shouldn't be eating anything with salt, sugar, spices or flavoring of any sort.
It's also not good to give babies real milk, egg or soft cheese before they are at least one. Very very well cooked egg might be ok after six months or so, but no, salt or pepper.

 

[blooper]

and there's enough nutrients in steamed veg and mashed banana? Where does the protein come from?

 

[zenie]

Ah, but just be careful, babies don't like (and shouldn't really be introduced to) strong tastes at such and early age. That's why baby food in jars tastes so bland to us. Babies shouldn't be eating anything with salt, sugar, spices or flavoring of any sort.
It's also not good to give babies real milk, egg or soft cheese before they are at least one. Very very well cooked egg might be ok after six months or so, but no, salt or pepper.

Why not?

Link?

 

[sojourner]

I just used to make a mahoosive pot of veggie stew (no salt, no stock cubes), whizz it in the blender and freeze it in pots. Took about an hour, once a week. Had every type of veg in it I could fit - she bloody loved it and hated the jarred stuff. Like others have said - it was also a lot fucking cheaper than buying tinned shite

 

[sojourner]

Why not?

Link?

well the salt thing is to do with their kidneys, and presumably the soft cheese and egg is to do with bacteria and them having baby immune systems. cow's milk is bad for their bellies - they can't digest it properly til about 12 months

it's probably not the greatest idea to get them into sugar at that age either eh?!

I remember fucking FLIPPING bigtime at a family member for giving my lass ketchup once - went ballistic

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Why not?

Link?

Do you really need a link for that? It's in all the leaflets you get given and in any baby nutrition book. If you don't have them the quickest of googles will tell you.

Basicly babies bodies are not yet built to deal with sugar and salt like ours and any spices will just be waaaaaayyy too much for developing taste buds.
Bactira in soft cheeses and other soft dairy can be dangerous.

http://www.abc.net.au/parenting/articles/babies_nutrition.htm
http://www.hon.ch/Dossier/MotherChild/postnatal/feeding.html
etc etc.

 

[Chairman Meow]

Like others have said - it was also a lot fucking cheaper than buying tinned shite

I thought this thread would start to get judgey.

I fed my sprog home made food and jars, and it did him no harm whatsoever. I suspect babies fed completely on jars turned out just fine too.

 

[sojourner]

I thought this thread would start to get judgey.

I fed my sprog home made food and jars, and it did him no harm whatsoever. I suspect babies fed completely on jars turned out just fine too.

eh? what's judgey about my comment? oh, you mean me calling it shite? but it is, compared to home made stuff

 

[zenie]

Do you really need a link for that? It's in all the leaflets you get given and in any baby nutrition book. If you don't have them the quickest of googles will tell you.

Basicly babies bodies are not yet built to deal with sugar and salt like ours and any spices will just be waaaaaayyy too much for developing taste buds.
Bactira in soft cheeses and other soft dairy can be dangerous.

http://www.abc.net.au/parenting/articles/babies_nutrition.htm
http://www.hon.ch/Dossier/MotherChild/postnatal/feeding.html
etc etc.

Well yeh I do need a link, cos my sisters both fed their kids on stuff you mentioned (well maybe not soft cheese or chilli!) and it didn't do them any harm, hence why I asked!

 

[danny la rouge]

Yes, but if you use your common sense, baby can have what you're having, so long as you're not having sugar coated salted brie that's been in the sun all day.

Which probably wouldn't do you any good either.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Well yeh I do need a link, cos my sisters both fed their kids on stuff you mentioned (well maybe not soft cheese or chilli!) and it didn't do them any harm, hence why I asked!

Maybe they gave them those foods at a later date. You don't ever really want to be giving your kids salty stuff though do you?

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Yes, but if you use your common sense, baby can have what you're having, so long as you're not having sugar coated salted brie that's been in the sun all day.

Which probably wouldn't do you any good either.

^^^
This, at the end of the day, is all that matters. Use your common sense.

 

[gracious]

I thought this thread would start to get judgey

hmmm so much pressure to do the 'right thing' i suppose... no-one gonna admit they buy the cheapest jars cos its the easiest way to be lazy bout the whole thing....

 

[danny la rouge]

hmmm so much pressure to do the 'right thing' i suppose... no-one gonna admit they buy the cheapest jars cos its the easiest way to be lazy bout the whole thing....

Jars are more expensive, though. And what could be easier than just mashing a little of what you're having with the back of your fork?

 

[sojourner]

hmmm so much pressure to do the 'right thing' i suppose...

My lass is 17 now - and as far as I can recall there was no pressure from anyone about feeding your kid anything. I was on very little money, and wanted to give her what I thought was the best option

If that's judgey, whatfuckingever, really

I did give her tinned stuff a few times, mainly when out on all day walks, cos it was convenient

 

[zenie]

Maybe they gave them those foods at a later date. You don't ever really want to be giving your kids salty stuff though do you?

They just gave them their food mashed up, and you add salt to your food when you cook (or at least I do). Was just wondering like

I know they weren't allowed stuff like crisps mind!

 

[Chairman Meow]

eh? what's judgey about my comment? oh, you mean me calling it shite? but it is, compared to home made stuff

No, some it is is pretty good stuff.

 

[sojourner]

No, some it is is pretty good stuff.

Perhaps it is.

Maybe it's come on in leaps and bounds in the last 17 years.

I really don't wanna argue about the pros and cons of tinned baby food because it feels ever so slightly ridiculous

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

They just gave them their food mashed up, and you add salt to your food when you cook (or at least I do). Was just wondering like

I know they weren't allowed stuff like crisps mind!

I don't cook with salt (because I am so pure).
I judge you all.

 

[sojourner]

I don't cook with salt (because I am so pure).
I judge you all.

You can't judge me because I refuse to be judged

Judgeth me not

I win

 

[moomoo]

I didn't cook with salt because I wanted to give the babies some of whatever it was I was making. Many years later, I still don't use salt.

 

[gracious]

My lass is 17 now - and as far as I can recall there was no pressure from anyone about feeding your kid anything.

this was probably before everything had to be organic and jamie started wingeing about school dinners and the telly kept screaming about obese kids...

i think its quite hard to know what the best thing to do is

 

[_angel_]

Apart from mashed banana, stewed apple and mashed potato, James ate mainly all baby jars.

The "just mash stuff up on a fork" option really, really didn't look appetising or as soft as the jars were.

"The let him have alittle of what you're having" doesn't work if your diet at the time is pretty poor (lots of tinned soups, packet mixes)

At least I knew he was eating safe stuff. I was religious about him never getting sugar, though. To this day he still has a fairly savoury diet and not much sweet tooth.

 

[zenie]

I don't cook with salt (because I am so pure).
I judge you all.

Because you're a crap chef, chefs use loads of salt!

Let he who is without sin and all that mate.

 

[trashpony]

I cook with salt and a lot of chilli. And I eat salads most of the time. So what I eat is not suitable for the foal. I've never mashed anything for him - babies are perfectly capable of eating finger food from 6 months so I make him something different. He did have the odd jar when he was younger if we were out and I'd forgotten to make him a sandwich or something. Now I just buy him baked beans and fish fingers

I am much less hysterical about salt and sugar nowadays as he's nearly 18 months. zenie I bet your sisters were pretty careful before their kids were a year old - I think you don't really notice it if you're not the parent

 

[Oriole]

and there's enough nutrients in steamed veg and mashed banana? Where does the protein come from?

The veg and pureed food isn't the main source of nutrition, it's just an introduction to new tastes and textures at first. The bulk of their calories, protein and vitamins should still come from milk until well after 1 anyway.

They only eat tiny quantities of it at first anyway, a couple of tablespoons or so. It's another reason why freezing in ice cube size portion makes sense, especially if you have big hang-ups about wasting/throwing away food, they don't eat a full jar for ages.