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May 31, 2022

5 things you need to know about baby food pouches

When your baby is ready for solid foods, you might be tempted to just dump a jar of food into their mouth. The problem with this approach is that swallowing mechanics are different for solids than for liquids, so the liquid can actually flood their airway and cause choking. For this reason, it’s best to wait until six months or so before feeding your child solid food.

 

But there will come a day when your little one has grown accustomed to eating solids and needs more than what’s available in jars or on the plate. Baby food pouches are a good option for practicality, convenience, and habit-forming convenience. Baby food pouches can contain anything from a fruit puree to rice cereal, and in terms of taste, they’re generally a fair bit better than jarred baby foods. In terms of nutritional value, they’re not as good as real food but they’re not bad either if you look at it on the whole.

 

Before we get into the details of how to use baby food pouches, here are 5 things you need to know about them:

 

  1. They’re not made for nutrition:

Baby food pouches are not made for feeding babies. So don’t expect them to be nutritionally complete or even consistent (they have their own different set of nutritional requirements, which may or may not match those of your child). This means you can’t feed them as part of your baby’s first solid foods diet.

 

  1. They’re not a one-way ticket to eating good food:

You shouldn’t use baby food pouches exclusively – they’re best as a second option, and in fact a great way to introduce solids if you’ve been too hesitant to try real baby foods on the fly. This way, you’ll know your child’s eaten something that’s not only water and air.

 

  1. They’re convenient:

Using baby food pouches is so much easier than preparing baby food from scratch. You don’t have to make stock, puree foods, or anything like that. It’s just like using a packet of mixed ingredients, but in the form of a pouch instead of a box or jar – and cleaning it up is much easier too!

 

  1. They’re tasty:

Of course there are exceptions – but as far as smooth purees go, baby food pouches can be very soft and tasty when made with good quality fruits and vegetables (or other pureeable ingredients). They’re also great for when you’re out and about, since many of them can be stored unrefrigerated for a few hours at max.

 

  1. They’re not as healthy as real food:

This is a little unfair to pouches because they aren’t marketed to be nutritionally complete or sufficient by themselves. They are marketed as additions to children’s diets, so you shouldn’t rely on them alone and expect your baby to get all their nutrition from them (so don’t come crying if your child isn’t growing right). You should supplement the pouches with solid food, breast milk or formula (or ideally all three) until they can eat their normal meals without needing anything else.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many advantages to baby food pouches, including their convenience and taste. Just take note that they’re not made for nutrition alone and you’ll probably need to mix them with solid foods in the long run.

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5 things you need to know about baby food pouches

5 things you need to know about baby food pouches
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