Feeding babies junk food

2 fast

So I was reading an article about obesity and babies being fed junk food from the start.
I find this quite unnerving, do people really feed babies under 1 junk food and fast food...

I would've thought these days will all the information people would be more aware and not give their kids bad habits they have developed.

El Gato De Negocios

Yip. Seen it with my own eyes. About 18 months ago a guy I know posted a picture of him and his wife in McDonalds with their then 2 year old drinking coke and eating the fries. They were proud as punch of "their first family visit to McDonalds". If I could have rolled my eyes any harder id have been looking directly at my brain.

We have been fairly strict with our two (one is nearly 4, the other about 30 months). The oldest has only had chocolate once and that was given to him by his aunt who didn't know we weren't giving it. Neither have ever had soft drinks, sweets, chips etc. Occasional treat would be a small bowl of ice cream, piece of birthday cake, the odd ice lolly etc. Tbh they never ask for anything "bad" but thats obviously because they have never been given it. It will be hard enough to control what they eat once they start school so we will limit it where we can until that time comes.

Oranage2

I'm not sure it's just fast food that's the problem. Many people think home cooking is sticking a frozen pizza in the oven or pouring a jar of dolmios on pasta.

I wouldn't completely stop my kids from eating chocolate and other junk food but I'd teach them moderation and making good choices. Probably even scold them if they decided to spend their money on a big bottle of coke and crisps. I also think it's important they know were food comes from and how to prepare meals using fresh produce.

Milly33

While I do see how people fall into it, especially with the stores today and all this sugar free malarkey. But for under one is a big no.. At that age babies will eat more or less anything so given them junk is just bad..

Will say we have gone to mcdonalds with out little one, but always took her own food the most she would have had is some chips.. She has tasted crisps and chocolate as, both of us are either crisps or chocolate people but always in moderation like just half a crisp or a piece of one square of choco. A lot of the kids foods is mad too that you can buy veg flavored crisps for kids.. There is an awfull lot of crap food out there and unless you start looking at ingredients it is easy to feed you and your kids the wrong things..But then that is up to the parents to make sure they know what is in the food

fits

El Gato De Negocios wrote: »

Yip. Seen it with my own eyes. About 18 months ago a guy I know posted a picture of him and his wife in McDonalds with their then 2 year old drinking coke and eating the fries. They were proud as punch of "their first family visit to McDonalds". If I could have rolled my eyes any harder id have been looking directly at my brain.

We have been fairly strict with our two (one is nearly 4, the other about 30 months). The oldest has only had chocolate once and that was given to him by his aunt who didn't know we weren't giving it. Neither have ever had soft drinks, sweets, chips etc. Occasional treat would be a small bowl of ice cream, piece of birthday cake, the odd ice lolly etc. Tbh they never ask for anything "bad" but thats obviously because they have never been given it. It will be hard enough to control what they eat once they start school so we will limit it where we can until that time comes.

I’d find that approach to be a little too far in the other direction tbh! There’s nothing wrong with an odd piece of chocolate. We try limit it to once a week but there’s an odd treat in between. And we have been to McDonald’s shock horror!

MarshmallowPop

As a teacher, I see how nutritionally poor many lunchboxes can be. I try to give my child a healthy pack lunch everyday and now she tells me, a lot of her classmates would tease her because her lunch is so healthy! You can't win. The children in question are quite chubby and carrying weight already.

I can't remember the statistic but I think it's...if you're overweight as a child, you have a 90% chance of being overweight as an adult.

Maybe it is a cultural thing but I see many parents give their children what they think is healthy foods like Petit Filious yogurts, Fruit Shoot bottles, La Liga biscuits (which are lethal for sugar)

A 1 year old should be eating for nutrition. Their kidneys cannot process and flush out salty foods.

I have a big interest in Nutrition and Diet. I was at home for 2 years with my first child and I cooked and did everything to the letter of the law diet wise and what is recommended by dieticians for that age. My child would eat any food now and always polished off her meals. It is great to see.

Anyway, I just detest parents feeding their children crap and junk and creating poor dietary habits for life, to create health problems down the line.

We have the fattest children in the EU for a reason.

Milly33

I am so surprised that people give their kids those fruit shots things and things like mi wadi, even the diet drinks...Madness the amount of crap that is in them

tHE vAGGABOND

When our fella was tiny, the wife went to the breastfeeding group and saw mums [very tired mums at end of their patience] having the backup plan of feeding the [tiny] babies leftover Chinese takeaway.

I remember us being utterly horrified and actually talking about if we should report it to someone or not. [We did not!]

farmchoice

El Gato De Negocios wrote: »

Yip. Seen it with my own eyes. About 18 months ago a guy I know posted a picture of him and his wife in McDonalds with their then 2 year old drinking coke and eating the fries. They were proud as punch of "their first family visit to McDonalds". If I could have rolled my eyes any harder id have been looking directly at my brain.

We have been fairly strict with our two (one is nearly 4, the other about 30 months). The oldest has only had chocolate once and that was given to him by his aunt who didn't know we weren't giving it. Neither have ever had soft drinks, sweets, chips etc. Occasional treat would be a small bowl of ice cream, piece of birthday cake, the odd ice lolly etc. Tbh they never ask for anything "bad" but thats obviously because they have never been given it. It will be hard enough to control what they eat once they start school so we will limit it where we can until that time comes.

you are making a serious rod for your own back here. Ive seen this approach before in particular with my own sister. their daughter was never allowed any sweets or chocolate etc. which was fine when their daughter was small but once she went to school it became an utter disaster. she would be invited to birthday parties and play-dates and what have you. as first the parents very nicely said our girl doesn't eat MUCH sweet stuff, obliviously other parents dont give a **** what you do so either they would say ''sound i wont give her any'' and the poor child would sit there good as gold not touching it with the tears welling up in her eyes excluded in her own eyes and in those of her peers, or else the other parents would say ''sound well there's her slice of the cake and if she doesn't want it fair enough but i'm not policing it.
as time went bye the second attitude became the prevalent one because who has the time to enforce other patents ideas.

the upshot was the daughter became an absolute hound for sweets and chocolate and to this day she (she is 12) is insatiable for junk food, at any and every opportunity is is gorging herself. i have actually seen her lick a plate clean and in every other way she has the manners of someone who went to a Swiss finishing school.
so what ever gains the parents though the were making not giving her anything in those first few years were well and truly wiped out in the years thereafter and there's is no sign of it slowing down, i would not be surprised if the poor child ends up with an eating disorder and if she does there will be no mystery about what caused it.



there is every chance your approach will end up being completely counter productive, in fact id say it is inevitable,you would be far better off going for a ''everything in moderation approach''

lazygal

There are no bad foods, there are just bad amounts of food.
Today I had a **** morning and got a breakfast from McDonalds, my two year old had a hashbrown. He then had healthy homemade brown bread and soup for lunch and will have a homemade meal later.

All of mine have had small amounts of 'treats' from about a year onwards. They have the occasional McDonald meal and my 8 year old daughter has asked if we can get an Indian takeaway for St Patrick's day as a treat. We have decided this is fine.

Most parents I know feed their kids this way, good stuff 90% of the time and treats 10% of the time. And what you see a child eat will only be a snapshot of their diet.

Milly33

I just see the amount of crap that is in a lot of the supermarket foods and just get dumbfounded how half of it is even aloud on the shelves..

I get all in moderation, and like that the odd treat.. But even things like Cheerios for kids!! Tis like given your kid spoons of sugar for breakfast.. Fine maybe for older kids but for youngins nope..

greysgut

My oldest child first got treats when he was gone 1 by us. And as he got older we gave him small treats at the weekend. But now he seems to think he should have one everyday and it’s a battle to get fruit into him. He’s a picky eater at the best of times.

Our 15 month old at the minute will eat anything. We have slowly started calling to grandparents over the past few weeks and they think nothing of handing 15 mth old chocolate biscuits or crisps. Husband went ballistic at the weekend as we’re serving up dinner and MIL started waving buttons at her and of course there was a meltdown .

I think treats in moderation is ok!

lazygal

I think grandparents are supposed to give a few treats tbh.

Flippyfloppy

farmchoice wrote: »

there is every chance your approach will end up being completely counter productive, in fact id say it is inevitable,you would be far better off going for a ''everything in moderation approach''

Agreed. I think it's better to normalise sweets and chocolate to some extent as something that exists but we don't have to get wound up over.

I belive as a result our children are great at trying new foods and love their vegetables and fruit, and we don't have 'junk' food as part of our diet, all our meals are made from scratch.

Antares35

We just go with the "let's not make any food an issue" approach. Guaranteed if you make something a no-no, they will gravitate towards it when they are older. I had to have a word with OH when he started the "ok you've finished all you're dinner so you're allowed dessert" thing. It's just reinforcement of an idea that dinner is something to be endured and will be rewarded with something sweet. Kids are also known for sniffing out opportunities to assert their power, and if you show any sign of weakness when it comes to food (like, they know you want them to eat veggies) then they'll use it against you.

I think it's best to just lead by example and not be too much of a purist about things. We don't give our kid coke or chicken nuggets etc, we don't have it ourselves really. But I'm not going to have a hernia in SuperValu over the sugar content of baby cereal she might have once a week for convenience.

greysgut

lazygal wrote: »

I think grandparents are supposed to give a few treats tbh.

Absolutely, I’m just trying to hold back with our youngest. I remember myself as a child going to our grandmothers and always were allowed to raid the treat tub!

witchgirl26

I think everything in moderation is key and that a treat is just that - a treat that you get every so often. My little boy is 21 months old. He's had McDonalds chips (some of mine when I had gotten lunch there), the odd chocolate button (he's not a big chocolate fan which is grand), the odd crisp from our packet. We do give him Mi-Wadi in his water as it's the easiest way to actually get it into him. That said the amount is so tiny that you can barely taste it.

I think if you go too far the other way of no treats or "bad" foods at all, you could end up with worse problems. My cousins little boy had never had anything processed (even a waffle) or sweets up until he was about 5. He went to a birthday party in my sister's house and she wasn't aware of how strict his diet was (no medical reason fyi & his granny had brought him so no conversation between the mam & my sister about it). My sister had potato waffles, chicken dippers, cocktail sausages, some sandwiches & crisps along with all the sweet treats after. The kid went mental eating loads of it. In fact my sister commented to his mam when she collected him what a great appetite he had. That was when it all came out about his diet & he wasn't meant to have had any of it. Child is a teen now & has a serious junk food obsession. Always wants it because it's always been denied.

shesty

lazygal wrote: »

I think grandparents are supposed to give a few treats tbh.

I agree but not when they can see that dinner is being handed up.In my house the in-laws do things like that, then spend the next 20 minutes hounding the child to clear the plate which is just stupid, in my opinion.We had to knock it on the head.We also had to request they stop bringing things like tubes of Smarties or Jellybeans, or full sized BB Muffins for each child each weekend. Small people...small treats.

All in moderation here too.Was grand with our first child, but then sure the second comes along and wants what the first has...and then the third comes along and all bets are off.I cook every thing from scratch, (bar sausages the odd time).They dip into takeaways at the weekend with us since lockdown started....mainly pizza/Thai/ indian, we don't do chips and burger takeaways here.I am ok with it, they wouldn't have a full takeaway meal, but I am happy for them to try a few mouthfuls for the experience, alongside their own cooked dinner(negates the purpose of a takeaway meaning I don't have to cook, but whatever). Everything else is homemade.....my lot wouldn't eat from jars or packets at this stage because it wouldn't taste "right".

I think the worst habit they have is juice.Our eldest simply would not drink water at all from being weaned, and in an effort to get liquid into her, our minder gave her cordial.I water the juice down to nothing but still it is a habit I would prefer they didn't have. No fizzy drinks here ever.Otherwise, they have chocolate the odd time, two of them have had maybe 3 or 4 kids McDonalds (with fruit and juice, not coke) over the course of their lives (age 4 and 6!), and they have a few treats at school/preschool parties and on days like tomorrow and that.We don't have the stuff in the house and aren't in the habit of eating it ourselves, but fact is, it exists, so better off teaching them to know when to stop, rather than trying to pretend to them that it doesn't exist.

bee06

We do the everything in moderation thing too with our three year old. Kept away from chocolate etc when he was too young to know the difference but now he gets a biscuit a few nights a week after dinner (regardless of whether he eats his dinner). We try to buy lowest sugar biscuits. We don’t really keep chocolate in the house but he’ll get some every now and again. Nana has dark chocolate buttons in her house that get opened every now and again. Cake tomorrow for the 1 year olds birthday which we’ll make together.

When he asks for more biscuits or whatever I explain about how we need to eats lots of different types of food, some more than others to keep our bodies healthy. It’s the hidden sugar/salt things I try to avoid then and try to make as much as possible from scratch.

Milly33

Grandparents and their treats there is no stopping then, well unless you just tell them straight out.. We still have two kinder eggs here from Christmas and another gift that we have said to her she is not getting until she eats a full dinner.. If granny and grandad were here she would have had them by now..

fits

Milly33 wrote: »

Grandparents and their treats there is no stopping then, well unless you just tell them straight out.. We still have two kinder eggs here from Christmas and another gift that we have said to her she is not getting until she eats a full dinner.. If granny and grandad were here she would have had them by now..

It’s so odd as they never gave them to their kids. One of ours is unreal. Every single time they see her ( usually quick drive by at the moment) the chocolates emerge.

fits

2 fast wrote: »

Totally agree but I'm on about babies that are 6, 7, 8 months old!

Well a lot of the baby food that is marketed is absolute junk. I’m talking about the likes of the follow on milks ( completely unnecessary) and sunshine orange. And those pouch things! Maybe grand if stuck. These processed foods are best avoided. Better to Stick with the stage one formula if using and family foods for weaning.

Dressoutlet

I wasn't allowed any sweets as a child. I'd get the odd 10p ice pop in the summer but it was usually home made ice lollys in the little moulds.
It was more of a money issue in my case than anything else but none the less, I started babysitting and every penny went on sweets. I used to hide sweets in my sleeves when I went to friends/relatives and there was any. Then I'd gorge on a stash I'd have hidden.
I have an everything in moderation rule now for my kids. This lent I told my 5 year old he has to give up something he loves for 40 days, I picked chocolate and he picked broccoli. Broccoli is genuinely his favourite veg. If you put a bowl of fruit and a bar of chocolate my kids would pick the fruit. The only rule I have is against fizzy drinks and coke in particular. I will allow 7up free on occasions, for example today is Paddys day they can have a glass with their little tea party later. But it's usually water. We go into a shop and they pick a bottle of water everyday. I told them I will never say no to fruit and water in a shop but I will say no to sweets. If I want to get them sweets I buy them sweets, but they wouldn't ask. Also I give any sweets they're having together, not bits here and there so when they're finished their teeth are brushed. Now I am very strict on coke but they get a glass with their Christmas Dinner and they look forward to it every year. Like I say everything in moderation, even if moderation is once a year, nothing is off limits. And my kids are not perfect nor am I a perfect parent I want to make that clear.

So the parents you seen giving their child coke, that could be their once a year treat. And even if it's not I can't help thinking so what. There's reaped and beaten from the time they're in nappies. There is kids starved and neglected horrifically, and although you can argue obesity in children is abuse and neglect, it's still better than them being starved and raped or dragged around town in a pram with a little blanket in all weather while the parents are looking to score drugs.

Antares35

Dressoutlet wrote: »

I wasn't allowed any sweets as a child. I'd get the odd 10p ice pop in the summer but it was usually home made ice lollys in the little moulds.
It was more of a money issue in my case than anything else but none the less, I started babysitting and every penny went on sweets. I used to hide sweets in my sleeves when I went to friends/relatives and there was any. Then I'd gorge on a stash I'd have hidden.
I have an everything in moderation rule now for my kids. This lent I told my 5 year old he has to give up something he loves for 40 days, I picked chocolate and he picked broccoli. Broccoli is genuinely his favourite veg. If you put a bowl of fruit and a bar of chocolate my kids would pick the fruit. The only rule I have is against fizzy drinks and coke in particular. I will allow 7up free on occasions, for example today is Paddys day they can have a glass with their little tea party later. But it's usually water. We go into a shop and they pick a bottle of water everyday. I told them I will never say no to fruit and water in a shop but I will say no to sweets. If I want to get them sweets I buy them sweets, but they wouldn't ask. Also I give any sweets they're having together, not bits here and there so when they're finished their teeth are brushed. Now I am very strict on coke but they get a glass with their Christmas Dinner and they look forward to it every year. Like I say everything in moderation, even if moderation is once a year, nothing is off limits. And my kids are not perfect nor am I a perfect parent I want to make that clear.

So the parents you seen giving their child coke, that could be their once a year treat. And even if it's not I can't help thinking so what. There's reaped and beaten from the time they're in nappies. There is kids starved and neglected horrifically, and although you can argue obesity in children is abuse and neglect, it's still better than them being starved and raped or dragged around town in a pram with a little blanket in all weather while the parents are looking to score drugs.

You'd be amazed though that the lengths other people (mostly other parents) will go to in order to judge others for their parenting choices. I've had to leave a FB parenting group over the absolute shíteology that went on about vaccinations, whether to formula or breast feed, use of number 1 or number 2 milk, how long to even leave the boiled water to cool before using it to make up formula. You even get judgement for not having a medication free birth, as if volunteering for agony is something to be proud of. It's as if some kind of Nazi gene is switched in otherwise perfectly reasonable people when they become parents

Our baby has had pouch food e.g. if we have a takeaway and I'm out of stock of her own stuff (usually batch cook and freeze), the odd jar of egg custard which we mix with some mashed fruit etc. We even have liga in our press though admittedly I've secretly eaten more of it than she has! She'd kill you for salmon, hates tuna. Who'd have thought, they are real people with likes and dislikes just like us

anndub

Genuinely can't see the issue with giving children chocolate, crisps, fast food etc assuming it's as part of a balanced diet.
Having been born in the 80's my mother usually packed a fun sized bar of chocolate and a carton of fruit juice in my school lunch every day. Dinner every Friday was fish and chips. The chips, while being real potatoes, were cooked in the deep fat fryer.

None of my siblings or I have weight issues. The rest of our diet was complex carbs, lean protein and fresh fruit and vegetables. The chips and chocolate were a small percentage of over all weekly intake.

I'm not one for lamenting the "good old days" but there is a lot more to the current obesity crisis than the odd trip to macdonalds and chocolate bar from the grandparents and the current trend of labeling foods as good and bad and attaching feelings of shame to the eating of those in the bad category is contributing to the problem, rather than easing it. And don't get me started on using "bad" food as reward for eating "good" food.

hollymartins

I agree that it's all in moderation. I envy those parents who can give their children vegetables with no issue, my first child broke my heart when I was weaning him. Absolutely refused any bit of food, everything was homemade and it all ended up on the floor. By the time he was 1 he would only eat yogurt and toast. His diet slightly improved but he's still a very picky eater, plain pasta is all he wants to eat and we have to coax him to eat anything that isn't beige. His sister, who used to eat everything, is now very picky probably because of her brother's influence.

I will offer them side of veg with all their dinners but it always remains untouched. I've made homemade pizzas with hidden veg in the tomato sauce and they won't touch it!

Antares35

anndub wrote: »

I'm not one for lamenting the "good old days" but there is a lot more to the current obesity crisis than the odd trip to macdonalds and chocolate bar from the grandparents and the current trend of labeling foods as good and bad and attaching feelings of shame to the eating of those in the bad category is contributing to the problem, rather than easing it. And don't get me started on using "bad" food as reward for eating "good" food.

Agree. When we were growing up we weren't ferried everywhere by car and we also didn't spend a large chunk of the day playing computer games or other sedentary activities. I think a more holistic approach is probably needed to tackle the issue.

witchgirl26

fits wrote: »

Well a lot of the baby food that is marketed is absolute junk. I’m talking about the likes of the follow on milks ( completely unnecessary) and sunshine orange. And those pouch things! Maybe grand if stuck. These processed foods are best avoided. Better to Stick with the stage one formula if using and family foods for weaning.

I hate this thing with follow on milks. Yes you don't have to move on to the different levels but there are some added vitamins etc in Level 2 milks. Also Level 3 milk (which we use at night for my little boy) actually has a lower sugar content than full fat milk.

And the pouch things - if you actually look at the ingredients you can see that there's no "nasties" included. Most don't have any salt included and all the sugar comes from the veg or fruit that they're made with. We used pouches loads for my little boy as he wouldn't eat anything homemade at all (trust me I tried). However he's now gone a complete 180 & much prefers homemade dinners & snacks than anything out of a pouch or tub.

Antares35 wrote: »

You'd be amazed though that the lengths other people (mostly other parents) will go to in order to judge others for their parenting choices. I've had to leave a FB parenting group over the absolute shíteology that went on about vaccinations, whether to formula or breast feed, use of number 1 or number 2 milk, how long to even leave the boiled water to cool before using it to make up formula. You even get judgement for not having a medication free birth, as if volunteering for agony is something to be proud of. It's as if some kind of Nazi gene is switched in otherwise perfectly reasonable people when they become parents

Oh snap on so many levels! I have left a couple of FB groups due to the toxic nature of the judgement on there for not being a "perfect" parent (whatever the hell that is)! I think that element leads to a lot more stress for parents about being judged by other people for their decisions and for something that is seen by others but really represents about 1% of the total time as opposed to

Antares35 wrote: »

Our baby has had pouch food e.g. if we have a takeaway and I'm out of stock of her own stuff (usually batch cook and freeze), the odd jar of egg custard which we mix with some mashed fruit etc. We even have liga in our press though admittedly I've secretly eaten more of it than she has! She'd kill you for salmon, hates tuna. Who'd have thought, they are real people with likes and dislikes just like us

I think that is the healthiest way for parents & child in terms of food - a bit of variety. Plus the Pippin Pear pots are fresh and have flavours that I would not be confident in replicating (mango chicken - I have tried and failed!). My little boy really doesn't like broccoli but would go through you for carrots or peppers. We have liga too & it's a treat for him - same with any biscuits or that. I love it aswell so nice to have some every so often!

catrionanic

witchgirl26 wrote: »

I hate this thing with follow on milks. Yes you don't have to move on to the different levels but there are some added vitamins etc in Level 2 milks. Also Level 3 milk (which we use at night for my little boy) actually has a lower sugar content than full fat milk.

And the pouch things - if you actually look at the ingredients you can see that there's no "nasties" included. Most don't have any salt included and all the sugar comes from the veg or fruit that they're made with. We used pouches loads for my little boy as he wouldn't eat anything homemade at all (trust me I tried). However he's now gone a complete 180 & much prefers homemade dinners & snacks than anything out of a pouch or tub.



Oh snap on so many levels! I have left a couple of FB groups due to the toxic nature of the judgement on there for not being a "perfect" parent (whatever the hell that is)! I think that element leads to a lot more stress for parents about being judged by other people for their decisions and for something that is seen by others but really represents about 1% of the total time as opposed to



I think that is the healthiest way for parents & child in terms of food - a bit of variety. Plus the Pippin Pear pots are fresh and have flavours that I would not be confident in replicating (mango chicken - I have tried and failed!). My little boy really doesn't like broccoli but would go through you for carrots or peppers. We have liga too & it's a treat for him - same with any biscuits or that. I love it aswell so nice to have some every so often!

No judgement here whatsoever, but I was very surprised to learn that those fruit pouches and pots are full of sugar, despite there being no added sugar in them. They are made exclusively of fruit, but the process of pureeing and processing them breaks down the cell walls and as a result, there is MUCH more free sugar in, for example, one of those Ella's kitchen pure strawberry pouches than there is in a handful of actual strawberries.

I'm not a dietician so doubt I've explained that entirely accurately, but I learnt this from a dietician. I was shocked. My first boy had one pouch a day and I thought it was a good way to get a small bit of veg into him (he has always been super fussy). I've stopped immediately when I learnt that though.

Milly33

Thats what gets me, people do not seem to look at ingredients anymore they just see ohh that has fruit in it so that must be good for you. Used to be the diet thing, now there is so much fake crap, and sugars in our food it is crazy..

The sugar ban has just led to a lot of false advertising with products saying Sugar free - which is a lie they just have modified sugars in them. Had to say this to a ribena sales lady one day she didn't even know it.. I was like read the label!!!

The Organix brand of kids food is quite good and their website gives you handy tips on ingredients to watch out for. Had the list on me all the time until I memorized it and knew what to stay away from even for ourselves...

I understand all in moderation but also be sensible about what foods you give to kids..

lazygal

catrionanic wrote: »

No judgement here whatsoever, but I was very surprised to learn that those fruit pouches and pots are full of sugar, despite there being no added sugar in them. They are made exclusively of fruit, but the process of pureeing and processing them breaks down the cell walls and as a result, there is MUCH more free sugar in, for example, one of those Ella's kitchen pure strawberry pouches than there is in a handful of actual strawberries.

I'm not a dietician so doubt I've explained that entirely accurately, but I learnt this from a dietician. I was shocked. My first boy had one pouch a day and I thought it was a good way to get a small bit of veg into him (he has always been super fussy). I've stopped immediately when I learnt that though.

My dentist warned me off pouches and juices for babies and children. She's not keen on purees in general, I did finger food from six months anyway but she said she's seen so many kids with teeth issues from prolonged use of bottles filled with juices and over use of liquidy fruit pouches. I've crap teeth myself so I'm careful about stuff like this.

fits

I was at a trade show last year with one of the baby food pouch companies speaking - talking about sustainability and how they are developing ways for customers to return the pouches so they can be recycled and all I could think was this product is not necessary in the first place - so it will never be sustainable.

I don’t understand why introducing solids is made so complicated either.

Anyway We are certainly not immune to picking up convenience products but processed foods wouldn’t be my first preference at any age but particularly for young babies.

Kintarō Hattori

Giving a very young baby/toddler would be a no-no for me as it's just unhealthy and unnecessary. From an early age we fed our girl as healthy as we possibly could. Greek yoghurt, bluberries, avocado, porridge, carrots etc.

Heading onto four now and we wouldn't go down the route of never giving her anything sweet as when she's going to be out of our reach we won't be fully able to moderate what she eats. I'd have a fear that denying her the odd treat would just give her an insatiable sweet tooth.
For breakfast she currently she gets porridge with some Organix raisins and a drop of honey. Occasionally she'll have a yoghurt- I tend to buy the baby ones with as little sugar as possible though we're going to try and swap her back onto proper greek yoghurt and fruit shortly.

Pre-school lunch is typically either half a bagel/full bagel and either some cream cheese or no-added sugar jam (still sweet I know), a yoghurt and a piece of fruit with a bottle of water.

Dinner and supper are always homemade. We would make roasted salmon and potatoes, enchiladas, cheesy broccoli pasta and so on. You get the idea. We'd never give her a ready meal as that's just unacceptable.
I like cooking her meals fresh as A- I know what's going in them and B- She's interested and wants to help. I think it's a good idea from an early age that they get involved with the food they're eating, see what goes into it and know that it needs to be made and cooked, rather than just being taken from the freezer.

She's almost four and she's been to McDonalds just twice in her life, it's a very rare treat but it is a treat and the look of joy on her face makes it worthwhile. She was last there in January and it'll be months later before she goes again.

fits

The skyr yoghurt in Aldi is great. It has some sugar in it but much less than other flavoured yoghurts. We buy big tubs and dispense into a small sistema tub for preschool. This is the one.

https://www.grahamsfamilydairy.com/our-products/skyr

afkasurfjunkie

fits wrote: »

I was at a trade show last year with one of the baby food pouch companies speaking - talking about sustainability and how they are developing ways for customers to return the pouches so they can be recycled and all I could think was this product is not necessary in the first place - so it will never be sustainable.

I don’t understand why introducing solids is made so complicated either.

Anyway We are certainly not immune to picking up convenience products but processed foods wouldn’t be my first preference at any age but particularly for young babies.

Yes, I often wonder how and why food in a pouch suddenly became more acceptable and ‘healthier’ than that out of a jar? At least a glass jar is recyclable, and see through. Clever marketing I’d say.

Milly33

It is all like that!! just glad some people are begining to realise it...

It has been a big battle here the last year Kintarō Hattori, when you say you love cooking for the little one.. I was weak for it,loved making her healthy meals and now it is like nope we are just fingers crossed at the end of the waffles and noodles stage.. It is hard when the toddler does not eat what you consider a healthy meal but there are still better choices

Kintarō Hattori

Milly33 wrote: »

It is all like that!! just glad some people are begining to realise it...

It has been a big battle here the last year Kintarō Hattori, when you say you love cooking for the little one.. I was weak for it,loved making her healthy meals and now it is like nope we are just fingers crossed at the end of the waffles and noodles stage.. It is hard when the toddler does not eat what you consider a healthy meal but there are still better choices

Ah I hear you. It's not always easy with my little one either. Sometimes she'll have eaten something for a long time and then nope, I'm not eating that anymore. I used to cook her Annabel Karmel's chicken tikka masala. It's fecking delicious, we could all eat it but nope, a point in time came where she just refused to eat it.
Creamy garlic mushrooms were a great supper food. She used to wolf them down and then one day she decided she wasn't going to eat it. She'd request it for supper and nope, wouldn't eat it.

I think the thing is not to give up. If something doesn't work out, just try something else. Also it can depend on who's doing the cooking, as to what gets eaten. My little one likes a bit of roast beef. I'll give her it with roast potatoes, carrots and broccoli covered with more gravy than I'd like BUT, she eats it. If the missus does it, it's dry as feck and the little lady won't eat it.

Milly33

haha dont let her hear you say that the Missus! that will be your last roast cooked for you..

uptheduffagain

Wow, a hell of a lot of judgement going on here! It started off with stories of people feeding their kids junk food and now people are giving out about orange squash and Cheerios?! Where does it end? 'I can't believe you feed your toddler shop-bought quinoa. I only give mine the stuff imported directly from a Peruvian farmer.'?!

There are many things that I would not (and do not) feed my child that I consider more damaging to their long-term health than the likes of Cheerios or the occasional Petit Filous yoghurt or chocolate button. But I'm not going down that road because a) I'm well aware that I'm not perfect and b) it's none of my business what other people feed their kids! Some of the comments here are verging on sneeriness and that's not particularly helpful IMO.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a leftover 3-in-1 to reheat for Junior's lunch. It is the weekend, after all

Antares35

uptheduffagain wrote: »

Wow, a hell of a lot of judgement going on here! It started off with stories of people feeding their kids junk food and now people are giving out about orange squash and Cheerios?! Where does it end? 'I can't believe you feed your toddler shop-bought quinoa. I only give mine the stuff imported directly from a Peruvian farmer.'?!

There are many things that I would not (and do not) feed my child that I consider more damaging to their long-term health than the likes of Cheerios or the occasional Petit Filous yoghurt or chocolate button. But I'm not going down that road because a) I'm well aware that I'm not perfect and b) it's none of my business what other people feed their kids! Some of the comments here are verging on sneeriness and that's not particularly helpful IMO.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a leftover 3-in-1 to reheat for Junior's lunch. It is the weekend, after all

I'd someone on another thread tell me that formula feeding is an abusive way to "artificially" feed my child. The judgement starts there and seems to be just endless. My daughter is only ten months and I'm already sick to death of the parent Olympics as I call it.

shtpEdthePlum

How hard is it just not to give kids foods that are processed or full of sugar? Nobody is demanding organic quinoa as the standard, but there's really no excuse for needlessly pumping them with non-nutrients. They can't choose for themselves, we're the ones making the choice so the least we can do is not poison them.

My husband is completely addicted to sugar because of his terrible diet as a child. Only in the last few years has he managed to force himself to eat mostly healthy food. He gets vicious sugar cravings. Quitting smoking was a doddle by comparison to staying off sweets and chocolate.

No sweets in the house is great for me because I don't even think about them if they're not there. I love a salad though

Antares35

shtpEdthePlum wrote: »

How hard is it just not to give kids foods that are processed or full of sugar? Nobody is demanding organic quinoa as the standard, but there's really no excuse for needlessly pumping them with non-nutrients. They can't choose for themselves, we're the ones making the choice so the least we can do is not poison them.

My husband is completely addicted to sugar because of his terrible diet as a child. Only in the last few years has he managed to force himself to eat mostly healthy food. He gets vicious sugar cravings. Quitting smoking was a doddle by comparison to staying off sweets and chocolate.

No sweets in the house is great for me because I don't even think about them if they're not there. I love a salad though

It isn't hard, but it also isn't anyone elses business, nor does anyone need an excuse for doing it.

bee06

shtpEdthePlum wrote: »

How hard is it just not to give kids foods that are processed or full of sugar? Nobody is demanding organic quinoa as the standard, but there's really no excuse for needlessly pumping them with non-nutrients. They can't choose for themselves, we're the ones making the choice so the least we can do is not poison them.

My husband is completely addicted to sugar because of his terrible diet as a child. Only in the last few years has he managed to force himself to eat mostly healthy food. He gets vicious sugar cravings. Quitting smoking was a doddle by comparison to staying off sweets and chocolate.

No sweets in the house is great for me because I don't even think about them if they're not there. I love a salad though

There’s nothing wrong with the odd sweet or processed food every now and again either. I think most people on the thread advocated for everything in moderation.

uptheduffagain

shtpEdthePlum wrote: »

How hard is it just not to give kids foods that are processed or full of sugar? Nobody is demanding organic quinoa as the standard, but there's really no excuse for needlessly pumping them with non-nutrients. They can't choose for themselves, we're the ones making the choice so the least we can do is not poison them.

My husband is completely addicted to sugar because of his terrible diet as a child. Only in the last few years has he managed to force himself to eat mostly healthy food. He gets vicious sugar cravings. Quitting smoking was a doddle by comparison to staying off sweets and chocolate.

No sweets in the house is great for me because I don't even think about them if they're not there. I love a salad though

You're missing my point a bit. Your idea of 'poison' :rolleyes: might be very different to mine. Unfortunately not all of us are/have been in a position to feed our kids homemade food 100% of the time, and to guilt-trip people who occasionally rely on 'processed' food for convenience is not helpful IMO. As a relatively new mother, god knows the guilt trips are plentiful on every other front. The treats thing is a separate matter. I eat well 90% of the time and so does my toddler. But I am certainly not going to deny him a bit of chocolate or ice-cream or a few chips the odd time, because I believe in the 'everything in moderation' rule.

And as Antares35 said above... it's really none of anyone else's business what anyone else feeds their kids. So the holier-than-thou curtain twitchers on this thread are free to do what they like with their own children, and I will do what I believe is right by mine.

Milly33

It is just a topic of the thread, you kinda sound like you are taking it the wrong way.. It is everyone's own choice what they feed their kids but the topic of the thread is Feeding Babies Junk Food, so that is what people are responding too

Just becuase some people know what crap foods are out there, and look at ingredients in food does not make them holier than thou! It just makes them responsible about what they are feeding their kids and themselves...

heldel00

On baby number one everything was made from scratch, not a morsel of processed food passed his lips.
Baby number two i was extremely unwell for the first 18 month and a lot of food prep etc was left to my husband. He did his best but would sometimes have a pouch or two to hand purely for convenience.
He used to say that he'd slide the pouches into the shopping trolley like they were packets of Class A drugs!
Baby number one is now the fussiest eater ever and is a pain at dinnertime. Baby number two would eat a scabby babby!

Milly33

Haha love it!!

chases0102

Very interesting thread folks, some really solid, practical advice.

My toddler (nearly 4) is not great with veg and brutal with fruit. He also adores chocoloate or anything treat related. A constant battle in this regard, always asking for treats (where he is often told that they are not to be eaten every day, only at special occasions and a Saturday - although I would say grandparents are fairly loose with this!)

My question is, is how can I get him to try foods? He won't touch anything green, has gone off carrots, won't look at fruit (although he will have a fruit smoothie every so often). We cook healthy, homemade meals most of the time (fresh vegetable sauce with some pasta, potato/sweet potato/salmon, homemade soup and some brown bread etc) but will never eat an apple, banana, brocolli, etc. I have no doubt it is about control, and psychological but unfortunately we feel it is having a nutritional impact.

He gets quite bloated (he has a very thin frame) and also, recently, has began pooing without noticing it - there has also been wet issues here too. We are bringing him to the doctor to explore these this week, but just wondering, on the whole, if anyone had some successful strategies to encourage fruit and veg....or food that is not white/yellow!!

bee06

OSI wrote: »

What's so bad with the Fruit Shoots? Our little lad only get's one at the weekend when we have our movie time, but the bottle I have here says it has 1.4g of sugar in it. You'd get considerably more in an piece of fruit.

Personally, I avoid them because of the sweeteners. I’d prefer “real” sugar to sweeteners.

Ash.J.Williams

El Gato De Negocios wrote: »

Yip. Seen it with my own eyes. About 18 months ago a guy I know posted a picture of him and his wife in McDonalds with their then 2 year old drinking coke and eating the fries. They were proud as punch of "their first family visit to McDonalds". If I could have rolled my eyes any harder id have been looking directly at my brain.

We have been fairly strict with our two (one is nearly 4, the other about 30 months). The oldest has only had chocolate once and that was given to him by his aunt who didn't know we weren't giving it. Neither have ever had soft drinks, sweets, chips etc. Occasional treat would be a small bowl of ice cream, piece of birthday cake, the odd ice lolly etc. Tbh they never ask for anything "bad" but thats obviously because they have never been given it. It will be hard enough to control what they eat once they start school so we will limit it where we can until that time comes.

from one extreme to the other

Toots

OSI wrote: »

What's so bad with the Fruit Shoots? Our little lad only get's one at the weekend when we have our movie time, but the bottle I have here says it has 1.4g of sugar in it. You'd get considerably more in an piece of fruit.

I think they used to have a higher sugar content years ago. I remember giving them to my eldest and one day looking at the ingredients and being surprised by the sugar level. It was definitely higher than 1.4g (or possibly I'm confusing it with Ribena ) I think they're grand for a treat, like movie night or something. I suppose the problem arises when some kids get a fruit shoots and nothing else and they end up with a mouth full of cavities.