Baby food - jars or homemade?

Question

Do you use jars all the time (HIPP HEINZ etc....) or do you cook your own?

I cook and freeze in buig batches, just as convinient as a jar and a whole lot healthier and cheaper! From my experience its the ones struggling with money that feed their babies all the time of this gunk from a jar!

For you that 'needs to know' my sone has just turned one and is now eating pretty much the same meals as us and I made my own stuff for him as soon as I started weaning him.

I suppose we are all different, I wouldn't eat ready meals so wouldn't expect my son to do the same!

Answer 1

I made my own, I am sure you have seen all the added ingrediants in jar brands. I also breast feed my children for the same reason healthier & more cost effective. After I make the baby food I put it in a ice cube tray to freeze then remove it, & place in freezer bags. The ice cube tray offers a good portion size & when they get bigger you just thaw 2! If you read up on the topic it is easy to learn how to cook the food so it does not loose it's nutriets

Answer 2

I use homemade at home and jars when out and about. the only thing i have found is that the jars are easier to eat, ie my lumpy food is a lot lumpier than the jars. he manages the food i make just fine, but if he has a jar for lunch, then i quite often find that at tea time he fusses and wants his food smoother. we think this is because he is tired and can remember his last meal was really smooth and he didn't have to chew much. I do make sure I buy organic jars with no sugars or nasty additives in them. Thats my compromise. if its not homemade it'll be the best jars I can get!

Answer 3

With my first child I did both, she is 2 now & a very fussy eater, I'd make her food if I was indoors & give her a jar if we were out. My 10 month old twins have always had home cooked food & I will put money on the fact that they won't be fussy eaters! I'm going through hell trying to get my 2 yr old to eat anything decent I wish I had made all of her food from the start & froze it as I do with the twins!

Whilst most jars of baby food are labelled as being organic (which are the ones my eldest had) they taste like crap. I took the twins to Kent a few months ago, it was a 2 hr drive maybe longer so I took jars & they would not eat it so they had only milk. I don't blame them for refusing it, I wouldn't have eaten it either.

I have the same view as you, if I wouldn't eat something then I wouldn't expect my children to eat it, where's the sense in that?!

Answer 4

I used both. If we were having something that could be easily mashed up or wasn't too spicy then my son got the same as us. When he got to about 9 months I started giving him chilli, curry, spag bol etc. I haven't come across anyhing yet that he won't eat (he is 20 months).
When he was first on solids I used to make up big batches of pureed carrot & parsnip or carrot & turnip etc. and freeze small pots of it. Then when he was a little older I would make chicken, potatoes, veg. & gravy etc.
I always had some jars in the cupboard though as a standby but he never ate more than 1 serving of jar food a day.

Answer 5

I am one of those mothers that refuses to use any type of commercially made food for her children. I would not eat something myself that has a two year shelf life so why would i feed it to my children? Neither of my children have ever had a jar and neither ever will. My daughter is 5 now so is long past baby food but my son who is 8 months eats purely homemade, i cook in batches and freeze them and he has a fantastic range of foods. I could not imagine giving my child something prepared on an assembly line. People who feed there kids jars and formula always feel they have to justify themselves with some lame excuse for there laziness.

Answer 6

I have always made my own baby food with the exception of going out where i have bought a jar of baby food. I made a week's worth at a time and froze them in Tupperware containers. Great for when you have a lazy night, bub doesn't have to go without. I have pureed all vegetables and some soft meats such as silverside, minced meat. My babies have all grown quite well. I don't think you can beat good old home-cooked food. They are supposed to eat the same food, though fork-mashed, as the rest of the family by 1 yr of age so it's easier for them to adapt to the taste.

Answer 7

I did both,jars for convenience when out,or had little time,home made the rest.I found by pureeing food for him I could introduce him to lots of different tastes.By the time he was 5 months old he was eating mango's,kiwis,avocado you name it.

He's two now and pretty much eats whatever I give him,he loves fruit and veg but wont eat meat.I think its the texture and the fact it takes longer to chew that puts him off.If anyone has any ideas how I can get him to eat more meat please feel free to e mail me.At the mo he will eat Sausages,Chicken nuggets (100% chicken breast ones and only as a rare treat) and mince.

Answer 8

homemade
just cook a little more and put into jars to store, remember do not add salt or spices because a baby's digestive system cant cope with these, if only making small amounts put in ice trays and freeze . they will store for up to 3 months this way

Answer 9

Much better for the baby to make your own meals for him. That way you know exactly what he is getting, and that there are no additives/emulsifiers in the food.

I agree that it's much easier later on to get children to eat "real" food when they've always been used to home cooking.

It's the people who feed their babies from jars who later can't get them to eat anything but chips and chicken nuggets!

Answer 10

Yea have you ever tasted Gerber??
Gerber 3 is disgusting, in my opinion.
The desserts, the fruit, applesauce, pears, are good.
Bananas are good whole.
But I tried feeding a baby gerber chicken noodle soup, and then regular chicken soup, bit by bit, and she was much more respondent to the regular chicken soup...
Regular oatmeal compared to Gerber Oatmeal?
Regular oatmeal most obviously.
Gerber is not necessary...you can mash up your own foods on yourself .
Your right Gerber is just a waste of money. !!
But maybe convenient when you are on the go or someone else is babysitting...