Are bottled baby food (Gerber, Nature's Best found in Healthy Options Store, etc.) good for babies?

Question

Aren't these products full of preservatives? I'm a bit worried because Im a working mom and most of the time I stock up on these products to feed my 7 month old boy when I no longer have time to cook for him.

Answer 1

Gerber has out a limited organics line, natures best is good, and for non organic I find my son enjoys beech nut the most. They have to list if they contain preservatives on the label (its federal law), with non organics your major concern is pesticides and other contaminates from before the manufacturing process, which for the most part you would think theyd take precautions to reduce that. I go by the theory of the organic lunch box. My son gets atleast one organic meal a day to reduce pesticide consumption. At nearly 9 months his favorite is organic oatmeal sweetened with motts organic apple sauce with a dash of cinnamon. For a quick fix I also pick up the maple flavor...its not a heavy sweetness. Instant grits are also another good quick food and you can put just about anything in them to add flavor. The real mashed potatoes that come premade in the refridgerated section of most stores are also good, potatoes are an excellent food despite being a big carb...but just think they burn it off quicker than we do. Gerber puts out little puffs that are like a cereal but dissolve quickly that come in a variety of flavors that are good for self feeding as well as biter biscuits which are individually wrapped so I use it alot as a quick on the go keep quiet treat. Perogies are one of his favorite things. The brand I buy are by Mrs. Ts and are a pretty balanced quick meal since they contain cheese, potatoes, and pasta. I dont serve them all the time but he loves his ogies as he calls them and when things are hectic it takes no time flat to boil a few. Frozen vegetables make good quick finger foods too, just nuke them a few minutes and then let cool. Okra has an interesting texture and flavor for baby, you may not like it but just think youre doing him a favor by expanding his palate. Amy's has plenty of organic soy offerings as well that tend to be baby friendly such as their rice mac n cheese. Just remember you dont have to limit yourself to baby foods now that his digestive system is starting to mature especially in the upcoming months. Talk to your pediatrician on when certain high allergy foods should be introduced and just be observant when serving. Careful not to serve big chunks until hes good at chewing and bringing up what he didnt chew well. Also beans are a good source of protein if hes not eating lots of meat yet, just think the english eat baked beans for breakfast so theyre not that bad. Lentils come in a variety of soups and preparations and are also excellent.

Answer 2

No. Gerber and other products print ingredients on the label and are preservative free.

Answer 3

Yes they are good, better would be if you could make his food from organics at home. Just cook and puree. Not too hard or time consuming.

Answer 4

If you do baby-led introduction to solids you don't have to cook for him. You make one meal for the whole family.

I don't know about preservatives but I do know they lack texture and flavour which are the whole point of solids under 1 year. Solids before a year really have nothing to do with nutrition and everything with developing healthy eating habits and a good palate.

Check it out:
http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html

Understanding the baby’s motivation
This approach to introducing solids offers a baby the opportunity to discover what other foods have to offer as part of finding out about the world around him. It utilises his desire to explore and experiment, and to mimic the activities of others. Allowing the baby to set the pace of each meal, and maintaining an emphasis on play and exploration rather than on eating, enables the transition to solid foods to take place as naturally as possible. This is because it would appear that what motivates babies to make this transition is curiosity, not hunger.

There is no reason for mealtimes to coincide with the baby’s milk feeds. Indeed, thinking of (milk) feeding and the introduction to solid foods as two separate activities will allow a more relaxed approach and make the experience more enjoyable for both parents and child.

Won’t he choke?
Many parents worry about babies choking. However, there is good reason to believe that babies are at less risk of choking if they are in control of what goes into their mouth than if they are spoon fed. This is because babies are not capable of intentionally moving food to the back of their throats until after they have learnt to chew. And they do not develop the ability to chew until after they have developed the ability to reach out and grab things. Thus, a very young baby cannot easily put himself at risk because he cannot get the food into his mouth in the first place. On the other hand, the action used to suck food off a spoon tends to take the food straight to the back of the mouth, causing gagging. This means that spoon feeding has its own potential to lead to choking – and makes the giving of lumpy foods with a spoon especially dangerous.

It appears that a baby’s general development keeps pace with the development of his ability to manage food in his mouth, and to digest it. A baby who is struggling to get food into his mouth is probably not quite ready to eat it. It is important to resist the temptation to ‘help’ the baby in these circumstances since his own developmental abilities are what ensure that the transition to solid feeding takes place at the right pace for him. This process is also what keeps him safe from choking on small pieces of food, since, if he is not yet able to pick up small objects using his finger and thumb, he will not be able to get, for example, a pea or a raisin into his mouth. Once he is able to do this, he will have developed the necessary oral skills to deal with it. Putting foods into a baby’s mouth for him overrides this natural protection and increases the risk of choking.

Tipping a baby backwards or lying him down to feed him solid foods is dangerous. A baby who is handling food should always be supported in an upright position. In this way, food which he is not yet able to swallow, or does not wish to swallow, will fall forward out of his mouth, not backwards into his throat.

Adopting a baby-led approach doesn’t mean abandoning all the common sense rules of safety. While it is very unlikely that a young baby would succeed in picking up a peanut, for example, accidents can and will happen on rare occasions – however the baby is fed. Rules of safety which apply in other play situations should therefore be adhered to when eating is in progress.

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