Is this really the ultimate in bad parenting?
I always wanted to be one of those clever mummies.
You know the types with Tupperware containers of organic home cooked baby food, completed with the printed sticky labels saying “organic kumara and chickpea” or “spring pea and kale”.
They would whip it out of their carefully organised baby bags, where it had been nestling neatly next to the sippy cup of cooled boiled water, the fragrance free organic wipes and the change of clothes.
I was the hopelessly unorganised one (you know the can-I-just-borrow-a-nappy-I-seem-to-have-forgotten type) I would cast envious glances towards those nappy bags while I pulled a squeezy pouch of mush out of my bag and squelched it down my son’s throat. (I couldn’t borrow a spoon too could I?)
When I had my first baby there was this strange stigma surrounding the use of commercial baby food. Those bought in a (gasp) supermarket.
It could have been the entrenched mentality from spending too much time in mother’s group, or it could have just been the high expectations we all placed on ourselves to be an uber-mum, but those who boiled and mushed themselves were just that little bit more “mum” than the rest of us.
By the time my second and third kids came around, I was too sleep deprived to give a fig what any of the other mothers thought and would have drip-fed my children McDonald's if was healthy enough (sadly it wasn’t).
But there is still a pre-existing judgment among some that those of us who don’t have the time or inclination to spend hours baking, boiling and bashing vegetables into small sealed containers aren't fulfilling their duty.
If you want to see what baby food really tastes like then watch this. Post continues after video.
It was confirmed by an opinion expressed in News Limited by the food police a “food expert” who dismissed the use of squeezy packed baby food and tinned baby food as “poor quality” saying we mums need to find the time to make our own baby food.
Melbourne author, Emily Dupuche, who wrote, Food Babies Love, told The Herald Sun, parents need to find the time to make their own food from scratch.
“People think the only convenience option for babies and toddlers are really poor-quality, heat-treated tins and squeezy packs,” Ms Dupuche said.
“Parents are so busy these days, and I understand that, but this sort of food is really poor and has no nutritional value,” she said.
“They taste really ordinary and children grow up with a taste for this style of processed food rather than fresh food.”
Ms Dupuche, who has two kids, said, “It doesn’t have to be difficult".
“I encourage parents to do one shop and make three or four meals in one go, then they are ready to enjoy a week’s worth of meals.”
Look she is entitled to her opinion. Being a cook, she is obviously pretty sorted for time when it comes to pureeing a few extra veggies but for many parents life may not be so easy.
Obviously most of us give it a go, and she is right when it you have cooked a pile of veggies for the rest of the family it isn’t that hard to mash up a bowl for your baby.
It’s even easy to freeze little cubes of the stuff if you need to but we need to drop the judgement on the mothers who don’t always have the time.
This comes on the back of research presented at the Dietitians Association of Australia national conference which has revealed that organic versions of baby foods do not contain more nutrients than regular products.
Curtin University’s Professor Jane Scott told News Limited that there should not be a reliance on these types of foods.
The study found commercial foods were higher in sugar and salt than homemade versions, and that “sweet vegetables” like sweet potato, carrots and pumpkin, were more common ingredients.
But the fact is we know deep down don’t we? That’s why we cast those envious glances.
But, as with most things, surely it's about everything in moderation and if you have the need to whip out a packet of the squeezy stuff in an emergency, then the food police need to back off with their entitled opinions.
What do you think of feeding your babies pre-packaged foods?
And if you want to feed your baby homemade baby food, then CLICK THROUGH the gallery to see the 10 baby foods your baby will love.
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