My son is 20 weeks and I considered weaning and eating solids to be a good thing to do round this age. As if I was fearful that he wouldn't learn to eat at some point in his life?
What was the reason to rush?
Coupled with mainstream advice and literature and the past experiences of others I made a decision that I would try giving him some food.
I am never going to be the type of mother that is happy giving my son what I call 'Jar food' which what you probably refer to as prepackaged/preprepared baby food. I can't stand the stuff, I mean as an adult I wouldn't eat preprepared or microwave dinners every day, in fact I don't eat them at all so why on earth would I give it to my son? Convenience, laziness, who knows but it definitely isn't an option for us. Even if it 'organic', is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and cleverly marketed here are the top 5 reasons we are staying clear:
1. It is processed food and not therefore not whole food
Which means the so called organic foods in some of these products have gone through some kind of process that has altered the molecular structure of the food it contains in order for it to be packaged, have a longer shelf life, taste so much unlike what it is supposed to be, which in turn affect the nutritional value.
2. It's full of preservatives
This stuff can stay on the self for up to 3 years in some cases, not something I want swimming round in the belly of my baby whose digestive system is so young and still developing.
3. The taste like ______ (fill in the blank)
I'm amazed at the amount of parents who are happy to give their children something they would never eat themselves. I actually find it quite funny. I'd never eat baby rice so I'd never give it to my son, besides white rice is simply a refined starch that is largely bereft of its original nutrients. You can read more about rice here.
4. We don't buy into clever marketing strategies
You'll have noticed that even baby food is now carefully marketed to different demographics. There are the regular brands that have been around for years, then I've also noticed some other brands that seem to be carefully marketed towards middle class mums with prettier and posher packaging, which can make one think that the ingredient is of a high standard than the cheaper brands. When the truth is they are probably all produced by the same companies and distributed in the same way but just packaged up differently.
5. You get more for your money making your own
Look at a small jar of baby food, which typically may have about 3-4 foods combined (i.e parnship and butternut squash) and now look at a packet of parsnips. At one popular supermarket (rhymes with fresco) you can get a bag of 6-8 parsnips for £1. Go figure!
I could go on but you get my mode of thinking. It's very much a personal choice and I can understand as well as appreciate why parents do opt for using baby foods instead of making their own. My aim in the choice that I have made is to ensure that my son is healthy and encourage him from a young age to value his body and be mindful about have he puts into his mouth. I want him to make better choices than what I have done. I have done this by go out there and seeking information so that I can make better choices for him and he in turn can do the same for his children.
Our approach
Recently, I have had a re-think about this and will wait a bit longer to give him food on a regular basis. The reason for this is recently I learnt about how giving food to early can lead to future problems when the digestive system isn't fully formed. We started with fruit and vegetables. I let my son taste/lick a few different fruits that I was eating; kiwi, pear, apple. I will continue with fruit and veg once in a while.
What's your approach to weaning and how do you feel about pre-prepared baby foods?
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