Question about food pouches/jars

Usually one whole jar/pouch is one portion but id just follow your babies lead if they want anymore or not. There also a mum on this group that set up an Instagram page with meal ideas which I've found really helpful, ill share the link below! X https://www.instagram.com/alfieatethis?igsh=MXAyNWk0ZTBwcjU0eg==

I always offer a whole pouch/jar and let her eat what she wants. Most days she finishes the whole thing but every now and again she'll only have half, I'd rather her eat half and waste the rest then her be hungry.

My girly will have a baby portion finger food of what I have and then a whole pouch once she is done with finger food x

Just whatever you’re eating for dinner give them that rather than a pouch x

Don't need to continue to give pouches all the time at 8 months, just give a modified version of what you eat

My diet is not the best hence why I give him pouches/jars. Is pouches/jars not good for them around 8 months? I don’t want to be judged because I have chosen pouches/jars

All the more reason to change your diet be healthier then you and LO can eat together. Not judging on pouches at all most of my friends use them. But at 8 months they are more than capable of eating solids rather than purées or even lumpy purées. You will also save yourself money this way as those pouches are jars are bloody expensive! Give me some example of dinner you are eating this week and I can help you adapt them to slightly healthier so baby can have them too. I love to cook so happy to help x

There's nothing wrong with giving your baby pouches and jars, they have been made for a reason and you're clearly thinking about what's best for your child when you say what you eat may not be suitable for them. And you've said you're looking for meal ideas for your baby so dont feel like you're being judged at all, we all do our best, whatever that looks like x

And what people mean by give them what you're having or they dont need the pouches and jars its because theyre physically able to just eat what we do now x

If its a large pouch my little girl will eat the whole thing. If it's a small pouch she will eat two. But she's happier with finger food. I'm not sure the pouches fill her up any more tbh.

My LO is 9 months and up until a month ago we were just pouches, but now I’m making an effort to eat better so give her bits from my plate. I actually find I eat better if I eat what she’s having so modify stuff etc x

My LO has always eaten full pouches. Usually some form of savoury/"meal" pouch followed by a fruit pouch or a yoghurt. Or if I give him a jar (usually the Heinz ones) I get the large 200g ones and he'll eat it all and sometimes a snack after. But every baby has a different appetite. Also don't feel bad at all for giving your baby pouches. I've only very recently started to try my baby with normal bits of food. I feel a bit more confident in doing so now, as he's showing he can chew better with the chunky purées. But he's only recently started to chew things over the past week or so, before then he'd just try to swallow anything I gave him whole in one go. So I never had confidence to go down the BLW path🤦🏼‍♀️. Our diet isn't the best either and my baby has to have dairy free which is hard as practically everything we ever eat has cheese or milk in. But I've recently started to cook us all dairy free meals such as Cottage Pie, Spaghetti Bolognese, etc using dairy alternatives

If I give my boy a pouch it's a full one plus he'll have a little bit of yoghurt after as he's a starving boy lol. He has pouches when I cant b arsed to cook lol and when we're out. You do whatever works for you and ur baby. I do try and make him stuff but I'm so tired and it feels just another thing I have to do. My husband likes alot of salt in food so I can't give him what we have. I did buy a book called baby led weaning made easy which has been really good. The recipes have been easy and it gives u a list of what to buy and also does a meal plan for a month so u can plan and then put what's left over in the freezer xxx

It's absolutely fine to give your baby pouches and jars. Ignore any judgey comments. Baby led weaning is a relatively new concept and previous generations survived just fine on pouches and jars. My first baby (now 3 year old) had everything homegrown and organic and home cooked and self fed... does he now ask for chicken nuggets every day? Absolutely. Just do what works for you. But to answer your actual question, my daughter will usually have a savoury and a fruit pouch in one sitting if we're out and about and aren't doing proper food. I would keep offering more until they seem full x

My son is on jars/pouches for dinner and tea I tend to give him the full pouch and then a yoghurt or biscuit or a fruit pouch. I did the same with my first born and she’s turned out just fine 😂 if you don’t want to do blw then that’s the mothers choice x

@Suzie BLW isn't new, it was popularised around 2008, so a good 17 years ago, so to me that isn't new. I sort of did it with my middle child, but I have embraced it much more with my 3rd and she's doing so well. Research has shown it has much better long term benefits!

Can he have like a roast dinner, fish fingers, chicken nuggets, sausages etc. I’m not blw so will I just mash up? I’m a first time mum

Yep can have all of that. That’s what my boy eats x

@Elena do you let your boy feed himself? I’m not confident letting him feed himself yet. He feeds himself toast, scrambled egg and melty sticks but the thought of giving him a sausage or nuggets frightens me. X

He feeds himself things he can hold yes, but I wouldn’t let him feed himself a yoghurt or porridge or weetabix cos I ain’t dealing with that mess. He had chicken nuggets Monday night I just cut them up into bite size pieces, tonight he’s got meatballs with sweet potato fries and sweetcorn so he will pick everything up himself apart from the sweetcorn which will be spoon fed. Have you looked on the solid starts app on how to cut things? That should ease your worry a bit.. it is stressful at first but they do get it eventually x

I was just about to say the exact thing, the solid starts app, or even their Instagram page is brilliant to guide you through on how to give your baby things. And just an FYI. They will naturally gag but theyre not chocking when they do this! Let them work it out. I always follow this: "loud and red go ahead, quiet and blue, I need help from you". So coughing and still red in the face is not chocking, blue and quiet is. I think that this is where a lot of anxiety from mums comes in when starting BLW. But follow the solid starts advice and you honestly cant go wrong. Better to be over prepared🥰 x

@Rebecca 17 years is very new when you consider how long humans have been successfully feeding babies.

Giving your baby at this stage only pouches and jars could affect there speech development in the long run. Chewing of solid food (even with no teeth) and moving textured/solid food around in their mouth promotes tongue movement which will be part of speech development. This is why BLW is also recommended hugely now rather than purées etc. I’m not judging as I’ve used some myself but at 8 months I would change it.

@Drei thanks for your judgy comment! My sister didn’t do blw on her girl who is now 16 and was talking by 11 months so your comment is irrelevant

How is it judgy! I’ve just said I also use the pouches! I’m trying to give advice as to why it’s better to give baby some solid foods! I do a mixture of both! My 18 year old didn’t do blw and she’s fine too! But not all babies are like my daughter and your sister child! Relax