OVERVIEW
Baby food pouches may see a really convenient method to feed your child but it is as a gateway to inculcate bad habits to the life of your child. These are used for toddlers to feed them the proper amount of nutrition and giving all the necessary nutrients to the child but using them for a long time may have harmful effects as your child can miss out on the developmental milestones. They, on one hand, seem so convenient as they have a smooth texture and easy to squeeze packaging but relying on them for a longer period of time may cause a bad impact on your child’s overall health.
What Are Baby Food Pouches?
These pouches are nutrient-filled food which is given to the babies who are four months of age or when they start to suck on the food. You should prevent given pouches to your babies too early because they cannot substitute breast milk or organic formula in the early stages of your toddler’s life.
It is advised that you start offering solid food to your babies around 6 months of age when he is developmentally ready to accept the food.
When To Start Food Pouches?
You need to start the baby food pouches around 6 months of age as few of the developmental milestones of your child are fulfilled and they can easily take that snack. It is recommended that whenever your child is able to eat from a spoon, it is high time that you may start the food pouches. Pouches, on one hand, provide important nutrients to the baby and on the other hand, they are harmful because your child will miss out on an important part of food exploration and it is not beneficial for long-term use.
Are They Healthy For Your Child?
Pouches serve as a good source of nutrition for your babies and they can take and eventually start eating finger foods but it is seen that the baby food pouches do not have a lot of fiber in them. They contain the same amount of carbohydrate as the natural fruits contain. There is no added sugar in them but the amount of fiber is very less in it. It contains the essential amount of grains for your child and you can give him at an apt time.
For How Long the Pouches Good For?
The pouches contain different products and their goodness depends upon each content inside it. If the pouch contains eggs, meat, fish, or poultry, you can store it for one day in the refrigerator. If the pouch contains fruits and vegetables they can be used for 3 days because vegetables remain fresh up to 2-3 days. When you open them to feed your child, you should use that open pouch within 24 hours as delaying will lose all its nutrients. So try to make your child finish that pouch within one day when you open it.
What Are The Benefits?
The bags are the right choice whenever it comes to the nutrition of humans. They prevent the contamination of food, prevent the spillage while maintaining the freshness of the product. There are a diverse amount of benefits which these pouches provide you, baby, few of them are:
FDA approved:
The baby food pouches are developed with the materials which are FDA approved. They do not use plastic to make the pouches as the plastic contains toxic Chemicals and them and they spoil the quantity of the food product inside the packet. It is so satisfying for the parents as they can easily feed their child without worrying about the toxic effects of plastic on their child’s health.
Laminated Packaging:
Babies can be given the food pouches as they are made up of different layers of sheets which are sealed together. they are made really strong enough to bear the worst handling by your baby. They improve the overall life of the food and also they prevent the food from contamination. It does not allow the spillage of food even when your baby handles it rough and the quality of food is maintained.
Zipper:
The pouches come up with zippers which make the handling of the pouch easy and also prevent your baby to get dirty while eating. It is the product that is used frequently because you need to feed your baby. It has a seal that is airtight and can save your pouch from the air surrounding it whenever you. It is the best part of the pouches and you can easily use them for one day with the contents being full of Nutrition inside the pack.
Are They Harmful To The Health Of Your Child?
Developmental problems:
There are a variety of developmental problems that may be caused by using food pouches. Babies have trouble eating the food by themselves in the later stages of life. Using pouches for a longer period of time do not let the palate to expand. The child will not eat regular fresh foods because he will search out for the taste of the pouch food which you gave him during the weaning period. It will become difficult for you to make him eat the fresh homemade food.
Misleading labels:
The labels that claim that the following ingredients are present inside it may be misleading as we do not know how much quantity of food is present inside. We can really not rely on such labels when it comes to our child’s health. If the nutrients are not present in sufficient quantity, it will only affect our child’s health.
HP Thoughts: How would you know if your baby has low blood sugar? Read our article — Baby with Low Blood Sugar.
THE FINAL VERDICT
Baby food pouches are portable and convenient meal preparations for the toddlers and baby. They contain diverse variations of combinations of food and they can be used around 3 to 6 months of age. They are very convenient and unique foods that kids like to enjoy. When you give the pouches to your baby to maintain the nutrition of your child be aware of the side effects of using these pouches.
