Back when I started feeding babies, ha ha, in 2005, there were very few options. I was excited if the food didn't have added salt or sugar and it was a total bonus if it was organic. The baby food industry has exploded since then and there are so many wonderful options! I have been having so much fun experimenting with JoeJoe.
If I could fall in love with a baby food I think I would choose a packaging method and not a particular brand. Josiah and I both love the squeezable pouches of pureed fruit and veggies. He started being able to feed himself, ie nurse off a pouch he holds himself, at only 7 months. Now, at 9 months I can hand him a pouch in the car and he will finish it and be as clean as he was before he ate it! In my pantry right now are Plum Organics, Earth's Best, Ella's Kitchen (I splurge on this every once in awhile), GoGo SqueeZ, Mashups, Happy Baby, and Peter Rabbit Organics.
I buy Plum Organics, GoGo Squeez, and Peter Rabbit Organics at amazon.com. I buy Earth's Best and Ella's Kitchen at diapers.com. Happy Baby and Mashups I buy at either of these two sites--whichever is cheapest.
Before I found all these wonderful pouches of fruit and veggie blends I fed JoeJoe with a spoon from a glass jar. I started him on veggies (I learned my lesson about starting a baby out on fruit with Laurana) and he wouldn't swallow any of them except sweet potatoes. I quickly found these blends and he loves ALL of them. I have literally tried every flavor from each of the brands listed above. And yes, I mean I've tried them. Why would I feed my baby something that I wouldn't eat?! If I made his food from scratch I'd try every batch for taste and texture before giving it to him. Why would it be different with store bought food? I tried pureed green beans before I gave them to Laurana and decided that none of my children would ever have to eat them! I didn't want them to think that the disgusting grayish green bland and yet assertive flavor was what a green bean tastes like. I wait until they are doing finger foods and chop up the actual veggie for them to eat! So far green bean is the only flavor I've found to be unpalatable.
Back to these wonderful pouches. They travel really well! My older children like them too. I've found them to be a great snack for when we are out and about. I always have at least 1 pouch in my diaper bag. They are ideal for the beach or the park, anywhere where sand is an issue. I cannot say enough good things about this new packaging method! There is only one draw back to the pouches, I don't get to take photos like this anymore!
Ella's kitchen's Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Apples and Blueberries was the first pouch I ever tried. They are my favorite, mostly because they are from the UK, I like the look of them and their flavors are really cool. I just saw that they offer more than just fruit and veggie blends in a pouch. They have "Stage 1 Fruit and Baby Rice" and "Baby Brekkie." These would be a great way to get the iron fortified rice and oatmeal into a baby. So far, none of my 4 would swallow baby rice or oatmeal. But I bet they'd like these with all the fruit blended in. There are also pouches of food for a baby with an adventurous palate. :) They are modestly called "Stage 2 Baby Food," but the flavors are anything but modest!
In an earlier post I said I would comment on NurtureMe baby food. I don't use it as often as the pouch style, but I do love it for one thing in particular. I sprinkle the squash flavor on pasta and it adds great flavor and nutrition for the kids! All my kids like the Scrumptious Squash flavor, it is pumpkin. I've added it to plain whole wheat pasta with butter and parmesan and also to macaroni and cheese. The kids will ask for it if I don't put it on. They say the pasta doesn't taste "right."
My father and mother go to orphanages in South America and Africa to give medical/dental treatment and encouragement to the kids and workers there. One of the biggest needs of these children is nutrition, the earlier they can get it the better. My parents bring children's multi vites with them, but the liquid multi vites for infants or baby food in a jar is just too heavy to travel with. I plan on stuffing as many of these pouches as possible in their bags the next time they go (Spring 2012) for the infants and toddlers they serve there. These pouches are so light and small they are ideal for travel!
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