Taking a Closer Look at Baby Food Pouches

We recently received a great question from a parent:

"Are there any concerns with using baby food pouches?"

Baby food pouches are a convenient way to feed your little one while on the go. It is easy to simply hand the pouch over while you are out on the go, but is there a down side to these pouches? YES!

Pouches remove several aspects of the normal developmental progression of eating. Children typically begin to add foods between 4-6 months just as they begin to increase their head control and their GI systems are becoming more developed. Parents often note that at first babies push the food back out. That is because this tongue thrust is needed for bottle feeding, but typically developing children soon learn new oral skills from spoon presentations which ultimately leads to mature chewing. Just sucking from the pouch takes out the practice with spoon feeding and continues the tongue thrust pattern; therefore, disrupting the typical development pattern for chewing. In addition, you are taking away time to practice self feeding with a spoon which would increase independence with all utensils- an essential fine motor task!  If you are using a pouch, use a spoon with it as often as possible.

The pouches tend to have smooth pureed textures. Limiting your child to these foods may limit their willingness to accept and handle new textures of food down the road. A child used to just sucking from the pouch will likely gag when presented with textures because he is used to just swallowing and unaware of the need to chew. Without experiences with new textures, your child will likely be "stuck" on purees.

Have you noticed there aren't any see-thru pouches? When children eat straight from the pouch they never actually see the food. Visual awareness of food increases the acceptance of other foods as we make mental comparisons- I like sweet potatoes and carrots are the same color, so I will try carrots. We need to give children the opportunity to see the food, but also touch, and smell as all the senses should be involved with eating.

We are a busy society always on the go. However, meal times should be pleasant social experiences sitting around a table enjoying the conversation of others. Remember to involve your baby in this social routine so it can become an enjoyable experience for him/her. Your baby will be watching you eat and use utensils; therefore, motivating him/her to imitate your actions and create a desire to eat what you eat. Consuming meals "on the go" limits this learning experience. Schedule time several times a week to allow yourself to sit and enjoy a family meal.

Like everything in life food pouches are ok in moderation. However, it is important to be aware of the consequences of only relying on these as it may unintentionally cause long term feeding problems.