Why are some parents against pouches?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because people think small decisions you make when your kids are toddlers actually matter.

In my case it did.

I fed my kids real food — the same type of food the rest of the family was eating (with minor modifications for safety.) Guess what? Years later my kids happily eat a huge variety of food and we’ve never had issues with eating. My friends who relied on pouches and other prepackaged foods are dealing with all sorts of picky eating and have so many food rules at their house. They actually count the number of bites their kids eat! I think it’s something like they have to eat their age in bites or something ridiculous like that. It sounds exhausting. At my house my kids eat when they’re hungry, stop when they’re full. I cook one meal for everyone.

And you think that has something to do with anything you’ve done?

It’s dumb luck, lady. Stop patting yourself on the back.

Seriously. We cook one meal for the family and my 4.5 year old chooses to go to bed hungry most nights. Her stomach was growling when she was brushing her teeth for bed tonight.

Are you serious? I don’t think that is something to be pleased with or bragging about: your child going to bed hungry “most nights” with a rumbling stomach so loud you can hear? You must be joking. A preschooler should not be dealing with daily hunger pangs and food insecurity because you’re on some high nutritional horse you don’t want to budge from. If this is seriously a daily thing, you need a wake up call about the myriad types of damage you are likely inflicting on her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the child is old enough to eat solid or semi-solid food.
Because it's usually a mix of favorable and unfavorable flavors, so the child never gets used to a single flavor.
Because the child doesn't get a chance to explore different textures.
Because the parents want to avoid as much plastic as possible.
Because the parents want to provide as little processed food as possible (including homemade purees instead of lightly steamed or raw food).
Because the child needs to get used to using tableware and dishes.
Because the child needs to get used to taking their time to eat instead of sucking down calories in 30 seconds.
Because the child needs to get used to eating their food, instead of drinking their food.
Because purees have the fiber broken down more, which can increase the odds of constipation.

Etc.

Btw, I'm fine with occasional purees, but I do understand the multitude of reasons that a parent would choose to limit them.

"Because the child needs to get used to taking their time to eat instead of sucking down calories in 30 seconds.
Because the child needs to get used to eating their food, instead of drinking their food."

These are among our reasons as well. I don't think pouches are the devil-- they're somewhat like smoothies, except people don't drag smoothies *everywhere* because it's not practical. But I wouldn't want my kid (no special needs etc.) drinking more than maybe one smoothie per day either, for these and other reasons. They're not "unhealthy" ingredient-wise. Well, some pouches are pushing it. But we shouldn't be eating *that much* on the go, that quickly, without texture, homogenized flavors, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because people think small decisions you make when your kids are toddlers actually matter.

In my case it did.

I fed my kids real food — the same type of food the rest of the family was eating (with minor modifications for safety.) Guess what? Years later my kids happily eat a huge variety of food and we’ve never had issues with eating. My friends who relied on pouches and other prepackaged foods are dealing with all sorts of picky eating and have so many food rules at their house. They actually count the number of bites their kids eat! I think it’s something like they have to eat their age in bites or something ridiculous like that. It sounds exhausting. At my house my kids eat when they’re hungry, stop when they’re full. I cook one meal for everyone.

And you think that has something to do with anything you’ve done?


It’s dumb luck, lady. Stop patting yourself on the back.

Seriously. We cook one meal for the family and my 4.5 year old chooses to go to bed hungry most nights. Her stomach was growling when she was brushing her teeth for bed tonight.

Are you serious? I don’t think that is something to be pleased with or bragging about: your child going to bed hungry “most nights” with a rumbling stomach so loud you can hear? You must be joking. A preschooler should not be dealing with daily hunger pangs and food insecurity because you’re on some high nutritional horse you don’t want to budge from. If this is seriously a daily thing, you need a wake up call about the myriad types of damage you are likely inflicting on her.

I think that poster is a troll, PP.