Baby Food

Question: Difference between earth's best and making your own baby food?

(Posted by: Mommy to 1 on 2008-10-25 08:20:40)

I read the ingredients of the Earth's best organic baby food and it said it was just organic apples and vitamin C. So what is the difference between this and making your own? It had no preservatives and none of the other things put in regular baby food. I'm torn in my deicision of which to do and I really don't see what is so bad about giving jarred if it's organic???

Posted by: Heather Y on 2008-10-25, 09:34:59

The Center for Science in Public Interest has this to say about commercial baby food versus homemade: cspinet.org/ reports/ cheat1.html . One of their main findings is that stage 2 and higher baby foods contain a lot more starchy fillers and water, even Earth's Best though to a lesser extent than Gerber.

Posted by: Natty on 2008-10-25, 08:25:20

Here are some reviews of the product... www0.epinions.com/ reviews/ Earth_s_Best_First_Baby_Foods talk to your baby's doctor and see what they think. Maybe try both... natural foods when at home but keep Earth's Best on hand for when you're on the road.

Posted by: bummy87 on 2008-10-25, 08:26:33

The only thing that makes urs better is that you can actually see what u are putting into it and you know for absoloute sure there things u want ur baby to eat plus its cheaper

Posted by: RB on 2008-10-25, 08:28:55

I give my son a combination of homemade and Earth's Best. I don't see anything wrong with it. It just tastes better when it's homemade, because it's fresh. The vitamin C (which helps preserve flavor and color) also gives it a bit of a tart taste.

Posted by: LGM on 2008-10-25, 08:29:44

The main differences are (a) time, giving Earth Best is quick, making your own is more time consuming, and (b) money, making your own is much cheaper. I got a lot of pesticide free pears from a friend who had more in her garden than she needed. I canned them at home for baby and baby loves them. It was cheap and time consuming, but I guess the nutrient content is about the same as in the jarred store bought. (I prefer giving fresh food to baby, but it's just not always possible and come winter, getting fresh organic fruit and veggies gets harder, too)

Posted by: ♥Spencer's♥ ♥Mom♥ on 2008-10-25, 08:50:08

There is nothing "so bad " about any jarred food... lots of moms feed it to their babies. i made my own (for the most part) because i knew it was fresh. its really up to you and your baby what you do. don't let people pressure you into homemade if your not into it.

Posted by: Sunsolei 4 Obama on 2008-10-25, 08:51:21

There is nothing wrong with giving organic food in jars. It is the best option for those of us who don't have the right set up to make our own food all of the time. I give my son a combination of Earth's Best and homemade baby food. Honestly, the Earth's Best is not very expensive if you are breastfeeding. Also, Dr. Sears recommends a nice cereal with probiotics that is available at Whole Foods, it is called Happy Bellies. My rule of thumb is, if it smells bad and I would not eat it, then I don't feed it to my son... I try to stay away from the peas, pasta, and garden vegetable blends as they smell nasty and he doesn't like them. He loves the squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, all of the fruits and fruit and grain mixtures. We are vegetarian and I refuse to feed him jarred meat (yuck!), so those blends are out (if you happen to be a vegetarian, read the labels, because some of their stage 3 foods look vegetarian and aren't). I have found that between breastfeeding on demand, and cloth diapering in a really small apartment with no washing machine--that making baby food all of the time was kind of difficult for me. For some reason my son does not like thawed baby food, he likes the Earth's Best much better. If I feed my son homemade food, I give it to him fresh from something I have made. Like, if I am boiling potatoes, taro root, or making dahl... I will stick some unsalted, lightly seasoned version in the food processor and give it to him warm (then he really likes it!). Nowadays he has teeth and wants what I am eating, so we are stopping the Earth's Best (for the mostpart) and feeding him stuff he can bite and chew (he hates purees these days).

Posted by: Jenifer M on 2008-10-25, 09:09:29

I make my baby girls food and it is more cost effective, and you know what is going into the food. I use fresh fruit and veggies ( organic ) and instead of diluting the puree with water ( like the store brands ) I use formula, for added vitamins and minerals, also I add rice and oatmeal cereal for added nutritional value. Bottom-line, you baby is getting a more balanced meal instead of just a jar of beans. I hope this helps.