Baby Food

Question: Organic baby food vs. variety?

(Posted by: Alexa's Mom on 2008-01-21 09:50:35)

I have been feeding my daughter organic baby food. I wanted to go organic for the first year just to atleast get her on a good start. She is now starting "2nd foods " and when I went to the super market today I noticed that the variety of organic 2nd foods (of all organic brands, not just gerber) was much less than the non organic foods. Basically there were like 10 organic second foods to choose from and about 50 non organic second foods. I went on gerber and earth's best's websites and they just don't make as much variety in the 2nd foods in organic as they do in non organic foods. So although I wanted to do organic I am also very concerned about my daughter experiencing a variety of foods so that she will not be a picky eater (like my husband who eats chicken for every meal!). So thanks for reading through this long question, basically I'm asking do you think it's more important to go the organic route or is it more important to introduce her to a variety of foods early? Please no suggestions about making my own baby food please. I have no intentions of making my own! Thanks!

Posted by: Gina E on 2008-01-21, 09:53:36

Organic route. organic food is so much healthier. no hormones, garbage.

Posted by: Jillian on 2008-01-21, 09:53:40

The only difference between first and dsecond is that there is ore in the jar and dsometimes a mixture- buy your own organic food and make it yourself- you can freeze it too- malwilhi- what goes into your stomache doesnt go into your breastmilk, what goes into your blood does amber- i think the reasdon girls who are 12 look like they are 30 is because of all the damn hormones in the milk-i dont think the hormones are a good thing

Posted by: M&Ms Mommy on 2008-01-21, 09:56:53

The answer is both, but if organic is the route you are going and they don't sell it then isee no other option but to either buy the non organic or to make it all yourself. which is way easy and cheaper and healthier than buying your babies food from a jar anyways

Posted by: missduoglide on 2008-01-21, 09:57:13

I also started on organic and found it lacking variety. So I went with Beech Nut foods. My son will eat pretty much any thing I give him. If you want to stay organic with the variety, the obvious answer is to make your own. But, if you look at the labels, they don't differ much. They just use organic fruits and veggies instead of what we eat. So, you eat regular foods, so can she. It's really personal preference. I don't see any thing wrong with going for variety. When she gets bigger and is eating regular food with you, you can shop for organics then. There is a huge variety in your regular grocery store.

Posted by: malwilhist on 2008-01-21, 09:57:30

There's no reason why the majority of her diet can't be organic, with the occasional non organic thrown in. It won't kill her to have a few jars here or there of non organic food. Are you breast feeding? If you're not eating organic food, then she's not getting it through your breast milk, anyway. If you're bottle feeding, unless you use an organic formula, she's not getting that anyway. She'll be fine using a combo of both--use organic when you can and when you can't, give her what you want to.

Posted by: nick on 2008-01-21, 10:04:25

I would recommend organic food. And if you cannot find variety, I think you should start cooking ( that's what I used to do). Inorganic food is not that safe, specially for younger ones. I have read so many books on this, and I've concluded that organic is a better choice. Many of our today's health related problems are because of all these chemicals we are ingesting.

Posted by: amber 18 on 2008-01-21, 10:07:02

I do not buy organic baby food for my son. Nor do my husband and I eat it. I'm fully aware that some organic foods are healthier for us, and that many processed foods are full of things our bodies don't really need. But with that being said, I do not make this a priority in my life. I also am not willing to get caught up in a "gimic " based on fear that we're feeding our children bad foods by going non-organic. I choose the healthiest non organic foods I can and that is what we eat. I'm not willing to spend extra money on organic foods, and I'm not willing to drive to the far end of town for the one shop that offers organic flour, etc. I began my child's life with 5 months of breast milk and I think that is far superior to formula. I've given him the best start I can offer, and now we'll do the best we can. I would rather spend my money on a safer daycare, our electric bill, doctors appointments, etc. I sleep just fine at night, knowing my family eats non organic foods.

Posted by: Doodles on 2008-01-21, 10:09:24

It's always been a big debate organic or not organic. I have a daughter who is almost 19 months and as much as possible go the organic route. Organic = no pesticides, no hormones. In my opinion it's so much healthier to do organic. I actually tried making my own baby food and it seemed like she liked better the jar food stuff. I mainly bought earth's best. I didn't start baby food until she was 6 months old since I breastfeed. Once she hit a year old she was eating what I ate. She's in the 25th percentile for her weight and 60th percentile for her height. Right now I feed her everything as long as it's not processed or from a box and she pretty much eats everything. Her pediatrician said that once she hits 2 she'll probably become very picky but hopefully not. So basically I wouldn't worry about her not getting a variety of food she's so young. But definitely go the organic route. After all I don't want my daughter to develop when she's 8 years old and that's what all these additional hormones will do to a child that's why organic is so much better!

Posted by: Critty on 2008-01-21, 10:12:51

Instead of 2nd foods why don't you just give your baby the fruits and vegetables you are eating? As long as they are cooked and cut into small pieces, it should be fine. Why bother giving the baby something different from what everyone else is eating?

Posted by: Just Me on 2008-01-21, 10:43:04

Stick with the organics. In order to give her a variety of foods you can purchase organic foods and process them yourself.