We just don’t understand the trend of food pouches for children. But then we haven’t had a single picky eater in our brood of 3 kids. Each of our children has their own tastes in food. But as a whole, they eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruit, and main courses. And they have had these habits since they first tasted food.
TIP: Our family has a golden rule: The No Thank You Bite. You don’t have to like what is on your plate but you do have to try it. And then, once you’ve had a taste, you’ll either be pleasantly surprised or you can say “no thank you,” and be done with it.
Here’s a recent article about this new pouch product: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/garden/food-pouches-let-little-ones-serve-themselves.html?pagewanted=all
Trying new foods is a world of strange delights regardless of your age. It isn’t always successful. But it includes very first experiences like: chomping around a peeled apple, eating freshly sautéed bites of zucchini with a little melted butter, or the unexpected loveliness of squishing a banana in your hand prior to eating it. These moments help teach our kids textures, colors, smells, and tastes. They begin to recognize fruits, veggies, and meats. It isn’t always a successful, tidy, or entertaining process. But it shouldn’t result in throwing up our hands and hiding foods inside pouches where the dominant flavor of the mush hides everything else being consumed.
For the child beyond the infant stage – how is a food pouch impacting their eating habits? At some point, guzzling down a pouch of food is NOT a valid option for nutrition. We take with us from our early years the eating habits that we either fight or embrace for the rest of our lives. Will a child with a pouch have the patience to sit down at a table for a meal and will they even understand the concept?
Also, enough already with the argument of convenience! We adamantly refuse to believe that a household is so harried that no one can take the time to put a few simple snacks or meals together. How is tossing a fresh apple into a bag more work than grabbing a food pouch off a shelf? We would also argue that the cost of these pouched meals and snacks is exorbitant. How many fresh, organic fruits and vegetables could you buy for the $21 it costs to get 16 portions of pouched food?
But perhaps the cost is part of their appeal? They do have the mark of an expensive trend which reeks of a certain status. Would these same parents that offer their 3 year old a pouch of mushed blueberries shrink back in disgust if someone offered their same child a jar of baby food?
What do you think?