Are baby food pouches healthy? Here's what experts say.

Kids are sucking down baby food pouches at record rates. ‘We’re going to pay for it,’ experts say, by Jenny Gold, LA Times Staff Writer

Although this topic has been on the radar of many pediatric OTs for some time, this is the first article I’ve seen addressing it in the LA Times. I'm thrilled that it's being highlighted for families whose children may struggle with transitioning from purees to solid foods, display poor oral-motor coordination, or are extreme picky eaters. While most children are not affected by extending purees, there are toddlers and preschoolers I work with as an OT who have missed key feeding milestones because of it. Here are some highlights from the article.

“Parents generally spoon-feed jars of pureed foods for a few months in the first year of life when introducing solids, but pouches marketed to parents of toddlers and older children have prolonged pureed food eating by years.”

“Pouches are highly processed foods... They certainly serve as a quick snack, but we need to make sure that pouches don’t make up too much of a toddler’s diet. We want kids to learn to chew and eat foods like meat, and fruits and vegetables that are not processed.”

“While the occasional pouch can be part of a healthy diet, doctors and nutritionists are raising concerns that an overreliance on pouches can interfere with nutrition, long-term food preferences, dental hygiene and even speech and language development.”

“Typically, a child must be repeatedly introduced to various foods to get them used to different textures and flavors, such as the taste of vegetables. Fruit puree can disguise the taste of vegetables, reinforcing sweetness.”

“The full sensory experience of eating food is also important — getting messy, using spoons, fingers and tiny fists to squish food and smear on a highchair and face.”