Key points about baby food pouches
- pēpi (babies) who use baby food pouches have similar nutrient intakes to pēpi who don’t
- if your baby has a pouch most days of the week, they may be getting more sugars
- using baby food pouches occasionally doesn't seem to affect weight or iron levels
- if your baby has baby food pouches frequently, make sure that they are also given common allergen foods to help prevent allergies developing
- whānau (families) can safely use baby food pouches, but pēpi need a variety of other foods as well
- it’s important to move on to foods with more texture as your baby gets older
What are baby food pouches?
Commercial baby food pouches are soft plastic containers with a nozzle. They have puréed baby food inside.
It’s best to squeeze the food onto a spoon to feed to your baby.
Most pouches sold in New Zealand are for pēpi under 1 year. Some are advertised as being for older tamariki.
Some whānau use re-usable pouches and put their own food in them.
What’s in commercial baby food pouches
The commercial baby food in pouches is similar to commercial baby food in cans and jars. They all tend to be low in iron. But pouch foods tend to be sweeter than other commercial baby foods because they contain more fruit.
Feeding commercial baby food pouches to your baby
The best way to use a baby food pouch is to either:
- squeeze the food out into a bowl and spoon-feed it from there
- squeeze it directly onto a spoon to feed baby
Avoid feeding your baby directly from the pouch nozzle. New Zealand research shows that very few pēpi are being fed directly from the nozzle.
Safe use of commercial baby food pouches
The best way to use baby food pouches is to:
- store them in a cool and dry place
- warm the baby food pouch by putting it in a bowl of hot water or squeeze the food into a microwaveable bowl and put it in the microwave
- If warming baby food, check the temperature yourself before feeding the food to your baby
- throw out any leftover food that has been squeezed out of the pouch but hasn’t been eaten
- once the baby food pouch has been opened, you can keep it in the fridge as long as you use it within 48 hours
Impact of commercial baby food pouches on your baby
Weight
Using pouches frequently doesn’t seem to make pēpi, toddlers, or preschoolers more overweight or underweight than pēpi who don’t use pouches. But pēpi do need a wide variety of foods, not only pouch foods.
Nutrient intakes
Overall, pēpi who use pouches frequently have similar nutrient intakes to pēpi who don’t. But, they do have around one teaspoon more total sugars a day. These sugars are from fruit and are not specifically added to the food. But it is not yet known if long-term use of baby food pouches is harmful to babies’ teeth.
Iron status
Using pouches for a short time while pēpi are learning how to eat solids does not seem to make babies’ iron status lower. But about 1 in 4 New Zealand pēpi have low iron levels so all New Zealand pēpi need to have more iron-rich foods.
The Importance Of Iron For Babies Starting Solids
Dental health
Most pēpi have very few teeth, or no teeth at all, when they are starting solids. And most parents who use pouches are feeding the pouch food to their baby with a spoon. This means that using pouches for a short time around the age when solids are started does not seem to damage babies’ teeth. But, it is not yet known if pouches cause dental problems when toddlers or preschoolers use them. By these ages, young tamariki have more teeth, and can feed themselves using the nozzle. This might mean baby food pouches can have more impact on teeth.
Fussy eating
Pēpi who have baby food pouches frequently are more likely to be fussy eaters. But, it isn’t yet known what comes first – does eating from pouches make pēpi fussy, or are pēpi given pouches because they are fussy eaters? Do parents choose pouches because their pēpi are already fussy eaters?
Allergens
Pēpi who have baby food pouches frequently are less likely to be given egg and peanut* foods. It’s important that pēpi are given all the common allergen foods when they start solids. This may prevent them from developing food allergies.
Common allergen foods include:
- cooked egg
- peanuts*
- dairy products
- tree nuts* like almonds or hazelnuts
- sesame
- wheat (for example, bread)
- soy (for example, tofu, soy flour in commercial bread)
- fish and shellfish
Pēpi need to have these common allergen foods at least once a week. Make sure their foods are a safe texture and size to prevent choking. For example, a thin spread of peanut butter is a safe way for pēpi to have peanuts.
*Nuts are a choking hazard - use peanut butter or other nut spreads for tamariki under 5.
How To Prevent Your Baby Choking When They Start Solids
Preventing Allergies In Babies
Things to consider if using commercial baby food pouches
Whānau who are thinking about using commercial baby food pouches with their pēpi should think about the following.
Check your baby is ready to start solids
Pēpi are ready for solids when they:
- are around 6 months old
- can hold their head up and sit with less help
- can open their mouth as food approaches
- can keep food in their mouth and swallow instead of pushing food out
- show signs of biting and chewing
Offer iron-rich food
Start offering iron-rich foods as soon as your baby starts solids. Keep offering iron-rich foods daily to help prevent iron deficiency.
The Importance Of Iron For Babies Starting Solids
Offer a variety of flavours
Offer a variety of flavours including savoury flavours – not just fruit purées.
Check the first food on the ingredients label on the back of the pouch – this is the main food in the pouch. The name on the front may be for a food that is actually only a small ingredient.
Look for more savoury tasting pouches. These won’t have fruit as their first ingredient, for example choose pouches that list vegetables first (especially cauliflower, broccoli or tomato).
Offer a variety of textures
From around 7 months of age, offer a range of foods with different textures so that baby is eating similar foods to the family by about 12 months of age.
Research on baby food pouches
This information on using baby food pouches in New Zealand comes from the ‘First Foods New Zealand’ and ‘Young Foods New Zealand’ studies.
These studies were run by researchers at the University of Otago | Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka and Massey University | Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa. They investigated the use of baby food pouches, and their impacts on a wide range of health outcomes, in New Zealand children. They are the first studies on these topics in the world.
The take home message from the studies is – pouches can safely be used as part of babies’ food intake but they should not be the only solid foods they have. This is because the long-term impacts of pouches are not yet known.
The researchers would like to thank all the generous whānau and their pēpi who took part in these studies in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland.
Acknowledgements
Illustration by Dr Greta File. Property of KidsHealth.
