Pouches of food for your 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds, are the newest craze in “baby” food. Funny, I thought it was called baby food because it was meant for babies. But some food manufacturers think that kids shouldn't actually have to actually chew their fruits and veggies anymore, but rather should just sit back and suck veggie or fruit mush out of a pouch. They attribute the popularity of "food pouches" to free-range parenting.
Psst ... free-range parenting isn't about throwing pouches of astronaut food at kids so they can suck at will.
More from The Stir: Mom Gives 6-Year-Old Daughter Drug-Laced Sandwich for Lunch
If anything, free-range parenting is old school parenting, the way our parents parented us. They put food on the table and if we ate it we weren't hungry, if we didn't we were free to eat the remainder of it at the next meal. It was anti-helicopter parenting. It was turning us loose to make choices that had consequences. It taught us independence not that the world would bend at our will. These pouches are not teaching independence, it’s teaching kids that the world revolves around them.
Do these people think 4-year-olds can’t chew these days? Are we trying to brain wash all the kids into thinking they are astronauts? Or perhaps we are afraid they will chip a tooth or put some wear and tear on those teeth? What’s next, putting kids in bubbles so that they don’t risk scrapes and bruises? I don’t know about you but my daughter could chew up a steak and bite through her sibling at the age of four.
I think the ideal of food in a pouch is ridiculous. Have we become so lazy that we no longer have time to parent our children or even spend the time supervising them when they eat so that they don’t choke? Take a minute and teach them how to chew up their food and swallow. Have we decided to pass on lazy as an ethic and entitlement as a virtue by giving our kids food that will not require any chewing on their behalf? Or are we simply trying to convey the message that we don’t think our children are capable of doing the most menial of tasks? Can’t we all just spend a little more time with our children and sit still for a moment while they chew their fruit with their actual teeth?
I promise, your child’s teeth will not break on impact from the apple against their teeth.
What do you think of giving your six-year-old pouches of mashed food on the go? Would you give it to your child?
Image via nutrilover/Flickr
Ashley Is a Widow Who Stays Strong...
This Hot Dad Wants to Vacuum Your Rug
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
Comments 96
The people in the comments have good ideas about using these in the car or in school lunches. Also, if it gets some kids to eat veggies when they normally wouldn't, I don't think their parent cares, they'll just be happy their child is eating fruits/veggies. I think doing this is better than "sneaking" in veggies into other foods, because then when they grow up they won't have a taste for them and won't sneak veggies into their own meals.
Wow, Deb! You really need to take a chill pill. You come off as a pretty judgememental bitch with this article. Like some other posters have said, some kids are picky and these might be the only way to get healthy fruit into those kids. Other kids have sensory or developmental issues that could inhibit them from chewing properly. Personally, I have never heard of these before now. I have a picky kid and I might just try these if I find them in the store, just to try. If my daughter were to actually eat them (and they're not loaded with sugar and other crap) they might even become a regular item on my grocery list. I would MUCH prefer that my daughter eat real, whole fruit, but for her sometimes, it's a texture thing. I'm the same way with textures, but I have learned to get past most of those weird textures that I didn't use to like. I hope that eventually my daughter will get past it, too. In the meantime, I'll take any help I can get and who the hell do you think you are to say I'm lazy?!?!
What is the difference between feeding your child applesauce from a big container or letting them get the applesauce from a pouch? It's healthy and either way it's still applesauce. We buy the ogranic apple sauce in a pouch for road trips so that our 4 year old can eat them without the mess and so that we can add some fruit to any fast food meal that we may have to partake in because thats the only way to eat on 4 day long road trips.
Also they're good in school lunches because they're not messy. It has nothing to do with not letting them chew, it has everything to do with convenience and them eating healthy on the go. Just because we buy those applesauces in a pouch sometimes doesn't mean that it's all the fruit or veggies our daughter gets. At home she eats normal food like everybody else.
To the lady who wrote this article: Grow up please and spare us from wasting good space on the internet.
I think theyre great when you're out all day on the go for snacks. My daughter usually snacks on raw fruit and veggies (15 months), but when Im out all day fresh food doesnt always keep well in this FL heat....enter the fruit pouches. However, I wouldnt keep these at home for my 4 year old to eat regularly, but its still better than other bagged foods that dont spoil in heat like gummy snacks, chips, etc
This is why 25 year olds are still comfortable living on their old bedroom at their parents' house!
@Betweencourses, yes having debt from school and no job has nothing to do with this.....damn fruit pouches!!