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.
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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
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Comments 96
I love these, It makes it easy for my daughter to take a snack to school. and she just tosses it. He Class is strict on what they can have Due to a lot of allergies
Well no parent is perfect, hell we are worried about pouches when there are healthy 5 year old still walking around with pacifiers or bottles... even being breast feed. Not bashing anyone, to each their own... Just don't agree, everyone has their own ways of parenting, and no one has the right way either... it's whatever works for your family.
So I think it's safe to say that it's not that parents are lazy unless they use that as their main food choice. Its more out of convenience and less mess for travel and such. like another reader said, kids with sensory issues helps them get their daily intake. I feel if you are going to make a stink about this then you should make a stink about baby food in general... its processed foods either way you look at it. Yet, working parents, single parents just don't have time to make home made baby food, should we think differently about them?
As far as the stir place becomeing tabloid piece of trash... if you don't like it, move on to the next post or stop posting here all together.... the question was What do you think of giving your six-year-old pouches of mashed food on the go? Would you give it to your child? Not What do you think of the stir? Would you continue to read these post?
We were on a road trip and stopped at the gas station. They had apple sauce pouches. My kids saw it as a huge treat, no sugar needed.
I didn't even finish the article because I couldn't stand the hatred. My son uses the food pouches, he's 5 and I'm a busy mom. They are a great lunch box addition, snack on the go and if you buy organic, non sweetened, they're actually good for your kids. Better than a caprisun or sweetened applesauce. Plus if you get ones with purple veggies, you can probably assume they're some antioxidants in them. Yes, it would be better if my son ate whole fruits. Asside from strawberries, cantelopes, watermelon and bananas he won't eat anything else. It's better than chips, and other processed carbohydrates. Really what is the difference between eating those and eating applesauce? Tons of kids eat applesauce!