Ever since the huge brouhaha over the Maggi noodles controversy, people have begun to think twice before buying anything that comes in a packet. One reason the instant noodles controversy became such a big issue was that it was such a common snack among kids. But this isn’t the first time that a product targeted at children or babies has come under the scanner. Remember the great Johnson’s controversy some time back? This just goes on to show that in our country, there are very few (if any) regulations on food or personal care products, even when they’re meant for infants.
In such a situation, it’s worth your while as a parent, to take a better look at store bought baby food mixes. Many parents find them convenient, but when you can have homemade instant mixes, even the convenience doesn’t factor in! Here are some more benefits of choosing homemade instant mixes over store bought or branded mixes like Cerelac for babies.
6 Reasons Homemade Food Mixes are better than Commercial Cerelac for Babies
1. Storage Conditions
Branded baby food mixes are manufactured in factories, and stored in large godowns. There is no way to know if the storage conditions are ideal, especially since one often hears horror stories about rodent infestation at such places.
2. Preservatives
Branded mixes like Cerelac have a long shelf life, which proves the presence of strong preservatives. Feeding young babies preservatives at such a young age hampers organic development.
3. Added Flavors
When a branded mix claims to contain apple, you can’t be sure if it actually contains the fruit or an apple-flavored additive. Many additives just go under the classification of sugars or flavours, so you have really no idea what kind of chemicals you’re feeding your baby.
4. Freshness
Homemade instant mixes need to be consumed within a short while, ensuring that maximum freshness and nutrition is retained. The more such a product lies on the shelf, the lower it’s nutritive value will be, and higher the number of chemicals.
5. Synthetic Taste
Babies who get used to a synthetic taste courtesy extra additives in food tend to grow up preferring packaged food over fresh, which can lead to a lifetime of bad eating habits.
6. Cost
You have to remember that major brands often charge a price for branding, marketing and advertisement, all of which are paid for by the consumers. With homemade mixes, you only pay for what you get!
Our generation is already seeing a huge increase in the incidence of lifestyle diseases, and most of these are caused by unhealthy eating along with a sedentary lifestyle. The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study reveals that unhealthy eating patterns persist from infancy to adolescence, with dietary quality declining as the years pass. The HabEat project also says that parental involvement and promotion of healthy eating in the first three years of a child’s life set the stage for lifelong tastes and eating habits. Since your child is at such a crucial developmental stage, would you rather he get used to the taste of synthetic, chemical-ridden packaged food or the simple freshness and nutrition of something homemade? So Moms, the next time you think of reaching for that box of branded baby food from the supermarket shelf, please try to remember this post, and we’re sure you’d be happier to feed your child a homemade baby food mix and be glad you’re doing the right thing!
If you’re really busy and can’t find the time to make your own instant mixes, don’t worry!! You can easily order them online from the My Little Moppet Store. For more information on how this works, go here.
Buy Healthy Nutritious Baby, Toddler food made by our own Doctor Mom !
I give 1 or 2 feeds of Gerber baby food to my baby, alongwith milk and other fruit/homemade cereal. Wanted to know if gerber baby food can be given daily?
Any food that doesn’t have added preservatives, additives and enhancers into them can be fed to your child or family. So please do check and make the decision accordingly.
The reason that we are sharing homemade cerelac/mixes option is so we can avoid commercial ones. Try home made ones or you can pick from a reliable organic store.
Hello Doctor,
I am a working woman. My baby is 6 months old. I’m giving her breast milk. Now I have to go office. She is eating little food like idly, kichdi but not enough to her in day time she wants breast milk also. She don’t like other milk. solids are not enough to my baby in day time at which time I am in office. What can I do please help me.
Hi Bhagya you can search for the post on storing breastmilk and giving for your child. It has usful information on how to store breatsmilk and feed your little one when your away. You can also check the foodchart of 6 month old for more ideas on feeding your baby.
Hello Doctor,
I am a working woman. My baby is 6 months old. I’m feeding her breast milk. Now I have to go office. She is eating little food like idly, kichdi but not enough to her in day time she wants breast milk also. She don’t like other milk. solids are not enough to my baby in day time at which time I am in office. What can I do please help me.
Hi hema i have 23 months old baby boy he can’t eat the food properly and not drinking the milk that’s why he become thin can u plz suggest me somthing or tell me a diet chart.
My little girl now 18 months old ….she is doing gr8 .
I always used to give her homemade no outside food product till now ….nd ur recipes were gr8?
I am still nursing her bt want to quit …..plz help to quit nursing becoz of this she doesn’t sleep well in the night nd same happen with me ….whole night trouble for me even in day time
You can try making her sleep with her grandparents or dad alone for few days. Slowly tapering off how long and how often you breast-feed each day.Keep in mind that children tend to be more attached to the first and last feedings of the day, when the need for comfort is greater. These feedings might be the last ones your child drops. As a result, it might be easier to drop a midday breast-feeding session first. If you’re weaning a child age 1 or older, consider not offering this feeding and seeing if he or she requests it. After a lunch of solid food, your child might become interested in an activity and naturally give up this session. Once you’ve successfully dropped one feeding, you can start working on dropping another.
You might also choose to wean your baby from breast milk during the day but continue breast-feeding at night. Remember, it’s up to you and your child.
Dear Doctor,
I give 1 or 2 feeds of Gerber baby food to my baby, alongwith milk and other fruit/homemade cereal. Wanted to know if gerber baby food can be given daily?
Hi Gauri,
Any food that doesn’t have added preservatives, additives and enhancers into them can be fed to your child or family. So please do check and make the decision accordingly.
Hi Doc, i have 6 mons old baby and ready for solid food. Is cerelac is safe for her? i heard that cerelac is a junkfood. How ture it is?
The reason that we are sharing homemade cerelac/mixes option is so we can avoid commercial ones. Try home made ones or you can pick from a reliable organic store.
Hello Doctor,
I am a working woman. My baby is 6 months old. I’m giving her breast milk. Now I have to go office. She is eating little food like idly, kichdi but not enough to her in day time she wants breast milk also. She don’t like other milk. solids are not enough to my baby in day time at which time I am in office. What can I do please help me.
Hi Bhagya you can search for the post on storing breastmilk and giving for your child. It has usful information on how to store breatsmilk and feed your little one when your away. You can also check the foodchart of 6 month old for more ideas on feeding your baby.
Hello Doctor,
I am a working woman. My baby is 6 months old. I’m feeding her breast milk. Now I have to go office. She is eating little food like idly, kichdi but not enough to her in day time she wants breast milk also. She don’t like other milk. solids are not enough to my baby in day time at which time I am in office. What can I do please help me.
Hi Bhagya, you can start storing breastmilk after expressing and it can be stored for upto a week in the refridgerator and given to your baby.
Hi hema i have 23 months old baby boy he can’t eat the food properly and not drinking the milk that’s why he become thin can u plz suggest me somthing or tell me a diet chart.
Hi hema
My little girl now 18 months old ….she is doing gr8 .
I always used to give her homemade no outside food product till now ….nd ur recipes were gr8?
I am still nursing her bt want to quit …..plz help to quit nursing becoz of this she doesn’t sleep well in the night nd same happen with me ….whole night trouble for me even in day time
Hi Shewta,
You can try making her sleep with her grandparents or dad alone for few days. Slowly tapering off how long and how often you breast-feed each day.Keep in mind that children tend to be more attached to the first and last feedings of the day, when the need for comfort is greater. These feedings might be the last ones your child drops. As a result, it might be easier to drop a midday breast-feeding session first. If you’re weaning a child age 1 or older, consider not offering this feeding and seeing if he or she requests it. After a lunch of solid food, your child might become interested in an activity and naturally give up this session. Once you’ve successfully dropped one feeding, you can start working on dropping another.
You might also choose to wean your baby from breast milk during the day but continue breast-feeding at night. Remember, it’s up to you and your child.
Hi Hema ji
My little sweet baby is of 9 months old now….. she doesn’t take milk from 2 weeks..Can you please tell how can I handle this situation???
Thanx
Hi manu,
Do you mean Breastmilk ?