https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:21:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2132625 Sat, 04 Apr 2015 08:04:18 +0000 babybean404 2132625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you everyone for the great suggestions! I went to Target and bought a wide variety of pouches and some puffs/yum yum/mum mums. I also hung out with some mom friends and watched their babies eat which gave me confidence! One of them gave me a tip to let my daughter hold a spoon or little rice cake while I'm feeding her with a different spoon and that has helped a LOT. She's already eating so much better since I posted and I'm so glad to know im not the only one who has given up on homemade everything! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129958 Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:19:42 +0000 gingerbebe 2129958@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also not technically BLW but my son really likes "chewing" food even though he has no teeth so we alternate spoonfuls of purées with a small bite of fruit or puff or soft veggie and he's really happy with that. Since I'm hand feeding him the pieces it minimizes the mess factor although I give him 4-5 puffs to practice with. He got 2 in his mouth the other day so we won't be too long until finger foods but until then a mix of fresh and store bought food is working nicely. We just keep a little squirrel stash of stuff in a Tupperware like 2 cherry tomatoes, a few blueberries, half a strawberry, a slice of baked sweet potato, steamed asparagus - just bits of stuff we already eat and set aside. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129942 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 23:23:25 +0000 BabyTsMom 2129942@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Another bee steered me towards Beechnut, and my LO loved them. Also a fan of Ella's and Plum Organic. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129935 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 22:47:18 +0000 Punky 2129935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In the early days I bought Gerber and Beech Nut since they were such simple purees at that age. As she got a little older and wanted more flavor I still stuck with those but then also added in Plum Organics pouches, but those are more expensive. I totally wasn't going to make my own baby food but ended up doing it with some of her favorites because she was going through certain jars so quickly. I didn't go crazy and didn't make any mixes. I really just took whatever food (sweet potatoes were one of the easiest and produced the most food with one potato), steamed it, threw it in the food processor and froze it in ice cube trays. Once she wanted more flavor though I stopped doing that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129909 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 21:32:23 +0000 gingerbebe 2129909@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS eats all brands but mostly Plum and Happy Family pouches because I couponed for them when I was pregnant. However I don't like how they all have fruit in them - I want him to eat just veggies. So we supplement with BeechNut "just" blends which include things like asparagus, peas, and green beans. I like the Plum World flavors. DS gobbles up the coconut pumpkin rice one. We do plum organic puffs and melts but he only gets a few at every meal so I don't sweat it. I also give him Baby Mum Mums. We do Earth's Best meals for the meat entrees - he likes the Turkey Sweet Potato and Chicken Veggie dinner. I try to use all baby food within two days of opening and squirt them into a small tea cup to keep germs out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129850 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 20:06:44 +0000 CakeLady 2129850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129842 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 20:02:06 +0000 Tanjowen 2129842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I buy a blend of pouches that are just veggies. It's hard to find one not sweetened with pear or some other fruit, but each brand has at least one or two with just veggies.</p> <p>A big hit for my LO was banana "pancakes." It is simply 1 banana mashed with 1/2 cup of Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oat Flour, and then cooked like a pancake in a pan with your choice of butter or coconut oil. They traveled well too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129830 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 19:55:17 +0000 blackbird 2129830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@CakeLady: <a href="http://mommylivesclean.com/2014/10/19/banana-oatmeal-cookies-for-baby/" rel="nofollow">http://mommylivesclean.com/2014/10/19/banana-oatmeal-cookies-for-baby/</a></p> <p>I just used whole eggs though </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129785 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 19:02:45 +0000 SweetiePie 2129785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Same as @blackbird. I look more at ingredients than organic. Beechnut has a lot of great blends that are really simple. I also like Earth's Best, but not because its organic - also because the ingredients are simple and there is a very wide variety of it at my grocery store.<br /> At my grocery store it seems like all the pouches are organic, so that is what I end up with. We get a lot of Plum Organics, Earth's Best, and Sprout.<br /> Agree with @Mrs.Someone that you don't have to follow the 24 hour rule so stringently. One thing I do though is open the pouch or jar and if I know he won't eat all of it, I transfer some to a separate small bowl. That way I'm not dipping his spoon into the whole thing that I know he won't finish. I just seal off the portion we didn't use in the original container and use it within 2 days or so. </p> <p>And another here who was going to make my own food. Then up until recently I was completely overwhelmed with motherhood and started to doubt it. Then, unprompted, my pediatrician told me "don't bother to make your own food unless you really really want to because you'll enjoy it. Jars and pouches are perfectly fine, there's little to no difference anymore." I haven't done anything besides mash bananas and avocados. Everything else has come from a jar and I feel no remorse! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129759 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 18:24:05 +0000 PurplePeony 2129759@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't found any particular brand to be the best. You just have to read the ingredients for each particular item and decide whether you're okay with it or not. I liked the Happy Baby puffs, which are sweetened with fruit juice rather than plain old sugar. I never bought teething biscuits because I couldn't find any with ingredient lists I liked. I prefer Earth's Best pouches because they have some savory-only options whereas most of the other brands always blend with some sort of fruit -- I don't want DD to think that all pouches are sweet. I believe the Happy Baby/Happy Tot line has a couple savory flavors, too, but it's really hard to find Plum or Ella's Kitchen without apple or pear purée in them.</p> <p>Once your LO is a bit older, the Ella's kitchen toddler cookies and nibbly fingers don't have added sugar, but I think those are both labeled for 1 year +. I've made my own version of the nibbly fingers (grind 1 c oats in the food processor, mix with 1 c fruit or fruit/veggie mix purée, bake at 350 until lightly browned. I've also added an egg for extra protein and it makes a softer, less crumbly texture) and frozen the extras. But I wouldn't have given them to DD when she was just starting solids! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129757 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 18:23:16 +0000 daniellemybelle 2129757@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: Some Stage 3 baby food has apple juice concentrate, raisin puree, etc. which to me is very similar to adding sugar. They are unnecessarily sweetening. I have found this in both organic and non-organic lines but Gerber is the worst, from my grocery store label reading!</p> <p>We used mostly Earth's Best when we didn't make our own. They have a variety of jars and their pouches are a little cheaper than Ella's Kitchen or Plum. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129751 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 18:10:16 +0000 Mrs.Waffles 2129751@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO likes beechnut they have an organic line as well, though hard to find at some stores. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129686 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 16:23:45 +0000 skipra 2129686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I try to buy pouches and purees when they are on sale. BRU has their own brand of organics that are often like 50 cents for jars or a dollar for pouches. Check out grocery stores for their own brand too.</p> <p>I though Ellas kitchen had toddler bars without added sugar. I've gotten those before and both my kids love them. I think they have grains and fruit only but maybe Im not remembering correctly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129674 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 16:10:49 +0000 CakeLady 2129674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am still trying to make purees for LO, but it doesn't always work out, and sometimes I want to give him more variety so we do Earth's Best jars and pouches, HappyBaby Puffs (no sugar - but their yogurt melts do have sugar), HappyTot Pouches, Stonyfield Farms YoBaby plain yogurt, and unsweetened organic applesauce. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129667 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 16:06:08 +0000 CakeLady 2129667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: will you share your banana-oat "cookie" recipe? I think DS would love something like that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129653 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 15:53:19 +0000 blackbird 2129653@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just buy whatever doesn't have "Extras" listed in the ingredients. Just peas? Cool, buying it. We did buy a lot of pouches as E got older because she was able to hold them great. I didn't focus on only organic. I just focused on reading the ingredient label. For things like bread products and snacks, i bought some of those mum mum stars or whatever, but i made a lot of my own banana-oat-whatever "cookies" for her to gum on </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129652 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 15:52:35 +0000 littlejoy 2129652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We were going to make all of our food too (LOLOLOL) -- Did not happen!! </p> <p>We did BLW, and started the pouches from time to time after she had a handle on solids (probably around 11 months). </p> <p>You can freeze what's leftover, and just put it into a smoothie for later on. That's what I did, and it was great. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129538 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:49:23 +0000 Jess1483 2129538@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I mostly made my own, but if I didn't want to/couldn't find what I needed/didn't have time, is buy bigger containers and freeze them in 1-ounce portions in an ice cube tray. Then we didn't waste much. You could do that with any brand (we generally used Earth's Best or Plum Organics). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129537 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:48:46 +0000 Anagram 2129537@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@babybean404: I used all of them at one time or another--LO had favorites of all the brands--we use gerber organics, the beechnut brand, Ella's kitchen, Plum Organics, Happy baby, Sprout, etc.</p> <p>As far as puffs go...we didn't use those much until she was older. There's always good old regular Cheerios. I do think all the puffs I've seen do not have "added sugar", but have sugar on the label because they use fruit juice or fruit in the puffs. We used the happy Family puffs, and the have just 1 g of sugar per serving, which I feel is fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129536 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:48:42 +0000 Mrs.Someone 2129536@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We like Ellas, Happy Baby, and Earth's Best. All are simple ingredients. I ignore the 24hr window, and just make sure its eaten within 2-3 days at most. Food doesn't really go bad that fast! We use mostly pouches though, and the spoon doesn't go inside with his germs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129535 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:48:39 +0000 autumnlove 2129535@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I bought Earth's Best brand and Gerber for jarred/boxed veggies for daycare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129533 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:45:14 +0000 Madison43 2129533@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@babybean404: there is added sugar in some form in almost every baby/toddler "snack" I looked at. I found it super disappointing too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129524 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:39:30 +0000 regberadaisy 2129524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@babybean404: what about freezing the leftovers? Use a ice cube tray which makes each cube roughly an ounce.<br /> With dd 1 I was working full time and made her purees on the weekends and just froze in ice cube trays. We only did purees for about a month and half so it wasn't too much work.</p> <p>With DD2 now I'm not making extra to freeze since im home. But if there happens to be extra I freeze it. Usually I would just take whatever were eating and just cook it a bit more. Ie yesterday I made noodle soup for dd1 and there was broccoli in there. After I pulled out dd1's food I just boiled some broccoli a bit longer and mashed it up for the baby. I was using homemade stock that has no salt or anything added. Bananas, avocados, etc are relatively easy to kash yourself. Baby also really likes frozen fruit in her mesh teether. I've done blueberries, bananas, and grapes in there so far.</p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129523 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:39:20 +0000 babybean404 2129523@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Madison43: thanks for the Ella's kitchen recommendation. Their puffs don't have sugar so we're going to try them!</p> <p>@lawbee11: you're right, the purees are all sugar free. I haven't found teething biscuits/cookies that don't have sugar, still looking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129518 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:36:45 +0000 lawbee11 2129518@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think they add sugar to baby food? We used Gerber and the ingredients were always just whatever fruit/veggie it was and water. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129514 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:34:05 +0000 Peasinapod 2129514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MenagerieMama: that was my experience with blw as well! Now doing a mix of purées and finger foods.. I was disappointed. Although she loved steak and sucked the juices until I took it away.</p> <p>Sorry no jar suggestions. We have baby bullet and steamer which actually makes it really quick to make food and I don't get stressed if she doesn't eat a lot of it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129511 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:33:25 +0000 babybean404 2129511@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MenagerieMama: I was hoping to do BLW because I'm pretty lazy!!! It turns out it was stressful. Once she has a pincer grasp I will try again but it was really terrifying having her gag on food. I know she wasn't choking but it was scary. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129509 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:31:41 +0000 Madison43 2129509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ella's kitchen makes full size and small size pouches - much less waste. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129504 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:28:54 +0000 MenagerieMama 2129504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Following! We're also just starting BLW and it's not quite as low maintenance as I had hoped. Also wondering when folks started things like puffs and pouches? LO is just 6 mo and has tried sweet potato and banana (and by tried I mean stuck it in her mouth, was horrified, fed it to the dogs, and then smeared the rest around on her tray...). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-store-bought-baby-food#post-2129501 Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:26:09 +0000 babybean404 2129501@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was hoping I'd be making my own purees or doing BLW, but I'm working full time and finding that harder than I thought it would be!</p> <p>I'm thinking of using pouches or jars of organic "just fruit" or veggies. So far the pouches I've gotten must be used within 24 hours of opening, and since my baby (8 months) just is not that into eating them, I end up throwing it away.</p> <p>She tried some plum organics teething biscuits today and liked them, but I saw they have added sugar and I'm not thrilled about that.</p> <p>Does anyone have suggestions of brands/items to try, preferably with no sugar? </p>