My son is 21 months old, and pretty much the only way he gets veggies is through pouches. I offer him other vegetables but he'll hardly ever eat them, with the exception of sweet potatoes. It's starting to occur to me that the pouches say things like "6 months plus!" on them and maybe B is too old to be eating them. What I'm really hoping is that everybody will say "My kid is 2 and they still eat pouches too!" but if not, maybe somebody has some ideas about how to wean him off the pouches and onto the actual green stuff?
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I think I've seen toddler pouches.
We don't do too many pouches except if I'm out with the girls and there aren't baby friendly options.
Could you introduce green smoothies? A similar vehicle for sneaky vegetables.
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Both of my boys enjoy pouches for snacks and they are 3 and 17 months! I try to buy the ones that are low in sugar and I think it is better than them not eating anything
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Xander's 2.5 and has a pouch almost every day! They are just so convenient and he loves them.
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I follow a couple IG accounts for food ideas, the sphagetthi squash is super popular, or really just making any veggie into pasta looking things? Also there was recipe for fake mac & cheese with a squash puree.. I'll try to come back with the links!
ETA -
http://www.myfussyeater.com/butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese-kids-toddlers/
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My kid is almost 2 and gets one a day. I still give veggies at dinner but he won't touch them. I did see someone post about carrot and pumpkin breakfast pancakes to hide veggies, so I might try that and see how it goes.
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My LO is 27 months and we still do pouches when we are out for meals. She actually does very well eating veggies at home, but it's hard when you are out to have easy to transport, not too messy, veggies. So I don't feel bad about it at all! They are a lot healthier than kids meals at restaurants. Plus she eats veggies in pouches that she can't really eat regularly yet- like greens are too hard to really chew but she will happily eat pouches with kale or spinach in them.
I do also put greens in smoothies when I make them at home- but I don't see how that's all that different from a pouch anyway. I'd give her a pouch for snack every day if they weren't so pricy.
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Personally, I don't think there's any rush to stop using pouches (except they are kind of pricey for what they are). But a lot of people give applesauce pouches to kids 5 and up, or gogurt pouches, and I find those less healthy than a plan fruit/veggie combo pouch or a lot of alternative toddler snacks, like crackers and puffs and carby things.
My LO gets pouches all the time--at least every other day. And she's 2.5. She can't eat dairy or soy, so stuff like cheese sticks are out. She is not very into crackers and other carbs, so her snacks tend to be a banana, cut up fruit, a pouch, or something else.
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@Foodnerd81: oh yeah! One of my LOs fave pouches is the spinach, blueberry, pear pouch. She loves it.
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My LO still loves pouches and she's 26 months. I see plenty of kids older than her eating them too. Doesn't seem much different than applesauce to me. When she was 21 months she also would only eat veggies in pouch form and sweet potatoes as pretty much her only veggies, but in the past month and a half she's started eating more variety.
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H is two and she eats a pouch every day for breakfast. I can't get many other veggies into her, so it doesn't faze me.
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Glad to read this
DS is 16 months and loves these pouches
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We aren't there yet, but has anyone considered the reusable pouches you fill yourself? Way cheaper than buying premade ones, and the net effect is still the same: easily transported snacks. They are probably better, since you can sneak other veggies in with your LO's faves! Of course, they are more time-consuming.
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LO1 is 3 years old and still loves pouches. Quick and easy for me, so I don't mind too much. It's hard to get her to stop eating them because LO2 loves them too (almost 1 year).
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Why would you need to stop? Is there anything about them an adult shouldn't have? My LO over 2.5 and he has one every day for lunch. He likes them and they are healthy so I don't see why he shouldn't have them.
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LO is only 14 months but he gets a pouch most days. We use them as a healthyish snack alternative - we don't really give him a lot of snacky things (yet) like crackers, cereal bars, etc. He still eats veggies other times (usually he'll eat veggies at lunch and dinner) but I like pouches to get him to eat veggies like greens (spinach, kale) that are pretty hard for a little guy to eat, and also because they seem to help him regular haha.
Target has packaged veggie purees (in blue boxes - I think it's their simply organic line?) that I use instead of cheese sauce to make fake mac & cheese. Basically I combine one of those (butternut squash variety), ditalini pasta, peas, some butter & parmesan cheese, and mashed-up navy beans for extra protein. Super easy to make and relatively healthy!
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At least one pouch everyday for my LO who is turning 3 this month! She just gets applesauce pouches, since I buy them in bulk to save money and those are the least expensive option
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@travellingbee: there is some evidence that suggests pureed food stick on teeth longer and promote tooth decay, that pouch foods eliminate the need to chew and kids become phobic of textures, and that children cannot see what they eat and it doesn't improve pickiness.
My mom runs a pediatric feeding clinic and has a lot to say about pouches.
That said, I still use them! -
My girl is four and we buy them from the regular section of the store now but she still loves them. They are easy, I'll often put them in her lunchbox.
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I think too, puree foods have less nutrients because the fibers are more broken down. But puree veggies are better than no veggies.
I make my own (infantino station and reusable pouches) so that I can actually make veggie ones. Its very hard to find true "veggie" ones that the first ingredient isn't applesauce. I refuse to pay $1/pouch for a half cup of applesauce.
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Thanks, guys, you've made me feel so much better! re: why ever stop, I've read that pouches have more sugar in them than the straight vegetables would have, because even with no sugar added they're cooked down or something. But I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who uses them to get green veggies into picky little bodies.
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My LO is 1.5 and she gets a pouch every single day for a snack. The only way I see stopping is when she stops snacking so much or when I get sick of paying for them. They're healthy and she likes them and they aren't messy. Perfect food IMO.
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My daughter is 3 and still likes to have pouches sometimes as snacks. They're convenient, healthy, not messy in the car (after a certain age), and the baby can eat them too. Why not! I buy them Subscribe and Save on Amazon
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My 2.5 year old still gets applesauce pouches. They're easy and so much less messy!
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@erinbaderin: We never really got into them with my first and I am attempting them with my second, but I can think of no principled reason as to why to stop. A little extra sugar is better than no veggies in my books!
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LO is 2 and she has a pouch almost every day. All about those pouches over here!
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My kid is 2, and still eats pouches! (exactly what you wanted to hear!!) ... I've never gotten the impression that there's an age to stop them.
I do think it's important to introduce greens and veggies through regular food sources, but I see the pouches as a little bonus of nutrients. Plus, they are so convenient!!
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LO1 is 3 and we still use pouches for snacks when we're out and about. I don't have any plans to stop using them either. I actually saw some greek yogurt and fruit pouches marketed for adults this summer!
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DS is 2 and we still use veggie pounces forum the go snacks.
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My 21 month old gets pouches almost every day because she doesn't eat fruit! My doctor said that she's seen kinder age kids with pouches and it's fine. I wouldn't worry about it.
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@oliviaoblivia: OK, I guess I could see some of those arguments in some cases (particularly teeth), but my guy is not particularly picky(he eats broccoli, peas, carrots, sweet potato, corn, green beans all in non-pureed form), and does not have any texture issues at all. It's just a convenient way to get a little extra in him and he loves them. Often they are just the Trader Joes apple sauce with carrots. No added sugar or anything.
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my kid is 2 and still eats punches too
I always have them on hand!
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My three year old still loves pouches. She gets at most one per day. She eats very well, no eating issues, it is just an extra treat for her, cuz it is sweet. She also suffers from hard poop so we get her the prune pouches too!
DS is 16 months and loves these pouches
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32 comments