Call it haute baby cuisine or gourmet meals for babies… whatever you call it, it’s not your average jar of strained carrots and green beans. Baby food manufacturers are answering the call for better baby cuisine. And they say the requests aren’t only coming in from celebrity moms and dads. Studies show that parents of all socio-economic classes want fancier fare for their precious bundles of joys.
One of the most popular “gourmet” baby foods on the market comes from a company called “Homemade Baby.” The company says it caters to parents who don’t cut corners when it comes to feeding their children. If you want your baby to have “the best food available for his body” then “Homemade Baby” says their “fresh” foods are the way to go.
Homemade Baby features freshly made food and unique flavor combinations that they say appeal to little taste buds. According to the company, one of their most popular items is called “squapples,” — a blend of squash and apple.
But, “Homemade Baby” isn’t monopolizing the gourmet baby food market, in fact, they are just one of a growing number of fresh and “fresh-frozen” products, most of them organic, being marketed for little appetites. Other companies including “Evie’s Organic Edibles” – specialize in ‘home-style’ dishes like sweet potato rutabaga. The there’s “Happy Baby,” which comes in colorful frozen cubes, often with a hint of seasoning, to make veggies a little more inviting.
They all sound great, but I still wondered how they stacked up versus traditional baby foods (the ones I fed my own child). According to clinical nutritionists, the “gourmet” baby foods are at least as healthy as conventional baby foods and perhaps more healthy, but currently there are no studies to back that up. Nutritionists go on to say that moms who opt to stay with traditional jarred baby food aren’t depriving their children. Nutritionists say regular jarred foods deliver healthy, balanced diets for many infants.
So if the fancy baby foods are healthy and tasty then why don’t all moms and dads make the switch? One major reason: the price. Freshly made baby food costs about twice as much as traditional jars. If you are looking for some of this new haute baby cuisine they are available in most natural or organic supermarkets. However, some larger grocery chains are also adding them to their shelves.
Have you tried any of the gourmet baby foods listed above? How do you think they compare to traditional jarred baby food?
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