When my 5 year old son was small I remember the hype about "veggie booty" Its kinda like gerber graduate finger foods. They are soft puffs that sort of melt in your mouth. They are all natural and you could only get them at whole foods, now you can find them at almost any grocery store. So I started my 7 mo old on this about 1 week ago, and she likes them; but when I looked at the calories/fat content I was shocked. It has an amazing amount of fat, something like 6 or 9 per serving! The gerber things I got have no fat, and neither do the generic puffs similar to gerber. So if these are supposed to be so good, why am I feeding my infant something with tons of fat?? So I have stopped giving her those for now. Anyone have any insight?
Apparently you can get it online too, so we can all know what you're talking about:
http://www.robscape.com/files/prod-veggie-booty.php
It looks to be a great product, in fact I want to try it after reading the list of ingredients. Holy cow, it is expensive though!
As with all vegetables, be careful and watch for outbreaks, this is from a year ago:
http://www.pritzkerlaw.com/veggie-booty-lawsuit/
babies need fat for good brain development. My baby is skinny and the doctor kept telling us to feed him more fatty foods with more calories.
We were recommended to give them to DS who had feeding problems and weight problems because they would help his chewing and they contained a ton of fat to help him gain weight. Unless your daughter needs the weight, it seems to me it would be better to stick to something else. We don't use them any more for that very reason. There are a lot of other snacks out there that are much healthier, I think.
Two things to remember when reading the labels on food for our small children.
One. Babies and small children NEED fats for healthy brain development. Their requirements are much, much different than yours. Without sufficient fats, small children can develop skin issues like eczema and often don't grow and thrive properly.
Two. Not all fats are created equal. Olive oil, for example, is one of the most beautiful and healing oils created by nature. Most women in our culture don't get enough oils in their diet and then develop hormone imbalances and all kinds of fat-deficient symptoms.
I think what's most important is natural and organic vs. highly processed and chemically treated. Gerber is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to hiding junk - and I don't just mean fats - in their foods.
A high sodium content, ingredients ending in ite or ate (proof that they are either derived from petrochemicls and/or lab created chemicals) and ANYTHING with high fructos corn syrup should be avoided like the plague.
Blessings,
M.
Really would depend on the type of fat.
Keep in mind that infants use fats for brain connections-- good fats are very good for them- your breastmilk is full of fats and then if they drink cows milk when they are 1, they drink whole milk for that reason- and things like avocados, fish oil supplements for you while nursing etc, are so great.
If it is not good fats, you probably don't want to give them to him- are these highly processed? Are there a LOT of ingredients you can't pronounce? If so, then I would bet that there aren't a lot of good fats, and would stay away from them.
I was a bit confused: are these veggie snacks or starchy/bready snacks? (I am completely unfamiliar with them). At any rate, I would say go with regular cheerios for the travel finger food. They store well, are easy to eat, and don't make a huge mess. As far as veggies, I would use the gerber graduates or soft-cooked and cut up veggies, but only at the table seated in a high chair. She is still young and most finger foods are for practice.
I fed my kids the Gerber Puffs. We live in the middle of nowhere Montana, so we do not have fun things like Pirate's Booty at our grocery store (I get them when I go to bigger towns, because I love them). So I never heard of giving them to a baby. I would stick to the Gerber Puffs if you are worried--they are made for babies, and probably are fortified with things like Iron.
Research it or ask your Pediatrician. Most kids especially under 1 need fat in their diet. If the Gerbers have no fat it may not even be that nutritional. Make sure it is a snack, not something they eat all day long either. Compare both for nutrional value too, sodium content and sugar content are way more important to look at then fat at this age. If she is eating TONS each day of course that isn't good, however some fat in her diet is important.
The biggest thing to look at is what kind of fat. Children need a balanced diet of carbs, protein and good fats. A good rule of thumb that I use is making sure you know what the ingredients are. The less processing, the better.
My general thinking it that it's best for people (infants or adults) to eat food. Stuff that occurs naturally, like veggies, fruit, meat, eggs, dairy. Those puff things are so over processed (and kind of gross me out)!
Try peas! My boy LOVES peas. You can buy them in bulk frozen & organic at Costco. They can be smashed until she's old enough for finger foods. Then, when she is, they travel well, and can be eaten frozen, thawed or cooked! I tried those puff things too when my in-laws bought them for us. But they gross me out so much, I'd rather toss them out. Plus I KNOW that peas are healthy.
Junk food is junk food, regardless of whether it's organic, natural, Gerber, or whatever. Good for you for reading labels. You also need to look for sugar & salt content. And is it whole wheat or white flour? And is there high fructose corn syrup in it? I think it's alright to give these sort of snacks as a treat or in moderation. I let my kids have Cheerios & Pepperidge Farm whole grain gold fish for example. Fresh fruits, Dried fruits, canned fruits in juice (not syrup) are a good snack. Frozen fruits made into a smoothie are also good. If you can get your kids to eat vegies, that's great! White cheeses (not died yellow/orange) are good. Whole grain pasta, brown rice, & whole grain bread are good. Those snacks you are talking about are nice because they are convenient --- they won't hurt your kids --- but they aren't "good" for your kids.
Hi S.,
When looking at fats, you need to look at the type of fats in a food. Healthy fats are good for our growing babies and for us too. Look at the ingredients list to see where the fat is coming from.
Also, I caution ALL parents to look at the ingredients in convenience food marketed to babies and toddlers. We all have to be advocates for our own health. If you take the time to look at food lables, Gerber Graduates is just processed food with additives including sodium, refined ssugar and other artificial ingredients that do not belong in our children's bodies. Look for whole foods such as whole grain crackers and pretzels, sesame sticks, etc. I used to cook up Sweet potatoes and then cut them up into cubes and take along with us in a small soft cooler pouch so my baby could eat healthy snacks on the go.
Hey S.-My daughter LOVED veggie booty and I thought it was a lot better than the Gerber because the Gerber product has all kinds of scary ingredients. My pediatrician said all in moderation--the upside is they are a natural product and introduce your baby to good flavors they should grow to like including spinach and kale. It's also 6 g of good fats--no trans fats and only a small touch of saturated fats. There is some soy, which is why I would let her have it in moderation. Gerber puffs, on the other hand, has things like tri & Dicalcium phosphate. When our daughter could eat dairy, we moved her to the same brand cheese puffs, which still melt in her mouth, but have no soy. We still give her veggie booty though--just as a snack. Hang in there!
I think I would look at other foods. Watch the corn syrup (aka sugar) and soy content. We don't eat any of that food in this house and all feel much better. It is hard to shop for but you can do it... I did. I think Veggie Crsips were a similar "chip" and better for you...or was it the stick ones? also, avoid flavorings at this age. they usualy don't need the extra flavors and if you are eating it, dip them in a little blue cheese dresing or something for flavor.
S.,
It seems to me that a 7 month-old is too young for things like that. They don't have a great time with heavier textures. Choking seems like a great possibility. If your daughter needs the fat, try yogurt, not something that, even though it melts in her mouth, could be a danger. If her weight is no problem, you are probably doing just fine with her.
I can't tell you if this particular product is good for your baby but I can tell you that fat is good for them. Up until age 2, you are supposed to give them whole milk dairy products which are just loaded with fat (anyone sneak one of your baby's yogurts? MMMMMMMM!!!!!) I would speak to your pediatrician about the product and see what they say.
I have a bachelors degree in Health Science and believe me babies need fat! Unless your pediatrician specifically tells you that your child is over weight you shouldn't be avoiding fat for your babies. kids need fat to be able to develop fully neurologically. The brain is made of a lot of fat and when they are growing so fast they need fat in their diet to develop properly.
