Baby food pouches sometimes get a bad rap for being too expensive, full of fillers, or cavity-causing. But they’re also quick, easy, and ultra convenient for parents and babies on the go. While they aren’t a reasonable replacement for fresh fruits and veggies, pouches do offer necessary nutrition for your babe. You can’t go wrong with using one for an occasional meal or snack to satisfy your tot’s growing appetite.
We contacted nutritionist Heather Hanks, M.S., to find out what exactly parents should be looking for in a baby food pouch. She tells Best Products: “A great baby food pouch contains whole food ingredients and little to nothing else,” adding that “many store-bought baby food pouches contain fruit juices, which are high in calories and low in nutrition.”
But juice isn’t the only thing parents need to be looking for. According to Hanks: “Parents should look for a food pouch that contains lemon juice concentrate as its only preservative. Food pouches need to stay shelf-stable or they will go bad, meaning that most of them will contain at least some type of preservative.” She says that the lemon juice adds flavor and vitamin C without any extra ingredients that parents may choose not to give their kids.
The pouches below are whole-foods based, with zero fillers and tons of flavor that kids really love. Plus, they’re ridiculously convenient.