What brand besides Earth's Best baby food do you recommend?

[poppy]

I do not want to make my own baby food, (I also have an active toddler so this one is getting jarred food) so I am looking for brands that you mamas would recommend. My DS is 7.5 months old.

I used Earth's Best with my 1st and then I found this review on Amazon:

Author of review confirmed with Earth's Best that BPA is used on the lids of their baby food.

http://www.amazon.com/Earths-Best-Organic-Vegetable-Starter/dp/B001BM368E/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1290019925&sr=1-1

TIA!

[catsnkid]

I really liked Beechnut, but I have no idea about the lids.

[poppy]

I'm really careful about BPA... do you think it matters if it's on the lid?

I am thinking if I am paying premium prices for organic, then I feel everything should be that way and BPA free, including their packaging. But I'm not sure how harmful it is since the BPA leeches out in the dishwasher or microwave, etc. I am just concerned about their end of shipping, packaging, what not.

[brittone2]

BPA is going to be on the lids of almost anything in glass with a metal lid. The vast majority of canning jars (like Ball's glass canning jars) have BPA in the lids as well.

[tmahanes]

I think that since you are not heat with the lid on it should be fine. My Martin's (i think its a Giant grocery store) has some great organic purees maybe check and see if their lids a BPA free?

[YouAreTheFocus]

We used a mix of EB jars, Gerber Organic (plastic tubs), and Plum Organics (pouches). The other brands really don't have the range of the EB, once you are looking for combination foods. EB has such a big selection!

My understanding about BPA & other plastics is that the danger is really from heating (and especially repeated heating) and washing (especially in hot hot water or dishwasher, and again, repeatedly).

BPA in lids, etc, was something I had to let go. It's just too hard to completely avoid.

[tmahanes]

We used a mix of EB jars, Gerber Organic (plastic tubs), and Plum Organics (pouches). The other brands really don't have the range of the EB, once you are looking for combination foods. EB has such a big selection!

My understanding about BPA & other plastics is that the danger is really from heating (and especially repeated heating) and washing (especially in hot hot water or dishwasher, and again, repeatedly).

BPA in lids, etc, was something I had to let go. It's just too hard to completely avoid.


:yeahthat: We LOVE the Plum Organics ones. They taste great! Search online and you can get a printable coupon that prints twice per computer.

[babychi]

We used a combination of Earth's Best, Plum Organics and Ella's Kitchen. Plum and Ella's come in handy pouches that you can toss in your diaper bag and squeeze and feed on the go. Loved them! They are slightly more expensive than Earth's Best...BRU sometimes has 8 for $8 specials on Plum and I would usually stock up then. But, as PP mentioned, Earth's Best has a much bigger selection.

[peanut520]

we liked EB, but really loved the convience of plum organic and reveloution foods pouches.

[AnnieW625]

So far I have only used Earths Best, and Gerber with DD2. I'll have to check out Plum Organics too.

For oatmeal cereal the Happy Bellies brand is good, and their containers are all BPA free.

[WolfpackMom]

Besides Earths Best and homemade, we have used Gerber but they don't have as much selection especially not in the meats dept.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Is it the Plum ones that are frozen? I really liked those!

Beth

[peanut520]

Is it the Plum ones that are frozen? I really liked those!

Beth

no, plum organic comes in seal pouches that look like drink pouches. i think happy baby and sprout mades frozen meals.

[BabyBearsMom]

We use Earth's Best and Gerber Organic. But we have been moving away from the purees and just giving DD little bits of cut up food instead. It has been working great and DD loves to feed herself. I don't worry too much about BPA, especially if it isn't something that goes in the dish washer or microwave.

[LMPC]

We had good luck with Plum Organic pouches and Ella's Kitchen (I think that's what it was called) pouches. DD sucked them down when we were on the go!

[mikala]

Another option might be to skirt the issue and fast track it to adult foods. The sooner you get baby to real table foods the sooner you can stop buying jars. You'll probably still get some BPA exposure from adult can linings but that's tricky to avoid without skipping canned ingredients entirely.

We used some Earth's Best and Ella foods with DS but he rejected most purees and preferred to feed himself slivers of really ripe pear, avocado, sweet potato, etc. By 10 mo or so he was eating mostly "adult" food in appropriately sized pieces/texture for a kiddo without molars.

[SnuggleBuggles]

no, plum organic comes in seal pouches that look like drink pouches. i think happy baby and sprout mades frozen meals.

That's right, it was the Happy Baby ones that I liked.


Another poster reminded me of what I wanted to add earlier- table foods. We barely did any purees with ds2. Solids started at 6.5m and one of the first things he ate (gummed) was french toast casserole. Obviously not everyone is down with all that dairy, bread and eggs but I am crazy like that. :) He finished off that meal by gumming on a wedge of frozen peach in his mesh baby feeder.

Beth

[ilfaith]

Sprout is another widely available brand of organic baby food

http://www.sproutbabyfood.com/index.php

Tyler Florence is co-founder and executive chef

[citymama]

Plum Organics

Happy Baby Organics

Both are blended baby food, so not good for first foods. I forgot about the BPA issue and just bought a few jars of EB to have as back-ups for when we start DD2 on veggies. D'oh - thanks for the reminder.

[srhs]

Sprout is another widely available brand of organic baby food

http://www.sproutbabyfood.com/index.php

Tyler Florence is co-founder and executive chef
:yeahthat:
Check them out. They weren't available in my area when I had a LO on baby food, but a DF has been impressed. And she just called her local grocery store and asked them to start stocking it, and they did! Also, there is a $1 printable coupon on their site somewhere.

Also check out Happy Baby.

As Beth mentioned, I did very little purees with my 2nd because I was so much more comfortable letting him finger feed. A big jar of organic apple sauce is a much better price too. If you wait until 6 mos to intro solids anyway, they don't need super runny food. My DC2 was all about selffeeding by like week 3 of solids, seriously. Some of that is personality, I know. I still followed the guide of when-to-introduce on www.wholesomebabyfood.com, but he got tiny chunks or dollops and went to town. Cleanup was messy, but I was happy to not have to sit there and spoonfeed him.

[peanut520]

Plum Organics

Happy Baby Organics

Both are blended baby food, so not good for first foods. I forgot about the BPA issue and just bought a few jars of EB to have as back-ups for when we start DD2 on veggies. D'oh - thanks for the reminder.

they just came out with a single fruit line recently. :yay:
http://plumorganics.com/for_just_line.php i have decided that if we have another i'm skipping jars complete and using pouches.

[poppy]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I plan on trying them out, especially Sprout.

My DS seems to really dislike purees, he throws up or spits it out; He's ok with applesauce but not banana or avocados. I've let him suck/gum on pieces of melon, for teething purposes and he went to town on it. I never thought of letting him go straight to table food, but he does have two bottom teeth out and 4 more on the top, on the way... I feel bad for him when we eat b/c he looks longingly at our food, and screeches, like he's saying, "hey, what about me, where's my share?"

[brittone2]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I plan on trying them out, especially Sprout.

My DS seems to really dislike purees, he throws up or spits it out; He's ok with applesauce but not banana or avocados. I've let him suck/gum on pieces of melon, for teething purposes and he went to town on it. I never thought of letting him go straight to table food, but he does have two bottom teeth out and 4 more on the top, on the way... I feel bad for him when we eat b/c he looks longingly at our food, and screeches, like he's saying, "hey, what about me, where's my share?"

There are a bunch of threads in the archives on Baby Lead Weaning (BLW) which involves going to mostly tablefoods. You might be interested in those.

My oldest barely consumed any purees and it totally stressed me out. He was much happier on finger foods around 8 months (small quantities, but good variety). With DD and now DS2, I used the BLW approach.

[poppy]

Thanks! I'll look for the threads. I've never even heard of BLW.

[srhs]

Thanks! I'll look for the threads. I've never even heard of BLW.

http://babyledweaning.com/
HTH :)

[poppy]

Thanks everyone! Sprouts & Plum organics are working out great for us! I guess he is into gourmet--my little foodie! It def. tastes better than Earth's Best. We'll stick to that and slowly do BLW later--I need to research it a little more--scared of possible chocking; but the threads and sites you mamas posted are great. Thanks again. :)

I bought it from WF originally but they have both brands on Amazon w/ subscribe and save. Not sure if it's that much cheaper, but def. more convenient.