Something Squatch and I agreed on well before I ever got pregnant was to skip the baby foods that are out there: rice cereals, teeth biscuits, puffs, etc. We are pretty healthy eaters, not eating a lot of sweets or breads (I know my recent recipe posts seem to refute that, but we are not really eating any of what I’m baking, other than a small slice here or there; it’s for the in-laws), and want Little Man to be the same way.

We practice baby-led weaning – at 6 months, on his doctor’s approval, we started giving him food. The first thing he ever ate was a pea. I steamed some and threw a few down on his tray. He mashed them, and then tried to pick them up. I managed to pop a few in his mouth, and he really did not know what to do. It was the cutest thing. Since then, whatever we are eating, he gets. I do keep several bottles of BeechNut foods in the pantry for when we are having something spicy or for when he may choose not to eat what we’re having. I choose BeechNut because the only ingredients are the fruit and veggies that make up the blend (beets, pears, and pomegranate anyone?). I had been completely against the pouch snacks, but have turned to the dark side and keep some in the pantry as well. They are actually great for snack time and for car trips. He is not allowed to hold them on his own, because he will squirt it all out and make a huge mess, so I will hold it while he sucks everything out.

Little Man loves his food though. Cold apple slices are one of my go-tos when he is a teething monster. The coolness soothes the pain, and they are just hard enough to put the right amount of pressure on his achy gums. Meat is one of his favourites; chicken being his top choice. Every meal, I will give him a small helping of whatever is on the table. I do cut it up to be bite-size for him, and he gets his own Little Man-sized fork to stab everything with. We are still working on him actually getting what is on his fork (or spoon) into his mouth, but it gets better each day. If we do happen to have some kind of sweet treat for dessert, he will get a small taste; the kid is a cookie monster, so we are trying really hard to not encourage him to go after the sweet stuff.

Anyway, I saw this headline from CNN this morning about how 95% of baby foods that were tested contain levels of lead, arsenic, and other metals. I have to say that I was not too surprised. I had read several years ago that rice contains extremely high levels of arsenic, and so have been avoiding it. If I would not ingest it, why would I expect my child to? So, rice puffs, rice cereal, etc. were off the table when it comes to feeding Little Man. I’m just amazed that there are people out there who choose to feed their children with these things. I know, there is an argument that there is not a lot of arsenic or metals in the foods, but when you look at the amount ingested over time, it adds up. I’m sorry, but for me, that is just not acceptable. I also don’t always know what the ingredients are in those foods, and if I cannot pronounce something, or if I have no clue what it is, I’m not going to put it in my body. We prefer clean eating – the fewer ingredients, the more local the ingredients, the better. Avoiding these pre-processed foods is about more than just saving money, it’s about saving yourself and giving your children a longer and healthier life.