For some time I have acquired the mania, or hobby, of observing the labeling of some children's products. Many mothers ask me in the consultation (I am a nurse) what I think of this or that product, and to be an informed tad I occasionally go through the aisles of the supermarkets or look for information on the internet about the different alternatives in infant feeding.
I am so convinced that babies have to eat foods as natural as possible that some products, such as baby yogurts or some porridge and small cups, deserve a moment of observation for, once you have the data of the ingredients, decide whether to buy them or not.
Today I am going to shear the products a bit Nestlé Stage 1, not for anything special, but because some brand had to start.
I want to clarify beforehand that I am not totally against these products. They are not poison, some have beneficial ingredients for children and many can be a good alternative at specific times. However I think that there are concepts that Nestlé would have to clarify (the time of introduction) and products that could be improved, especially if we consider that the recipients are babies.
I am not going to make a very thorough assessment, since I do not have the appropriate knowledge (and some things escape me) or the ability to make a real analysis of the ingredients (it would be wonderful to be able to analyze one by one and be able to write a full report) , so the most I can do is offer my vision after taking a pot, flipping it in my hands and reading the ingredients.
Stage 1
Nestlé Stage 1 consists of a series of products for babies who are 4 months old. If we take into account that the current recommendation is that babies be exclusively breastfed until 6 months, a complementary food should never be labeled with "from 4 months".
It is true that when a mother returns to work at 16 weeks, is breastfeeding and milk is not going to be extracted, it is recommended that she continue the complementary feeding to prevent the baby from taking cow's milk proteins (which are present in artificial milks) and thus prevent the baby from suffering a milk allergy, however this is a particular solution to the incongruity of having a maternal leave of only 16 weeks.
It is recommended that until six months, all children drink milk exclusively, and if it can be maternal, better.
Rice and Carrot Porridge
This porridge contains Rice and Carrot. Rice does not contain gluten, so it could be taken by a 4-month-old baby. The carrot, however, is recommended from 6-7 months for nitrates that may have accumulated.
It is specified in the labeling that may contain traces of milk and lactose. This makes it a food to be discarded for all children with a milk allergy and for all those babies who have not yet tried any food with cow's milk proteins.
Orange juice
Nestlé sells concentrated orange juice in a pack of two 125 ml containers.
As we see in the photo of the product, the idea is to offer it to the baby as a bottle. We already commented on the day we talked about fruit and juices, which a juice should never be given in a bottle because they have a high cariogenic potential (of producing cavities) and when they are given with a bottle they have too much time in contact with the gums and teeth.
On the other hand the recommendation until six years is that children drink a maximum of 120-180 ml of juice a day because it can be a factor that favors obesity.
Nestle orange juice contains 125 ml, intended for a 4-month-old baby (not years). The good thing, and you have to keep it in mind, is that does not contain added sugars and the risk is not so much the danger of obesity, since orange juice contributes only 40 kcal per 100 ml, but all the juice a baby of that age drinks equals milk that he stops drinking, much more nutritious (the juice does not provide fat or protein and does not even provide the fiber that does contain a piece of fruit) and more caloric (breast milk and artificial milk provide about 70 kcal per 100 ml). The amount is then excessive.
Finally I want to comment on the topic of learning. As I have commented several times, one of the main objectives of offering complementary foods, if not the main objective, is to cause learning in babies.
A spoon generates learning, a food on the table that can touch, manipulate and catch generates learning, but a liquid food is more of the same. The taste is new, it is true, but the orange can also be given with a teaspoon or holding a wedge with the fingers so that the baby sucks it, to give some examples.
And if it can be offered after six months, the better. More milk they will drink.
Assorted Fruit Juice
Another of the juices that Nestlé sells is the one composed of orange, apple, pear and pineapple juice in a pack of two 125 ml containers.
The comments on this juice are practically the same as those made for orange juice. Varied fruit juice provides more calories (45 kcal / 100 ml), but they are still much less than milk (70 kcal / 100 ml). They are also given in a bottle and provide little fat, protein no fiber.
This juice also contains pineapple, which is only recommended for those babies whose mothers have eaten this fruit in a more or less usual way during their life and after six months.
As for the subject of learning, orange juice, at least, tastes like orange and the child learns what orange tastes like. This one knows several different things that it will hardly mix again in the future when you eat the fruit with your handyman.
Apple juice
Third and last option to choose from among the available juices that is also sold in a pack of two 125 ml containers.
These apple juices contain 46 kcal / 100 ml, they are also offered in a bottle and, as with the others, the nutrient intake basically focuses on the fruit's hydrates (neither fiber nor other nutrients).
To be continue…
There are several products of Nestlé Stage 1 and therefore I will continue another day commenting on what can stand out after observing a little the ingredients and properties of this type of infant feeding.
