Why Baby Food Pouches May Not Be the Perfect Solution for Nutrition

November 11, 2024 Jenny Janov

Baby food pouches have exploded in popularity over the past decade, with sales surging by 900% and pouches now overtaking jarred food as the most common baby food on the market (4). But are these ultra-convenient, shelf-stable squeezes really giving our babies everything they need?

Invented in 2008 by the founders of Plum Organics (6), pouches quickly hooked parents by offering a simple, grab-and-go solution for modern, busy lives. This revolutionary design brought ease and flexibility to feeding on the go—a huge win for parents juggling hectic schedules. Interestingly, around the same time, the concept of Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) began to gain momentum. BLW encourages babies to self-feed, exploring finger foods and textures right from the start. It seemed like a match made in heaven: a flexible feeding method, complemented by pouches that could deliver both purees and solid nutrition.

Evidence shows that BLW has clear benefits, from helping babies learn to regulate hunger and promoting fine motor skills to supporting oral development and exposing babies to a wider variety of textures. Yet, while the rise of BLW and baby food pouches happened side-by-side, there’s reason to question whether the overuse of pouches might actually work against some of these benefits.

There’s no doubt pouches serve a purpose, especially in moments when parents need a quick, shelf-stable option. But as convenient as they are, we’re going to look at the flip side—the potential downsides of relying too heavily on pouches and what to try instead for a balanced approach to feeding.

The Importance of Complementary Feeding

Complementary feeding is the process of starting solid foods in addition to breastmilk or formula, typically around 6 months of age. This stage is essential because it supports not only nutritional growth but also developmental milestones, such as oral motor skills, sensory exploration, and the gradual adaptation of the digestive system to a variety of foods.

Traditionally, infants were spoon-fed, advancing through textures from purees to mashed foods, to chopped foods and finger foods. Now some families choose to do BLW and may start with finger foods or do a combination of approaches. Either way, through both approaches babies tend to get a variety of textures and learn about foods through their senses (look, smell, feel, taste). Variety of foods and textures is critical between 6 to 12 months, as it helps to establish eating habits, encourages a balanced diet and prepares babies for a wider range of foods.

Pouches can be used during this complementary feeding process. They help babies learn to independently feed themselves, and can be used as a way to introduce some variety of foods. However, as a sole source of nutrition, it may impact a baby meeting their developmental milestones and their high nutritional needs.

Nutritional Concerns with Pouches

Babies need a wide variety of nutrients and textures during the complementary feeding period, and this can be challenging if relying too much on pouches.

Lack of Texture and Variety

One of the main concerns with pouches is that they often don’t expose babies to a variety of textures, which as mentioned is critical. Pouches tend to have a uniform, smooth pureed texture but babies also need chunky textures, finger foods and in general less uniform textures as they grow.

Many pouches also have a similar base of apple or pear making up the majority of the calories. So there are a large portion of pouches that are essentially flavored applesauce. This teaches babies when they eat that all food is sweet and has a similar taste. During this window of complementary feeding, babies’ taste perceptions are developing, providing them with the foundation of taste variety from sweet to bitter, salty and sour. The more exposure babies have to a variety of tastes, the more likely they are to accept a diverse diet, including bitter vegetables that help to form better dietary habits (2).

Sugar Content

As mentioned above many pouches are primarily fruit, making the proportion of macronutrients less than ideal. More and more studies have shown that pouches, specifically, when compared to other forms of packaging, have higher amounts of sugar (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). This is in part due to the large amount of pouches being heavily composed of fruits, but some too have added juice concentrates and sugar. A study from Australia evaluating over 200 products found free sugars in 86.5% of the pouches (2). And a more recent study in the US found 50% of the sugar babies consume comes from pouches (4). Many countries around the world are examining the nutrition in pouches, and recommendations are starting to be made. The Nutrition Commission of the German Society for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine concluded that pureed or liquid foods in plastic pouches should not be regularly consumed by infants and young children due to their high energy density and high sugar content (5).

In addition to babies getting more calories from sugar than what is recommended, there is also some indication that babies and young children exposed to sweet foods and drinks early on may develop a preference for these flavors later in life (7). Many pouches are blends of foods that are sweeter than real fruit, so a child is being taught to only like super sweet foods. The additional sugar may also increase the risk of cavities.

Developmental Concerns with Pouches

Beyond nutrition, the developmental impacts of primarily drinking from a pouch can have lasting effects on babies.

Oral Motor Skills

During the complementary feeding process babies are rapidly developing their oral motor skills. And the methods used for feeding influence that child’s feeding development. During the first year of life, babies should learn to move their tongues from side to side, learn to chew, gag and swallow different textures. This is why it’s important to feed babies (or have babies feed themselves) with a spoon, try finger foods, give chunky purees and finely chopped foods. Pouches do not offer the variety of textures that is essential for a baby to develop their oral motor skills. If babies are not exposed to a variety of textures, which require more chewing in this critical window, they may develop texture aversions and refuse foods that are not smooth purees when they grow older.

Sensory and Fine Motor Skills

Babies also are developing their fine motor skills during this period. Using a spoon or picking up foods helps a baby to develop their fine motor skills and promotes the development of self feeding skills. Pouches, on the other hand, bypass this important developmental milestone.

Selective Eating and Food Fussiness

When babies sit at the table and eat the same foods as the rest of the family, we know this contributes to the development of healthy eating behaviors. So it begs the question, if a baby or toddler is sitting by themself or wandering away from the table sucking from a pouch, does that have an affect on how that child eats as they grow? One study found that frequent pouch consumption was associated with significantly more food fussiness and selective eating (8). This is certainly an area that needs more attention and investigation. As it seems in which the way pouches are used vs. the pouches themselves may be the cause of feeding difficulties down the road.

How and When to Use Pouches

So maybe pouches are not ideal in many ways. But they do offer a simple and convenient approach to complementary feeding.

When to Use Pouches

Pouches can be utilized in conjunction with more traditional ways to feed - spoon feeding or feeding finger foods. Here are some ways to utilize pouches to make feeding more balanced:

Serve a variety of finger foods with a pouch. This could be some protein foods - soft pieces of fish, beans, eggs; soft cooked vegetables - broccoli, carrots, beets; and some grains or starchy vegetables - pasta, rice or potatoes; and a pouch, which may be heavily fruit based. Baby will get more balance, and get to practice picking up food and drinking from a spout.
Use pouches for snack times when not at home or as an add on to eating out at a restaurant. Offer baby other foods when out and about, but pouches can be a reliable source of calories when somewhere unfamiliar.
For preschoolers and young elementary kids, pouches can be used as a fruit or dairy based snack that doesn’t have to be kept cold. I find dried fruit and whole fruits (that are better apt to being kept at room temperature) can sometimes be hard for this age group. So for them pouches can fill that nutritional gap.

How to Limit Pouches

If you are in that boat of pouches for every meal and snack and you want to decrease your reliance on them, here’s some tips:

Start slowly pulling back. Offer a few bites of different foods at meal times plus 1-2 pouches.
Or trying going cold turkey at meals, while keeping pouches for snack time. Instead offer only soft finger foods to encourage your child to eat whole foods.
Or maybe use them only for travel and emergencies, rather than as regular meals and snacks.
You can still utilize pouches at meal times for convenience while encouraging motor skill development, if you squeeze pouches into a bowl and offer your little one a spoon.
If your baby or toddler has only had pouches, you will want to increase textures gradually.
Eat with your baby and kids. If they watch you eating whole foods, they will want to start doing the same.
Eat at the table. Having more structured mealtimes at a table will start to reinforce good habits around eating.

Pouches were created with parents in mind—bringing convenience to the often hectic world of feeding little ones. They can make life easier in those busy moments, and they certainly serve a purpose. However, relying solely on pouches may limit the nutritional diversity our babies need and can also impact oral motor and fine motor development. Walking down a grocery aisle, it’s easy to feel that pouches are the “right” choice, with their convenient packaging and healthy-sounding claims.

Ultimately, as parents, we have to give ourselves grace. Parenting is challenging, especially with so many messages around what we "should" do. This post is intended to keep you informed, offer guidance, and empower you with practical tips. Above all, you know your baby best, and you’ll make the decisions that feel right for your family.

If you’d like additional support or have specific concerns, consider reaching out to a pediatric dietitian. They can help you craft a feeding plan that’s aligned with your family’s needs and goals.

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