After talking about Nestlé products "Stage 1" we started today to do it on some of the products of another of the major manufacturers of infant feeding, Hero.
The offer is wide and therefore we will take a look at the labeling of products for children from “from 4 months”.
The objective is the same as with the entries in which Nestlé was talked about: look for the “buts”, if any, of the different Hero brand products that can be extracted by visiting the website or observing the labeling of the jars of Hero baby.
From 4 months
Like Nestlé, Hero Baby has products for babies who turn 4 months old. Taking into account that milk is the most important food until the year of life and that the recommendation is that they take it exclusively until 6 months, the labeling of these products should be “from 6 months”.
Many of you will be thinking that many mothers are advised to start complementary feeding at 4 months. In Spain we have a maternal leave of about ridiculous 16 weeks and some women who breastfeed do not want or have no chance to express milk at work.
These mothers are recommended that advance complementary feeding at 4 months to prevent babies from drinking artificial milk that can cause milk allergy. The reason is, then, to offer a solution to the mother's return to work and not the real need to take food from the baby.
Fruit jars
The Hero Baby fruit jars are 100% fruit and do not carry added sugar (plus point). There are several options because the jars of various fruits, applesauce, peach and banana, 3 fruits, banana, tangerine and pear, apple and banana, pineapple and banana, peach, apple and banana are marketed and apple, banana and pineapple.
As you can see, most of them contain more than one fruit, so they are not recommended to offer them to the baby, at least at the beginning. In order to avoid possible allergic reactions and to determine what the allergenic ingredient is in case of a reaction, it is recommended that each new food be offered separately and that the baby not be given a new one until after 5-7 days. If we give a baby a pot with several fruits and an allergic reaction occurs, we will not know what is the causative fruit.
In addition, if it is usual to eat isolated solid fruit ("now I eat an apple", "now I eat a banana"), and not in compote, the logical thing is that for the baby to know the taste of each fruit eat them by separated.
Let's see what these jars contain and what can be said about them:
That of assorted fruits Contains fruit puree (peach, apple, banana, apricot, orange and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch and vitamin C.
The peach is the most allergenic fruit, from the Rosaceae family, and is usually recommended after 12 months for this reason. In this pot we can also find apricot, another rosacea cousin sister sister that is also recommended from the year. However, here we see both fruits in a recommended jar after 4 months.
That of applesauce Contains applesauce and grape juice from concentrate, corn starch, cinnamon and vitamin C.
That of peach and banana Contains fruit puree (peach, banana and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch and vitamin C.
This is another pot that we can see with peach as an ingredient and in which we would prefer it not to be.
That of 3 fruits Contains pureed fruits (pear, peach, pineapple and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch and vitamin C.
Again with peach and this one with pineapple. Pineapple is a fruit of tropical origin that is recommended from 6 months only to those babies whose mothers have ingested it during their life in a habitual way. In case it has not been so, it is recommended after 12 months.
That of banana, tangerine and pear Contains fruit puree (banana, tangerine, pear, apple, carrots and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch, lemon juice and vitamin C.
In this jar of fruits we observe the presence of carrots (vegetable, not fruit). Carrots are recommended after 6-7 months for nitrates that may have been absorbed (excess nitrates can cause methemoglobinemia).
That of apple and banana Contains fruit puree (apple, banana and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch and vitamin C.
That of pineapple and banana Contains fruit puree (pineapple, banana and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch and vitamin C.
It contains pineapple as an ingredient, better from 6-12 months.
That of peach, apple and banana Contains fruit puree (peach, apple, banana and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch and vitamin C.
And this one also contains peach.
And that of apple, banana and pineapple Contains fruit puree (apple, banana, pineapple and grape juice from concentrate), corn starch and vitamin C.
Again pineapple as an ingredient.
As you can see, the "buts" mentioned are not mortal sins. As it is usually said, the pots are an option for days when there is no time to make food or eat out (although I, with a 4-month-old child, am in favor of, the day you can not make food, give milk and point, and if you have 6 months, offer fruit flavored or as is).
In a few days we keep talking about the products Hero baby.
