Have you ever considered how advertising and product marketing affect what we do, how we parent, what foods we eat, and even how we feed our children?
Step back in time with me for just a moment.
There are only a few findings of how babies were introduced to solid foods in historic times. In most cultures, babies were given some sort of a porridge or a grain softened with water. And in many cultures, the mothers practiced pre-mastication, where they pre-chewed the foods for the infants.
Breastfeeding and wet nursing were likely the most common infant feeding methods. The focus was on nursing rather than on solid foods. Babies weren’t introduced to solid foods until about 11 months, and when introduced to solids, babies likely had a variation of what the mother was eating because there weren’t many other choices.
Around the 1900s was a time of many advances in science and medicine, which brought many changes. Vitamins were discovered, infant formulas became widely accepted and popular, breastfeeding declined, and parenting advice evolved. Parents at this time started to want civility and convenience. All of these things (and others) changed baby feeding practices.
During the 1920’s is when we first see baby
food companies starting to appear. Baby food
was considered cultured and sophisticated.
By 1948, baby food was the most commonly
purchased processed food.
In the 1940’s, baby foods were iron-rich, nutrient dense foods like liver, veal, strained vegetables, and strained fruits. But by the 1950’s, baby food companies starting focusing on the taste of baby foods, adding in sugars and artificial flavors. They also changed the texture of baby foods, making each type of food a consistently food puree.
Baby foods were widely marketed. And while breastfeeding was already declining, baby food companies targeted breastfeeding mothers - implanting fear and worry that their breastmilk supply was inadequate, that breastmilk was lacking in nutrients, and that breastfeeding was old fashioned.
As baby foods were so heavily advertised, parents started giving solid foods much earlier. By 1954, 66% of doctors were recommending solid foods before 2 months, 90% of doctors recommended solids before 3 months, some doctors recommended baby foods as early as 4-6 weeks of age, and one doctor even recommended solids 4-6 DAYS after birth. "Wise mothers today spend more time in the nursery - less time in the kitchen"
Spoon feeding was necessary because babies couldn’t yet sit up or bring food to their own mouths. Although there was no data to prove that it was a necessary process, spoon feeding became the tradition. As science evolved, recommendations for starting solids were pushed back to 4 months. Today we know it's better to wait until babies are closer to 6 months and to
also look for developmental readiness. When researched, it was found that babies were safe with finger foods around 6 months of age.
Baby food companies continue to try to influence how solid foods are introduced. Baby food today makes you believe that there are stages of thickness that a baby must gradually progress through. Not only are purees not necessary, there is no evidenced based research or developmental need for babies to go from one stage of thickness to another. It’s a marketing tactic to keep you buying their product for longer. The baby food industry is now a 50 billion dollar market.
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