Is making your own mpasi better than buying instant?

Giving the first food for a baby who is just learning to eat is a challenge in itself. Every food you choose will greatly affect the baby's development process in the future. Nutritious complementary foods can help brain development and increase endurance so that babies grow healthy and smart. But if you have to choose, is it better to make complementary foods yourself or can you use instant ones?

Is it healthier to make complementary foods yourself than using instant ones?

Some mothers believe that their babies will grow healthier if they are fed with homemade solid foods made from organic ingredients.

Of course, making complementary foods at home is more guaranteed for cleanliness and nutrition than instantaneous ones. We do not necessarily know exactly what is contained in the instant solid food menu on the market. Is it made with added flavor or MSG? Is the manufacture hygienic?

So to avoid the worst possibilities, many mothers do not feel the hassle of having to make complementary foods instead of instant ones. In addition to the cleanliness and quality of the ingredients that are better maintained, organic or natural food also has a healthier and more diverse nutritional content than artificial or ready-to-eat food.

Mothers are also more flexible in managing the food menu for their babies. When it comes to serving home-made solid foods for babies, you should choose a variety of food ingredients so that your baby gets a balanced nutritional intake as well as learns about the tastes of food. A diverse diet can also prevent babies from getting used to being picky (picky eating) later.

However, what may be difficult and requires more attention is the measurement of each nutrient when making homemade complementary foods for babies. Some mothers may not fully understand whether a bowl of solid solids at home can meet the nutritional needs that the baby should receive, even though the contents of the food vary.

What if the baby is given instant solids? Is it healthy?

For mothers who don't have enough time to make solid complementary foods by themselves, having instant solid food is certainly very helpful. But, is it healthy?

Instant solid food does not mean it is definitely unhealthy. If it is not healthy, of course instant solids are not allowed to be sold on the market. In order to be sold to the public, a food product (especially for babies) must undergo a feasibility test and be selected first. Instant complementary foods must meet specific standards set by WHO and BPOM, including safety and hygiene standards.

What about the preservatives in instant complementary foods? MPASI is made by drying food ingredients so that the water content in them is reduced. This also extends the shelf life of solid foods. If there are preservatives in solid foods, it must have met safety standards for babies.

Apart from being practical, instant complementary feeding can help mothers meet the nutritional needs of their babies. Many instant complementary foods are enriched with various essential nutrients for babies, from iron, omega 3 and omega 6 which support infant growth and development.

So if it turns out that your situation is not possible to always make complementary foods yourself, or if you feel that the nutrition received by your baby is still lacking even though you have given home solids, you don't need to be afraid to give instant solids.

However, homemade complementary foods are still the main choice to be given to babies. Nutritional content, cleanliness of ingredients, taste of food are certainly more guaranteed. You only need to try to make it from a variety of food ingredients so that the choice of baby food is wider and the nutrition received by the baby is complete.