Baby food question

[ctenidae]

So, I'm taking a marketing class as part of my MBA, adn one of teh cases we've got is on Gerber Foods, and the problems they have with marketing. Here's the question:

For those of you with infants, what kind of food do/did you feed them, and why? Things like price, availability, quality, advertising, perception, are all valid, as well as anything else you can come up with.

For those of you with your jaws wired shut, requiring baby food as the only ingestible foodstuff, what's the other guy look like?

 

[Paul]

My daughter is 5 now, but when she was just a wee one, we never bought baby food. We had gotten the requisite blender / cuisinart etc... when we were married so we just bought fresh or frozen or canned veggies and fruits and made it ourselves.

 

[JimG.]

My daughter is 5 now, but when she was just a wee one, we never bought baby food. We had gotten the requisite blender / cuisinart etc... when we were married so we just bought fresh or frozen or canned veggies and fruits and made it ourselves.

Same here...pre-processed baby food is full of salt and it's very expensive.

 

[severine]

I exclusively feed our daughter organic baby food. No additives, no pesticides used, and no salt/sugar. Obviously, price isn't the most important thing to me... I would make my own, but with the cost of organic produce, I don't think I'd be saving anything over buying organic baby food. And I don't really have the time to make it anyway. I will say that the reputation of the company is important. I usually buy from companies that are responsible, ecologically and socially. Gerber isn't really a favorite... It may be a perception thing, but they just don't seem like a company you can trust.

FWIW, Jim, canned veggies also have salt usually. That's what helps preserve them.

 

[JimG.]

FWIW, Jim, canned veggies also have salt usually. That's what helps preserve them.

I think Paul did the canned food deal...my wife and I stuck with fresh or frozen.

 

[ChileMass]

Wow - I guess I'm a bad parent - we fed both of our girls all sorts of Gerber (and similar) products when they were infants. They liked all kinds of the fruits and veggies. I do know my wife often went for the organic apple sauce and sometimes some other mashed-up fruits, but we always had lots of those little jars in the house. We tried to be careful with what we fed the kids (salt, sugar, etc), but as I recall we gave Gerber a lot of money in those days.

 

[Paul]

FWIW, Jim, canned veggies also have salt usually. That's what helps preserve them.

I think Paul did the canned food deal...my wife and I stuck with fresh or frozen.

I did say canned, however now that you mention it, it was almost all fresh, with some frozen. The cans are pretty much for back-up.

 

[ctenidae]

What's funy, though, is the Gerber case ended up being for Organizational Behavior, and the Marketing case ended up being Snapple.

I tell you, some of the crap they spew in marketing...Did you know that people felt an emotional attachment to Snapple, and many felt betrayed when Quaker bought them and fired Wendy adn Howeard Stern? Did you know that Howard Stern was a paid spokesman? Did you even know Quaker bought Snapple? Did you care?
My answers are "No" across the board on that one.

Thanks, though, for your thoughts on baby food. Had it been a marketing case, I could have used it.

 

[severine]

Wow - I guess I'm a bad parent - we fed both of our girls all sorts of Gerber (and similar) products when they were infants. They liked all kinds of the fruits and veggies. I do know my wife often went for the organic apple sauce and sometimes some other mashed-up fruits, but we always had lots of those little jars in the house. We tried to be careful with what we fed the kids (salt, sugar, etc), but as I recall we gave Gerber a lot of money in those days.

You're not a bad parent. You did what was best for your family. That's all anyone can ask. I don't begrudge anyone for the decisions they make.

Jim - the only reason why I directed that to you was because you mentioned that pre-processed baby food is full of salt and had agreed with what Paul said he'd done. I don't think most people are aware of that...

It's funny. I was just talking to my husband about how we're so concerned about what goes into our daughter's mouth, that we want only the best and healthiest for her... yet we still eat Burger King and all kinds of other crap ourselves. It's pretty hypocritical...

ctenidae - Sorry this won't help you in the end! Good luck with your classes!

 

[RossiSkier]

After I read your question I went and looked to see what brand(s) of baby food we use. With twins, I spend more money on babyfood and formula than the GNP of some small countries. Beechnut seems to have a monolopoly in household. My wife is a thifty shopper and goes to a place called SAVE-A-LOT and buys Beechnut baby food by the case load. It's a name that everybody knows from years and years back. Even when we go to the regular market, she buys Beechnut. I think it initially revolved around Beechnut sending us coupons. She signed up for baby registers at a half dozen stores, and has subscriptions to several baby magazines. Beechnut is in bed with these companies and got our address and pumps coupons to us. That did the trick.

Gerber is a no show. The only thing that they ever sent us was junk mail for life insurance.

 

[ctenidae]

Beechnut makes some dang good chew, too- just put a little between your cheek and gum...

I think it's a different Beechnut, and I find chewing tobacco nasty.

 

[ckofer]

OT, you decide: We have pet catfish which replaced our goldfish. Around the holidays I gave them little pieces of ham which they gobbled quickly. My wife was mortified.

"That stuff is full of preservatives" says she

"You mean the stuff we gave kids last night?" asked/commented I.

I was always astounded by the unit cost of baby food. But then I would be (note my hobby site).