The Problem with Pouches

No, I’m not talking about my tummy pouch. I have no problem with that. I’m referring to the ever-so-trendy and convenient fruit pouches designed for toddlers. I’ve recently become a stay-at-home mom and my battle with pouches has begun.

Yes, I 100% understand the appeal. They are terribly convenient. They are a quick fix to any toddler tantrums. Bored in the car? Have a pouch. Can’t sit through church? Have a pouch. Don’t want your PB and J? Have a pouch.

But over the last few months, I’ve started seeing a few problems. Here’s my growing list of grievances:

1. Pouches are too quick. My toddler can slurp down a pouch in under two minutes. When I am trying to fill the day with activities and maybe even have a sandwich myself, this menu item doesn’t occupy her for long enough for me to even reheat my coffee. Carrot sticks, for example, can occupy her for almost 10 minutes. They take a long time to chew and she can hold one in each hand. They’re no fun plastic pouch with a smiling cartoon on the side, but I might stand a chance of feeding myself.

2. Pouches are pricey. Now, I know when you are looking at a 12-pack of pouches and it’s only about $6 bucks in Target, it doesn’t feel like much. But that’s double the price of apple sauce cups. And if you have more than one kid and they are obsessed with pouches (like mine are), you start to notice the price difference. Or you could buy a bag of apples, which is usually in between the two costs, but I might actually eat an apple. I’m not going to eat a pouch. So, a bag of apples has a lot more appeal to me.

3. Pouches are not environmentally-friendly. I wouldn’t have thought about this, but we are currently stationed in South Korea. The recycling rules are intense here. Pouches are often created from several kinds of plastic, and if you look at the labels, they can’t be recycled (unless you use a special recycling service where they ship a box to you to send in your pouches). They have to be trashed. A large applesauce container or the individual plastic cups can be recycled. Better yet, an apple core can be composted.

4. Pouches don’t offer a variety of nutritional value. I, like almost all moms I know, often add peanut butter or cheese to cut apple slices. This way the apple acts as a vehicle for other nutritional components like dairy and protein. I am not going to add peanut butter to a pouch. And there is no way my daughter is eating those chia seed protein-packed pouches.

5. Pouches don’t teach manners. Now, when I started offering pouches, it was on a hiking trip, or long car rides, plane rides, etc. But, they bleed into all mealtimes. My daughter asks for pouches at breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. Pouches don’t provide any learning opportunity for manners. No adult is sucking down space food at the table. An apple sauce cup or an actual apple teaches good silverware habits, and you even might need a napkin.

6. There is no patience in pouches. When you ask for a pouch and you are immediately handed one, there is no pause for preparation. It’s an instantaneous response to my toddler’s desires. This is not a practice I’m keen to teach her. When she is hungry, we prepare a meal or a snack. At the very least, we wash our hands and peel back the top to an applesauce cup.

I’m not an environmentalist, or a nutritionist, or Emily Post, but the problems with pouches outweigh their short term solution. I’d like to cut the pouches from my weekly grocery shopping list. I’ll be taking all suggestions and advice on how to execute this next phase.