Infant food
Ready-made food for babies - from the beginning until today
Even in ancient times, there were different views on how long a child should be breastfed: in Ancient Egypt, it was common to breastfeed for six months and then give milk from goats, sheep, camels, or cows for the following 18 months. Even back then, fruits, vegetables, and eggs were also fed. In the Quran, the duration of breastfeeding is set for at least two years. The Greek physician Galen of Pergamon, who also lived in ancient times, believed that it was best to completely stop breastfeeding at the age of three. In the Middle Ages, the first milk (also called colostrum) was withheld from infants, as it was believed to harm the child. Instead, infants were given milk from wet nurses or sweetened wine, syrup, and the like in the first few days. Vomiting associated with this was seen as a kind of cleansing process. The duration of breastfeeding in the Middle Ages was one to two years. As soon as the infants started teething, they were given complementary foods in the form of porridge and bread soup. Around the middle of the 19th century, it was common in Germany to wean infants as soon as their first teeth came in. Since it was now known how important breast milk was for healthy child development, cereal porridges were criticized. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were many milk banks for breast milk worldwide, with some milk banks still operating in Germany today.
It was the German chemist Justus von Liebig who brought the first baby food to the market in 1865 - the "soup for infants". He also developed "children's flour" as another product, whose main ingredients were flour and malt. In 1867, the pharmaceutical assistant Henri Nestlé supplemented Liebig's recipe with condensed milk, and this improved children's flour was sold in 18 countries. From the end of the 19th century, other chemists and food manufacturers also developed ready-made products for the nutrition of infants. Two of the best-known manufacturers of baby food today, Milupa and Alete, launched their first products in the early 1930s. Since the 1950s, there have been powdered flakes and since the mid-1950s, canned vegetable puree for infants and toddlers. In recent decades, research has focused on exploring the composition of breast milk and creating synthetic milk that closely resembles this natural combination. The quality of ready-made food for babies and toddlers has also improved significantly in recent decades.
Infant starter formula and follow-on milk
Infant starter formula is the term that summarizes all food suitable for infants from birth until the end of the sixth month of life. Pre-milk products are to be administered from birth - either as the sole source of food or as a supplement. The carbohydrates consist of lactose. The starter milk 1 can also be given from birth as a replacement for breast milk or as a supplement. Apart from lactose, starter milk 1 also contains starch. Follow-on milk 2 is a product that can be given to children from six months of age. Usually, follow-on milk and complementary foods complement each other. Follow-on milk 3 is usually used from the ninth month onwards.
In this online shop for food, you will find a variety of products in the subcategory of children's food, with Milupa, Hipp, Alete, and Bebivita being the most important manufacturers in Germany. Do you want only the best for your child? Then, of course, you can also choose organic products. Examples of these include the organic Hipp milk formula and the organic Kinella carrot juice. Even in the case that your little one should receive HA food to reduce the risk of allergies, you will find what you are looking for with us. Available are the Bebivita HA milk formula and the Hipp Combiotik milk formula, the latter of which also meets the demand for biologically impeccable quality.
The special requirements for complementary foods
At around six months of age, the nutrient requirements of infants increase to the point where sole nutrition with breast milk or infant starter formula is no longer sufficient: the time has come to introduce complementary foods. In Germany, the Regulation on Dietetic Foods specifies the requirements that foods must meet in order to be marketed as baby food. The baby jars available in Germany (and in this online shop) are subject to strict legal requirements regarding pollutants such as pesticides and limits for heavy metals and nitrate. For the first attempts with complementary foods or when on the go, you can confidently choose jarred food over homemade purees. The actual cooking process is eliminated, as the ready-made puree only needs to be warmed up in the jar.
Although water or unsweetened herbal/fruit tea is certainly the ideal thirst quencher for even the little ones, you can also occasionally offer your child special juice spritzers such as organic Hipp mild apple juice and mineral water or Bebivita fennel tea with apple juice from the fourth month onwards. Once your baby has some teeth, you can offer them something tasty and digestible to nibble on with the organic Hipp blueberry rice cakes or the organic Hipp baby biscuit from the eighth month onwards.
Ready-made meals for one- to three-year-olds
A good way to slowly and surely get toddlers used to proper meals are the organic children's plates from Hipp and the bear plates from Bebivita. Choose from a variety of menus in this online food store, which are characterized by high-quality ingredients, gentle processing, and seasoning suitable for toddlers. Since all of these toddler meals are filled in plastic bowls, they can be easily heated either in a microwave or in hot water. Of course, you will also find toddler-friendly desserts with us. The best examples are Bebivita fruit and yogurt strawberry from the 7th month onwards and organic Hipp fruit fun strawberry-banana in apple for 1-3 years. Healthy snacks for toddlers are fresh fruits and vegetables, but you can also offer your little one products such as Hipp red fruit bars (1-3 years) or Bebivita bear cookies (from 8 months).