With the latest Hollywood fad being the baby food diet, more and more people are paying attention to the quality and benefits of babyfoods, though especially organic products.
However, is organic babyfood really better for your baby's health? And what benefits are there versus conventional, non-organic weaning products? We explore just a few of the discussion points below.
One of the most obvious benefits is that organic products do not contain chemical residues, which are known to increase hyper-addictiveness and learning difficulties in children.
Of course, not all baby/toddler foods will have significant traces of these chemicals in them, but organic products are the best way to reduce this risk.
Secondly, organic baby food contains natural products only - nothing has been manufactured or modified to impact the taste or the lifespan of the foods.
Research shows that non-organic products, for instance, have higher levels of hormones and antibiotics in them.
In fact, a 2003 study showed that children who ate predominantly organic foods had 6 times less the level of pesticides in their body than other children.
In terms of benefits, there are not enough studies comparing food for babies and their organic equivalent in the long term, which means the debate remains open and subjective to a degree.
However, a number of leading international nutritionists have stood up in favour of organic baby food and given that a child's early years are its most important and sensitive to neurotoxins, this would suggest that organic is the better option.
The flip side to the argument nearly always relates to cost and in many cases organic babyfood is 25% more expensive than non-organic products.
However, given their natural ingredients and higher nutritional value, organic baby food is worth it.