Frequently asked questions

In general, your baby can start eating solid foods at around 6 months of age, but there are signals to keep an eye on in order to know if he is really ready to eat:
– He sits up straight in his high chair for 30 minutes.
– He is able to say “no” with his head or push food away with his hands.
– He is interested in what the parents are eating for supper.
Mother Hen offers two varieties of purees: smooth and textured. For your 6-month-old, start with smooth purees. Then, as your baby develops, offer him textured purees when he’s around 8 months old. Babies can be ready for textures before they’re 8 months old – you’re the best judge of what they’ll like!

Every baby is different and, as it does for adults, appetite can vary from day to day… or from one meal to another! Start by preparing small amounts of puree at a time (1/4 or ½ jar of puree) to avoid wasting any. Respect your baby’s appetite: if he closes his mouth or pushes the food away, he’s no longer hungry. But if he opens his mouth as soon as you offer him the spoon, it’s a sign that his appetite is still there!

You can introduce solid foods in no particular order, but make sure you choose iron-rich foods such as meat, poultry, fish, etc. Include them twice a day. Why? Because your baby’s need for iron increases considerably from the age of 6 months. The menu for the first day could follow this example: iron-fortified cereal with mango puree for breakfast, then broccoli puree with veal puree for supper. Meat or poultry purees make a winning combination with fruit or vegetable purees, since vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamin C, which helps iron to be absorbed by your baby’s small body.

Place your baby in a high chair with a tray at the right height (your baby should be able to reach the food with his hands). You’ll need a spoon to offer the puree (and a damp cloth to clean if necessary!).
Then, to ensure that your baby has a positive experience and wants to repeat it, make sure the atmosphere at mealtime is relaxed. Offer him a first bite by putting a small amount of puree on his lips. If he closes his mouth or nods “no” with his head, don’t insist and postpone the experience to another time.
If you favor a BLW (baby-led weaning) approach, you can also simply place a pre-filled spoonful of puree on his tray. Your baby will be able to experience this novelty by himself, which is beneficial for developing his senses (touch, smell, sight, taste…) and for promoting a healthy relationship with food.

The BLW (or Baby-Led Weaning) approach is about letting your baby discover foods by himself. Yes, it is possible to offer Mother Hen purees while using this method. You could, for example, spread turkey puree on a rice cake, or dip a piece of banana in mango puree for a tropical combo rich in flavor! Refer to our BLW folder to learn more about this subject.

Organic fruits and vegetables have fewer traces of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. For babies, whose small bodies are more sensitive to traces of these chemical compounds, it’s very advantageous to choose organic fruits and vegetables. By doing so, you are also doing your part for the environment, since organic agriculture helps preserve our planet!

Our plastic is food grade, approved by Health Canada, and contains no BPA (bisphenol A). It is therefore safe for microwave cooking and risk-free for your baby!

Deep-freezing is a preservation method that better preserves the flavor, color, texture and nutritional value of the food. Unlike shelf purees (in jars or sachets) that are heated at very high temperatures to eliminate all traces of harmful bacteria, Mother Hen purees are transported in a huge, extremely cold freezer (much colder than your home freezer) that prevents microorganisms from proliferating.

We only use top quality meats and poultry. Our purees are prepared exactly the way you would prepare them at home: meat and water, that’s all! In fact, our meat and poultry purees have made our reputation: Mother Hen parents will tell you! Currently, producing organic meat or poultry purees would considerably increase the price of our products. This is why we are committed to maintaining the quality of our existing product, while remaining proactive in improving our supply parameters.

There are two ways to prepare Mother Hen purees.
In a double boiler: transfer the contents of the jar into the top pan of the double boiler and let thaw for 4 to 5 minutes.
In the microwave: Remove the foil from the small jar of deep-frozen puree. Heat in “defrost” mode for about 1 minute.
Stir and taste to check the temperature of the puree. It’s still the best way to make sure your baby won’t burn his taste buds!

It is possible to defrost purees in the refrigerator 24 hours in advance to speed up their cooking time in the microwave or in a double boiler. However, once thawed, meat and poultry purees can be kept 48 hours, while fruit and vegetable purees can be kept 72 hours.

Yes, the puree containers (lids and jars), as well as the box, are recyclable.

Yes, but once thawed, meat/poultry purees can be kept for 48 hours and fruit or vegetable purees can be kept 72 hours. If you know that your baby won’t eat the whole jar, here’s how to prepare the purees to avoid wasting them:
1) Take a jar of puree that is still frozen.
2) Don’t remove the lid.
3) Run cold water over the jar (this will slightly thaw the sides of the jar).
4) Press on the jar to bring out the still frozen unit of puree.
5) Place it on a clean, odorless cutting board.
6) Using a sharp knife, cut the frozen puree into 2 or 4 portions.
7) Take the required amount for your baby and store the excess in a freezer-friendly dish or airtight bag.
If you still have a surplus of puree, here are some interesting ideas for the whole family:
– Add pureed fruit to a smoothie.
– Transfer any leftover vegetable puree into a soup.
– Enhance your tomato sauce with meat puree for a delicious pasta meal.

If the purees are still frozen, refer to the expiry date on the jar or package.
If you have thawed your puree, it will keep for 48 hours for meat/poultry purees and 72 hours for vegetable and fruit purees, whether the container is open or not.

The purees should be kept cold. Carry them in an insulated lunch box or a cooler with an ice-pack. If your purees are warm or have been exposed to heat, throw them away.

Go to the Contact section of our website. A customer service representative will communicate with you. To help us identify a potentially problematic situation, make a note of the lot number on the side of the container of your puree and take a photo of the problematic puree, if necessary. You will be able to submit all this information to our representative when he/she contacts you.