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It's ok, you're not alone - a staggering 84% of Mums have concerns when feeding their baby

In a baby report released by Heinz®, a staggering 84% of mothers have concerns about feeding their baby. The Heinz Australian Baby Report surveyed mothers of infants aged 6-15 months and was commissioned to understand why some parents experience anxiety when cooking for their baby.

The top concerns for mums surrounding the meals they serve at home are: not providing enough variety (56%), or enough nutrition (51%).

Of these mums, a huge 91% of first-time mums are worried about feeding their baby compared to 80% of mothers of two children or those with three or more (75%). Over 57% of first time mums are concerned about not providing enough nutrition and variety (67%) for their baby, with 35% of all mums worried about their baby getting bored around meal-times, leading to babies refusing food and not eating.

Despite this, an amazing 96% of mothers prefer to make their own baby food at home because they know the food is fresh (75%), only high quality ingredients are used (72%), and 58% of mums want to know the food is safe.

In sourcing nutritional information and advice about feeding their baby, 80% of mothers find it difficult to sift through the sheer volume of information available to them and don't know where to start (with 42% of first-time mums finding it difficult). Around 40% of mums also feel confused with new fads and theories which come onto the market.

"It's no surprise that Aussie mums want to provide the best food for their babies, but it's a worry that so many find it challenging to provide variety for their baby, especially for first-time mums" says Heinz Nutritionist, Heather Ferguson.*

"While nutritional value is still very important to mothers in deciding what to feed their baby, the report shows they're generally confused with the information available and don't know where to start," Heather continued. "Only 26% of mums, responded saying they don't have time to look for the right nutritional advice, so while motherhood is a busy full-time job, the majority of mums will still find the time to search for the best quality products for their babies."

When it comes to cooking at home, the most popular meal made by mums Australia-wide is pureed or mashed vegetables (87%). Chicken and vegetables follow closely at 81%, ahead of rice and vegetables at 76% and pasta and sauce at 69%. Only 27% of Queensland mothers say they regularly cook tuna while a big 57% of South Australians rate it at the top of their baby's menu!

Heinz plans to use this Australia wide Baby Report to guide and develop a new generation of products and information to address the needs of new and experienced mums.

Further key findings from the Heinz® Australian Baby Report 2007 are below.


Heinz Australian Baby Report Key Findings

  • Overall a staggering 84% of mothers have concerns about feeding their baby, with first-time mums more likely (91%) to be concerned than mothers of two children (80%) or those with three or more children (74%).
  • 67% of first-time mums are concerned they are not providing enough variety for their baby and that their meals are not nutritious enough (57%), in comparison to the same concern for mums with three or more children (40% respectively).
  • While 39% of all mums don't always have the right ingredients on hand to prepare a baby friendly meal, 42% of first-time mums find this more of a hindrance in comparison to 25% of more experienced mums.
  • First time mums are more likely (84%) to feed their babies home made baby food than mothers with two (75%) or three or more (65%) children.
  • Overall 80% of mums find it difficult to know where to source nutritional advice, due to the prevalence of new fads and theories (40%), the sheer volume of information making it difficult to know where to start (39%), difficulty knowing which internet sites are reputable (31%) and not having much time to look for information (26%).
  • In the knowledge that fresh is best, mums prefer to prepare their baby's food so they know it is fresh (75%) and full of quality ingredients (72%), and so they know the food is safe (58%).
  • 91% of mums feel challenged in making their own baby food with lack of time (54%), unsure whether their baby will eat it (41%) and they don't always have the right ingredients on hand (39%) being the top challenges.
  • Qld mums are more concerned with the safety of baby food at (70%) than SA (50%), NSW (54%) and Vic (53%).
  • The nutritional value of the meal is very important when deciding what to feed their baby for 82% of mothers.
  • A huge 98% of mums would like the option of buying baby friendly ingredients to cook with their own fresh vegetables and meat.


The Heinz® Australian Baby Report was conducted by Galaxy Research.

* Spokesperson: Heather Ferguson is a childhood nutritionist for HJ Heinz with a passion for good food and health. Her background in nutrition spans 20 years and she is an accredited practising dietician with a Masters in Marketing. To schedule an interview with Heather, please see the contact details below.

As nutritionist, Heather knows that real health benefits come from adopting sustainable healthy eating and activity patterns early in life. She decided very early on, that it is more effective to influence food behaviour early in life rather than trying to change behaviour later. Hence, her focus as nutritionist for HJ Heinz is early childhood nutrition.

Release Date: 6th November 2007

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