How the internet reacted when this mum found mould, in her baby food.

You won’t believe how the Internet reacted when this mum found mould in a her baby’s food.

How would you react if the fruit pouch you tried to feed your one-year-old was spoilt? It would be pretty annoying would it?

Imagine you are out at a playgroup, or the park and have a packet of what you think is a pretty easy and nutritious snack all ready to go. But when you go to feed your hungry little tot screaming for some num-nums the fruit pouch is all mouldy.

I’d be rather grumpy at the whole thing. I would do exactly what a Mum in the US has done – turn to the Facebook page of the food company to voice my annoyance.

I’d expect an apology – or at least an explanation from the company. What I wouldn’t expect was to be criticised for daring to feed my child “processed” food (even if it was 100% fruit). What I wouldn’t expect would be the wrath of other mothers.

What I wouldn’t imagine is receiving several dozen pithy messages that are simply plain old-fashioned bitchy. This is the story of the time a Mum tried to do the right thing by her child. And the Internet turned on her.

Unfortunately, this is not an unfamiliar tale. This time it was a Mum in the US, Lourdes Fernandez Gil Rodrigo, who found out the hard way that her parenting choices were in fact everybody else’s business when she posted a complaint to the Facebook page of a food manufacturer.

Here’s her original post.

Then, the Mummy judging began in earnest – not at the mould - but at the fact she had dared to cut corners.

It seems to be right up there with bottle-feeding and forgetting your child’s hat as one of the top three Mummy-sins: The shame of feeding your child pre-prepared food.

Parenting forums are flooded with new Mums debating the pros and cons of organic “squeezie” baby food (or God forbid, using a Heinz jar). Many claim they will only feed them to their little one in an “emergency." (Quick! Fire, flood, cyclone, Rafferty’s baby food...) Others swear to never let the evil little packages of (gasp) fruit and vegetables enter their trolleys.

I’m not going to debate the pros and cons of the contents of these foods. It’s your choice what you want to feed your baby. Personally I can’t see the harm in them but frankly, it's not any of my business.

And that’s the point isn’t it? Unless I’m pulverising big macs and Mars Bars and feeding them mashed up with a hit of crack cocaine and a few cigarettes I don’t actually think what I feed my child is anyone’s bloody issue except mine.

You have to wonder what we did before Facebook – how did we publicly humiliate each other? Or is the anonymity of the Internet giving us the perfect fodder to become more judgemental than ever.

Do you feed your child packaged foods? Should this mum have been "snack-shamed"?

Now, we don't care whether you feed your kid packet food or not, but here are some healthy snacks for kids that won't (hopefully) get you kicked off the Internets...

1. Fruit kebabs with cheeseAlternate cubes of cheese and your child's favourite fruits. Fresh fruit is always a nutritious, fibre rich snack food. There is concern that 2-3 serves of fruit are too much for young children however the issue is only when kids are consuming 2-3 pieces of fruit + juice + dried fruit as the more processed the fruit, the higher the sugar content.

Lighter fruits include berries and melon or team fruit kebabs with fruit and vegetables (e.g. capsicum, carrots) which most kids need more of. Also serving veges kebabs with hommus or fruit with a mix of veges and cheese or fruit with Greek yoghurt helps to give nutrient rich protein with the snack.

2. FrittataFrittatas are a great way to increase vegetable consumption. Use low fat bacon to make it healthier and olive oil instead of butter. You may also consider doubling up on egg whites and removing some of the egg yolks, although egg yolks are very nutritious. The best option is to add milk and cheese to the eggs to offer calcium and load in as many veges as you can!

3. Muesli barsMaking muesli bars at home removes preservatives and allows you to control the amount of bad fats and sugar included in the recipe. Also available in nut-free recipes for allergy kids.

Any wholegrain is a great choice but just watch the dried fruit which concentrates the sugar.

4. MuffinsUse pureed fruit instead of sugar when making muffins at home and try and olive or sunflower oil instead of butter. Always use mini muffin sizes for primary school aged kids and 1-2 is a serve with a glass of milk.

5. Toasted sandwichesAn oldie but a goodie. Fill toasted sandwiches with ham, cheese, tomato, baked beans but choose wholemeal or multigrain bread and skip the butter. Wraps are also a lighter choice and younger children can have 1/2 a sandwich with avocado, 100% nut spread, cheese or tuna as a filling snack choice.

6. PopcornOne of the best investments you'll ever make is to buy a popcorn maker. Healthy popcorn works all the time, or pop it yourself in a pot using a small amount of olive oil. This is a great snack and very popular. Making popcorn at home means you can control the oil and the salt. Skip the butter and any sweet toppings.

7. Flat bread chips and salsaA delicious snack is toasted flat bread segments with salsa or hommus. Use wrap bread such as wholemeal pita wraps or Mountain Bread. Just cut into segments and bake in the oven until crispy. Using wrap bread is a much lighter choice than corn chips. You can by jars of salsa or make your own. Stick to skinny versions of guacamole and hommus or better still, try making them at home yourself.

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