Ultra-Processed Baby Foods: Are They Harming Your Child’s Jaw Development?

Ultra-Processed Baby Foods: Are They Harming Your Child’s Jaw Development?

More parents than ever are turning to ultraprocessed foods for convenience. From baby food pouches to melt-in-the-mouth snacks, the baby food market is filled with products that promise easy feeding. But recent research suggests that relying too much on these soft, processed foods might have unintended consequences - especially for jaw development and chewing skills.

Sales of baby food pouches have increased by 900% since 2010 (The Independent), and many babies are now consuming commercial snacks and meals daily. While these products are often marketed as nutritious, many contain hidden sugars, processed starches, and industrial additives - raising concerns about long-term health and oral development.

What Are Ultraprocessed Foods (UPFs)?

Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) fall into the fourth category of the NOVA classification, a system that groups foods based on the extent of their processing.

How Are Foods Classified?

The NOVA system defines four food groups:

  1. Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods

    • Natural foods that have undergone minimal changes (e.g. boiling, freezing).

    • Examples: Fresh fruits, vegetables, plain grains, meat.

  2. Processed Culinary Ingredients

    • Ingredients used in cooking, extracted from whole foods.

    • Examples: Salt, oil, sugar, butter.

  3. Processed Foods

    • Whole foods combined with culinary ingredients to preserve or enhance flavour.

    • Examples: Cheese, canned vegetables, homemade bread.

  4. Ultraprocessed Foods

    • Highly modified foods made using industrial processes and ingredients not found in home kitchens.

    • Examples: Baby food pouches, commercial biscuits, melt-in-the-mouth snacks.

Unlike traditional food models, NOVA focuses on how foods are made, not just their fat or sugar content. Many baby snacks may seem healthy at first glance, but their industrial formulation classifies them as UPFs.

Why Are UPFs a Concern for Babies?

1. UPFs Can Disrupt Jaw and Oral Development

Babies need to chew and gnaw to strengthen their jaw muscles and develop proper oral function. However, UPFs are typically:

  • Soft and dissolvable, requiring little to no chewing.

  • Highly palatable, which may cause babies to prefer them over whole foods.

  • Lacking texture, which is crucial for oral motor skill development.

Research shows that limited exposure to textured foods can result in underdeveloped jaws, increasing the risk of crowded teeth, speech issues, and future orthodontic problems (The Telegraph, 2025).

2. UPFs Can Lead to Poor Eating Habits

Early exposure to ultraprocessed snacks may shape a preference for sweet and salty flavours, making it harder for babies to accept whole, natural foods later on. Studies suggest that high UPF diets in infancy are linked to overeating, fussy eating, and increased obesity risk later in childhood (PubMed).

3. UPFs May Contain Hidden Additives

Many baby UPFs include:

  • Added sugars (fructose, juice concentrates, maltodextrin)

  • Modified oils (hydrogenated, interesterified fats)

  • Artificial flavour enhancers and emulsifiers

These ingredients do not support proper growth and development, and some may interfere with the development of the gut microbiota or natural taste preferences (Lords Library).

What Can Parents Do?

Making small changes can support your baby's oral development, chewing skills, and long-term eating habits.

1. Be Mindful of Ingredients

  • Check baby food labels for added sugars, thickeners, or unfamiliar ingredients.

  • Choose options with short ingredient lists made from real foods.

  • Avoid melt-in-the-mouth snacks that don’t require chewing.

2. Offer More Natural, Home-Prepared Foods

Where possible, introduce textured, home-cooked foods rather than relying too heavily on purees and pouches.

  • Serve soft-cooked vegetables (e.g. carrots, broccoli).

  • Offer strips of meat or whole grains with age-appropriate textures.

  • Use a spoon instead of letting your baby suck from a pouch to promote oral coordination.

3. Encourage Jaw Development with Hard Munchables

It’s not always easy to prepare harder textures, but babies need to chew to build jaw strength and develop essential oral motor skills.

One way to do this is through hard munchables—solid food items designed for chewing, not eating. These allow babies to explore different textures safely and strengthen their chewing muscles before transitioning fully to solids.

Examples of hard munchables include:

  • Raw carrot sticks (not baby carrots)

  • Celery sticks

  • Mango pits

How Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits Help

Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits are a specially designed hard munchable—a safe, firm biscuit created not for eating, but for oral exploration and chewing practice.

They:

  • Provide firm resistance that helps babies strengthen their jaw muscles.

  • Are minimally processed, made from only wheat and water, with no added sugar or salt.

  • Help babies prepare for real meals by promoting chewing movements before eating.

  • Are a healthier alternative to dissolvable UPF snacks that don’t support oral development.

These biscuits are ideal before mealtimes, giving babies a chance to warm up their oral muscles. As always, adult supervision is required when offering hard munchables.

Final Thoughts

Ultraprocessed foods may be convenient, but their impact on a baby’s development—especially chewing skills and jaw growth—is becoming hard to ignore.

By reducing UPF exposure and offering textured, whole foods and firm teething tools like Bickiepegs, parents can help support:

  • Better jaw development

  • Improved chewing ability

  • A smoother transition to solids

  • Healthier long-term eating habits

Worried About Your Baby’s Jaw Development?

Help your baby develop strong chewing skills with Bickiepegs Teething Biscuits -a minimally processed, sugar-free, and salt-free option designed for safe oral exploration.

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