Articles · Seedling days

Plain answers for the supermarket, from the labels themselves

Everything here is written from our own read of 4,300+ Australian pack labels and the published research, cited in full at the foot of every article. We are bringing a paediatric dietitian on to hold the nutrition bar.

The numbers · 3 minHow healthy is the baby and toddler aisle in Australian supermarkets?The largest independent audits of Australian baby and toddler foods, in plain numbers: what fails the WHO standard, what the packs claim, and what to do at the shelf.The shelf, decoded · 3 minAre baby food pouches bad for my child?What Australian research actually found inside baby food pouches: how many contain free sugars, how sweet they run, and when a pouch is genuinely the right call.Head to head · 3 minHow do I read baby food labels in Australia?A ten-second method for reading any Australian baby or toddler food label: the two places truth lives, the claims to ignore, and why finding labels hard is not a you problem.Head to head · 2 minCan I trust the Health Star Rating for my toddler?What the Health Star Rating measures, why an adult scoring model says little about a 14-month-old, and what to use at the shelf instead.The shelf, decoded · 2 minHow do I choose a yoghurt for my toddler at the supermarket?The yoghurt wall has 30 options and one honest answer. How to pick a toddler yoghurt in ten seconds: full fat, plain, and why the cartoon is not for you.A calm read · 2 minMy toddler refuses new foods. Is that normal?The research says it takes 8 to 10 or more tries before a toddler accepts a new food. What counts as a try, why rejection is not failure, and how to keep offering calmly.The shelf, decoded · 2 minAre veggie snacks for toddlers actually vegetables?The word veggie on the front of a toddler snack is doing a lot of work. What the ingredient research shows, how Australian kids are really doing on vegetables, and the three-second check.The numbers · 2 minHow much sugar is OK for a two year old?What free sugars are, where Australian toddlers really get theirs, and why the practical answer is a comparison habit at the shelf, not a gram count at the table.The money · 2 minIs feeding kids healthy food more expensive in Australia?The number on the shelf ticket that beats the stars: how unit price works, why plain usually costs less than packaged-for-kids, and who really pays for the free supermarket apps.A calm read · 2 minShould I ask ChatGPT what to feed my toddler?Most US parents have asked AI for parenting help. The research on where chatbots shine, where they invent, and the 30-second habit that separates confident from checkable.