1. Inventing Baby Food: Gerber and The Discourse of Infancy in the United States
By: Amy Bentley

2. 100 Years of change from 19th to mid-20th century
Industrialization & new technologies
Discovery of vitamins in 1906
Evolving notions of the body and health
Changing consumption patterns
Emergence of science as the authority
Medicalization of childcare
Advertising

3. Baby Biology
At age 4 months an infant’s gastrointestinal system can’t process anything but breast milk or its equivalent
Earlier than this can cause stress on the baby’s kidney function
Breast milk is considered the best option for infants because of the nutrients that assist in development

4. Early 19th Century
Pre-industrial West: 95% of children were breast fed by mothers or wet-nurses
5% received a mixture of boiled flour, water, or animal milk
Mid-19th Century first advice manuals
Most infants were still on breast milk but a new integration of modified cow’s milk was introduced
Grandmother’s aphorism: “only milk until the eruption of molars (12-16 months)

5. Forbidden Fruit
Fruit/vegetables were discouraged because of folk ideas that eating fruit made children and adults feverish and caused severe diarrhea
Infants were restricted from eating fruit/vegetables until 2-3 years of age
Although liquid mixtures such as cereals, gruel and beef broth could be given during the 1st year

6. Late 19th Century: Chemical Period
There was a new dependency on science as an authority on human health
Vs. common sense
Doctors began birthing children in hospitals vs. at home
Medicalization of health care discovery of vitamins
Diets improved

7. Industrialization
Canned goods became available
Mass-produced foods were added to milk or water
This was a forerunner of infant formula
Mom’s became worried about their ability to produce nutritious breast milk
Doctors increased the strength of formulas for infants
Breast feeding declined

8. Expert Advice
: Discovery that fruits & vegetables also have vitamins
1928: Manuals & “Foods and Homemaking” recommended earlier introduction of solid foods:
1 tsp orange 3 weeks of age
7 months 8
9 months
Egg 10 months
Meat 1 year

9. Advertising “Nestle’s Milk Food: Baby’s Friend” Other companies:
“The Incomparable Food for the Growth and Protection of Infants and Children”
“A Scientific Food for Infants and Invalids”
“Children fed on our infant food are remarkable for muscular strength, firmness of flesh, and a lively and intelligent appearance”
“The perfect substitute for Mother’s Milk”

10. Gerber Makes its Move
Grew not out of corporate search for new products, but a mother’s complaint
Mrs. Dan Gerber complained to her husband—owner of Freemont Canning Company—of the difficulty of mashing peas for their baby
The company changed from canning vegetables to specialization in baby food
Gerber became a right of passage for babies

11. Gerber Perfects its Method
First produced pureed foods (strained)
Then a line of cereals
Later, chopped produce for older toddlers
In 1930: produced 842,000 cans of baby food
In 1931: 1,311,500 cans
In 1932: 2,259,818 cans
1935 Gerber competes with Beech-Nut, Heinz, Libby’s but stays on top

12. Why Gerber did so Well
Canned foods were becoming cheaper, and parents could afford to buy them
Doctors and health officials were becoming more involved in children’s healthcare and advertising
Working moms found processed food to be easier to manage
Other inventions were being created to help women in the home: washing machines, refrigerators, diapers, ect.

13. Gerbers symbolizes Trustworthiness & Quality
1930s advertising of Gerbers for:
Purity and wholesomeness
Convenience and modernity
Scientific efficiency
Even the Gerber baby becomes an iconic symbol for the age a child should be to start eating solid foods
By the 1950s there was a dramatic decline in breast feeding
Gerber substitutes for breast milk

14. Gerber Convinces Dieticians
Gerber began advertising in the Journal of the American Dietetics Associate (ADA)
Gerber baby foods are scientifically prepared
Free of contaminants
Are vitamin-filled
Have high nutritional value
Are wholesome for infants

15. The baby in the photo is Ann Turner Cook
The baby in the photo is Ann Turner Cook. She is 87 years old (2014) and is an English professor and writes books. In 1928 her face was drawn in carbon by Dorothy Hope Smith.

16. Convincing Mothers (Ladies Home Journal)
“The new Gerber Products make Mother and Baby alike independent of the kitchen’s restrictions. Baby can really travel now.”
“Square Meals for Baby…and better for him than vegetables you could prepare yourself with ten times the work!”
And husbands: about not having a wife who looks “worn and haggard” from having to be a slave to the kitchen for her child