Many parents use commercial baby foods (BFs) because they find homemade complementary foods a burden. Nevertheless, there is no evidence to propose the use of BFs based on differences compared with homemade complementary foods. In this study, complementary foods prepared in daycare centers (DFs) as homemade foods were sampled, and the ingredient size and the texture measured by compression and puncture tests were compared with those of BFs. The major axes of ingredients of DFs and BFs for infants aged 12–18 months were 26 and 9 mm, respectively. It may be essential to provide foods that encourage finger-feeding and chewing of bite-sized portions when BFs are used. No significant difference in hardness was found between BFs and DFs for rice porridge (5–8 months) and other dishes (5–6 months). Thus, BFs during these periods could be appropriate for use. After these periods, the BFs were softer than DFs. As the hardness of rice porridge was comparable to that of other foods, it was considered beneficial to prepare homemade porridge to encourage mastication in infants aged 7–8 months and over.

  A mailed questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,000 home economics teachers in public junior high schools across Japan in March 2022 to determine their attitudes toward home economics sewing practice. Of the 343 respondents, 93.0% gave affirmative answers to “sewing practice is necessary in home economics classes.” While the need for home sewing has largely disappeared, most teachers still believed in the significance of educational practice as important experiences for students. Teachers tended to respond positively to the questions “I want students to make things that they can actually use in their daily lives” (93.9%) and “It is important for students to develop production skills” (89.8%). Characteristics unique to home economics, such as the development of life skills and technical abilities, continue to make sewing practice attractive and rewarding for teachers. This survey revealed various innovations in their teaching methods. Many of the respondents wrote that they wanted their students to experience not only practical daily-life skills and sewing techniques, but also enjoyable and successful sewing experiences. Many viewed home economics training not only as a means to acquire practical daily-life skills, but also as an experience necessary for students’ overall development.