I do try to encourage mothers to make their own foods for baby and to have baby eat what the family eats but not all families like that option or are capable of that so it is important for their to be other healthy options out there.
Happy Munchies
We chose their rice cakes. This product is for children aged 7 months or older who can sit unassisted and grasp items and put them in their mouths. Teeth would make eating this product easy but not necessary with adult supervision. The saliva can soften it enough for baby to break off an appropriate amount. This product is certified organic and we chose the flavor Berries and Beets. The company highlights that there is no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and is lightly sweetened with fruit juice. We also saw apple flavored but we wanted to try something different with our pallet ;) The ingredient list is pretty limiting which is good (Organic Brown Rice, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate, Organic Red Beet Juice Concentrate, Organic Blueberry Puree, Organic Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1) ) and gives warning that the product may have been exposed to other products that contain soy (meaning they used the same equipment).
What I like:
Before giving it to my girl I tried some. The flavor is very light, not overwhelming at all and must have just the right blend of berries beets because the awful taste of beets was not there. The rice cake is a slight purple color but I assume that is from the light flavoring from the juice. It feels and looks like the traditional rice cake except a smaller portion. When giving my girl her own serving she handled it well. Its made perfect for little chubby fingers. She was able to break off the appropriate amount so I was not concerned about chocking. She was not a fan of the taste at first but I assume she grew to love it because she finished the rice and cake and signed for more while yelling "More please!" I do like how they are easy "to-go" snacks. If you are in the position where you can not keep fresh fruits and veggies cool or maybe you are not a position to handle the mess I think these are nice and convenient and can fit nicely in a snack cup. I sometimes send these for snack with my older girl for school. There is only 1g of sugar and 20 calories according to the package.
What I do not like:
There is not much that I do not like about this product accept that there is not too much going on nutritionally according to the package, there is no protein, no vitamin C, no vitamin A, no calcium and no iron but this could also be due to the fact that beets and berries do not have too much of these ingredients and according to the packaging they only used very little flavoring so one would assume not much of the vitamins and minerals landed in the product.
Over all I think this snack is great and should be treated as a snack and not to replace full balanced meals.
Happy Tot Morning
We chose banana, blueberry yogurt flavor just to see how it compares to mama's homemade blend ;)
This product is aimed for children 12 months and older who can sit unassisted and grasp items and can place them in their mouths. No teeth needed as its the same consistency as a puree. The product is certified organic and the company highlights that there are 750mg of omega3 from Salba, its made from whole grains and oats, and 3g of fiber. The ingredient list is pretty limited which is good(Organic Banana Puree, Water, Organic Blueberry Puree, Organic Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (Organic Cultured Whole Milk), Milled Organic Salba Chia Seed, Organic Whole Grain Oat Flour, Contains 1% or Less of the Following: Organic Natural Flavor, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate.) and the yogurt used is Greek yogurt for those that are into Greek yogurt.
What I like:
My girl is picky all of a sudden so its hard to get something worth anything into her body now unless its breast milk. This seems like a good wholesome options that includes a blend of several different healthy options. I have never been a fan of the pouches and the slurp yogurt tubes so I squeeze the contents into a bowl and offer it my girl with a spoon (or fingers which ever she's in the mood for). The texture to me was more like yogurt and had a tan coloring. It smelled like bananas and it tasted it like it as well. My girl gobbled it up quickly and wanted more! Its packed full of good stuff like 210mg of potassium, 6% DV of iron, 2% DV of Folate, and 6% DV of magnesium. There's only 2g of Fat. We use this in addition to other breakfast options or I cut up pieces of bananas and berries and add to the blend for more texture.
What I do not like:
Again as I mentioned earlier I am not a fan of the fact that its a pouch. I like to be able to see what is going on inside and like to see if there is any spoiling or molding. I remedy this by putting the contents in a bowl but the item is marketed as the child being able to just "drink" the blend from the pouch. Another thing that I am not a fan of is that there are 10g of sugar but I am going to attribute that to the fact that it has so many different fruit and fruit juices added.
Overall I think for the mother that can not or chooses not to make her own yogurt blends for her child to eat this is a great option. In my opinion it is a healthy option and can be incorporated into a balanced diet but should not be the only source of nutrients.
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*** This review is part of a Giveaway that will go live on the Facebook fan page 11/17/14 or you can click here ***
**This blog is not intended to give nutritional advice and questions about your child's nutrition should be addressed to your child's pediatrician or nutritionist.**
