As you know, I make a lot of Joley’s baby food. There are a number of reasons for this but one of the biggest is that I want to know what she is ingesting when I put that spoon in her mouth. I will admit though that it isn’t always easy to take homemade food with us when we go out. At home, it is a simple matter of pulling from the freezer and thawing in the microwave. That isn’t possible when we are out and about. So, I am always looking for healthy, high-quality baby food I can bring with us or when we want a meal for Joley quickly.
Sproutbaby.com was kind enough to send us 6 pouches of Sprout Foods baby food. We received:
- Sweet Peas & Garden Green Beans
- Oatmeal with Roasted Cinnamon Applesauce
- Sweet Baby Carrots, Apples & Mango
- Baked Sweet Potato
- Sweet Peas
- Roasted Bananas and Mango
The first thing we noticed upon pulling the food out of the box was pouches; there were no plastic or glass jars to deal with. Each food item was in a resealable pouch. “The pouch is made up of layers of BPA-free plastic and foil. The layer in contact with the food is very heat resistant Polypropylene; All plastic layers are BPA-free.” So, I was wondering, why pouches?
The objective of Sprout Foods in using pouch packaging is still the same, to reduce waste, and in addition, to reduce energy consumption in the manufacturing and transportation of our products while still providing the customer with a high-quality convenience product.
The second thing I noticed on the pouch was the name Tyler Florence. Do you watch Food Network? Then you know who Tyler Florence is! He is one of my favorite hosts on there and he was on the back of the Sprout baby food pouch. Tyler Florence is the co-founder of Sprout Foods. Why did Tyler Florence get involved with making baby food?
My longtime friend Max and I put our heads together to try and create a new food product for babies that would help parents make easy and smart decisions for their children. We looked at everything from the packaging and presentation to how the food was cooked and of course, the ingredients themselves. As a chef, I focused on complimentary food combinations and ways to cook them to bring out all of the gorgeous natural flavors inside. With thousands more taste buds than even adults have, babies love great taste. And with Sprout, we are determined to give them the flavors they crave.
Sprout Baby Food is the result of many years of research, development and most importantly, fatherhood. And I know that you and your baby will agree that my love of food and flavor comes through in every delicious bite.
You may be asking yourself… so the packaging is unique and a famous chef is the co-founder. What about the food? Okay, let me tell you about the food we received. Each baby food pouch is made with all certified organic ingredients. There are no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Why are organic ingredients important?
Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. They drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air, pound for pound, than adults. That’s why it’s important that we know what’s in the food we feed our children, and the products we put on, in and around them.
For a comprehensive list of chemicals worthy to avoid for your children, please go the SproutBaby FAQ section on Chemicals.
The first pouch we decided to give Joley was the Baked Sweet Potatoes. The first thing I did was look to see what the ingredient list was. I was pleased to see the words “Organic Sweet Potatoes.” That is it. There were no other ingredients listed. Wonderful! I also noticed allergen information. I have several friends whose children suffer from food allergies. Sprout Foods baby food does not contain milk, nuts, egg, soy, wheat, gluten, fish or shellfish.
We opened the pouch of Baked Sweet Potatoes and were greeted with a wonderful scent. They smelled good! There wasn’t a hint of anything but sweet potatoes. We used a large spoon to get out the food and put it into a bowl for Joley. She ate it up. There was no hesitation at all; she loved it. I admit that I tried a small bite too (I have to for a review, right? ha!) and it was good! We tried all the other varieties over the next several days and Joley liked every one of them. We were sold on Sprout Foods baby food.
A few things worth mentioning…
- Each pouch is labeled with a “Best Before” date. Once opened, it can be refrigerated and used within 3 days. As with any baby food, it is not recommended to use a spoon that touches baby’s mouth in the pouch to avoid contamination.
- Because of the metal foil liner inside the pouch, Sprout Foods baby foods can not be heated in the microwave directly in the pouch. This was not an issue for us in any way as Joley doesn’t mind what temperature her food is. She just wants to eat. There are suggestions on how to heat the food on the Sprout Foods baby food website if your baby has a preference for warm food.
You may be wondering how much Sprout Foods baby food is. There are variety packs as well as individual varieties to order. A case of twelve 3.5oz pouches costs only $16.65. “Moreover, the SproutBaby Club offers discounts, as well as convenience, for ordering the Sprout baby food by the month.”
Finally, I wanted to point out that SproutBaby.com offers more than just baby food. They have a variety of earth-friendly producs for mom and baby care. Items range from lotions and shampoos to books and containers for feeding. I have spent a lot of time looking around the Sproutbaby.com site and wanted to share the item I keep going back to. I love the Thinkbaby Complete BPA Free Feeding Set:I would strongly encourage everyone to check out SproutBaby.com. It is a great site with a wealth of information about organic food and ingredients as well as wonderful products for baby and mom. You may also want to check out the SproutBaby Blog as there is some good information there as well.
disclaimer: I was not paid or reimbursed for this review. I did receive the product mentioned in this review at no cost but the thoughts and opinions are mine. All quotes are from the sponsor’s website.
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