Useful Tuesdays: Baby Food Pouches

It’s been a long time since I did a product review type Useful Tuesday post but I’m pulling one together today in honor of one of the things I’m most thankful for as a mom: the trusty baby food pouch.

I first saw one in the tiny hands of our friends’ two year old. This was when we were TTC, before we were pregnant. I was curious what it was because I’d never seen one before: they weren’t around when I was babysitting (oh so long ago). Our friends assured us that they were very useful as snacks on the go and were sometimes the only veggies their picky toddler would eat.

When we started weaning Isa I picked a bunch of these wonder pouches up. While I fed Isa mostly homemade baby food at the house, I LOVED these pouches when I was on the go. I could so easily squeeze the organic fruits and veggies into her mouth no matter where we were. If we didn’t have time to finish it I could replace the cap and store it with minimal mess.

Many brands of baby food are sold in pouches but Plum Organics seem to have the most flavors. Some of Isa’s favorites are Broccoli Apple, Mano Pear, Spinach Peas and Pears, Pumpkin Banana and Sweet Potato, Corn and Apple. I love the smaller Mish Mash (in blueberry, banana and apple cinnamon) pouches because with oats and quinoa they pack the same caloric punch via less food. Some other brands I’ve seen are Ella’s Kitchen and Happy Baby. Earth’s Best also puts out pouches, complete with Sesame Street characters to convince the kiddos of their coolness.

In the past week Isa has mastered feeding herself these tasty, nutritious pouches: she can suck one of those things dry with very little help from me (when she’s half way done I have to fold up the bottom to make the end more accessible). Being able to give Isa a pouch while she’s in the stroller and have her be done eating when we arrive at our destination has made my life SO MUCH EASIER.

The only problem with these pouches is the cost. They are EXPENSIVE! Turns out people are willing to pay a lot for high quality, organic food in an easy to access container. In fact, they are willing to pay anywhere from $1.10 to 1.29 a pouch. Luckily Babies R Us frequently has 10 for $10 or 8 for $8 sales and when they do, I go crazy.

Still, even at $1 a pouch these babies are not cheap. If you’re interested in the convenience but not so concerned about organic ingredients, there are cheaper versions. The pouch Isa is eating in the above picture is a Safeway brand snack pouch. They have much fewer flavors (all apple based) but they are also much more affordable at 4 for $2.50. Trader Joe’s also sells Crushers pouches at 4 for $2, offering similar flavors as the Safeway brand. To be fair these pouches are much smaller than the Plum Organics or Ella’s Kitchen (which are super expensive, coming in at a whopping $1.50 a pouch!) and none of the flavors offer veggies. While the Plum Organics can be a mini-meal the Safeway/TJ pouches are more like quick snacks to appease a fussy traveler.

Getting enough calories in my little girl has been something of a struggle of late. These pouches have been a great way to get an extra 50-70 calories in her in between meals, and on the go. Plus, I never feel bad about offering her organic fruits and veggies. There are times when I literally don’t know what I’d do without these pouches. This weekend we’re taking Isa camping for the first time and I’d be panicking if I couldn’t bring 10 or so of these mini-meals with me. No matter what the conditions we find ourselves in, with these baby food pouches I know my daughter will be getting something good to eat.