Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday!

My son enjoying his Johnny Jumper!

PR Friendly & Disclosure Policy

We are a PR Friendly blog!

Family of the Cloth is a PR friendly blog. If you have a product that you would like me to review, please email me at jill(@)familyofthecloth(.)com.

Review and Giveaway Guidelines:

- The focus of my blog is faith, parenting, and going green. Any product or company that I review must fit into this focus.

- I do not charge for company or product reviews. I will provide my honest opinion in exchange for the product or service being reviewed. All review items are non-returnable. I will not be responsible for shipping costs.

- All products sent for review must be free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, parabens, Triclosan, and artificial dyes. Any food product being sent must be free of artificial dyes and flavorings.

- In the case of a giveaway, you are required to send the product to the winner. I will, however, email gift certificate codes.

Disclosure Policy:

Effective 10/21/10 (Updated 4/8/11):

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact jill(@)familyofthecloth(.)com.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for her posts or advertisements, she always gives her honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely her own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Please Vote!

Please vote for HappyBaby in the NBC/American Express Shine a Light Competition. Please comment here if you do, and you will receive an extra entry in an upcoming HappyBaby Giveaway.

Sprout Baby

The Problem with Most Commercial Baby Foods

What's in it?

When I began researching baby foods, I was shocked by some of the ingredients that are found in several commercial brands of baby foods. A study released by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, for example, found high fructose corn syrup, chemically modified starchy fillers, and excessive amounts of water in many of the commercially available baby foods. Some brands even had more "fillers" than the actual ingredient listed on the front of the jar.

That horrible taste?

I think most of us have played that infamous baby shower game where you "Guess the Baby Food." You're given a tester spoon and then asked to identify some very foul tasting baby food. And I remember the surprise to find out that something so awful tasting was something as simple as peas. On most occasions, the jarred food tasted nothing like you serve the rest of your family

The Solution: Sprout Baby

"SproutBaby.com is the brainchild of parents and professionals that saw an unexplored area of parenting and shopping and wanted to bridge the gap between making healthy choices and making easy choices. We created SproutBaby.com because we care and are concerned for babies and their moms, their families and communities, and the planet in which we all share."

Sprout Baby Food is an organic line of baby food sold in convenient pouches. They are made from nature's purest, organic ingredients, without any preservatives, sugars, starches, or fillers. They also come in a variety of interesting combinations and flavors (Sweet Baby Carrots, Apples, and Mangos, for example).

What I like about Sprout Baby Foods:

- Organic. "Acceptable" levels of pesticides on foods are calculated using adult tolerance levels, and babies are far more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides. Did you know that a report released by the Environmental Working Group found that the largest contribution to a person's lifetime risk of cancer from pesticide residues occurs during childhood? Organic foods are grown without the use of pesticides.

- No "Extra" Ingredients. No strachy fillers, sugars, etc. All of the samples that I received were also free from milk, nuts, egg, soy, wheat, gluten, fish, or shellfish.

- Convenient. The Pouches were extremely convenient. They take up less room than glass jars, and I didn't have to worry about them breaking in the diaper bag. They resealable closures also allowed me to store any leftovers.

- Taste. Yes, I fed the food to my son, but I also took a quick taste of each food. Imagine my surprise that the foods actually tasted great. Roasted bananas were my son's favorite, and I can see why. Yummy!

- No BPA. All of the packaging is BPA free, so you can be confident in heating the package (if you choose to do so).

- Tyler Florence. Ok, so Tyler Florence didn't show up with my pouches (bummer!), but he has to be my favorite Food Network chef. I think it's awesome that a chef, someone who makes a living from cooking food, is the creator behind a baby food line. Why wouldn't babies deserve great tasting food, too?

Dislikes:

- Pouches. I hesitated to put this, because I really do like the pouches (see above under convenient). The only thing I didn't like about them was that it was sometimes difficult to remove all of the food from the inside of the pouch. I struggled to scrap all of the food out with a tiny spoon, until I started cutting the package open which made it much easier. Of course that can be difficult to do if you're out and about.

- Price. The price can be a little on the high side (16.65/12 pack), but when you think about what you're getting compared to a "major" brand such as those mentioned above (fillers and starch), it really is a good deal.

Buy It!

You can buy Sprout Baby Foods from sproutbaby.com You can buy in packages of 12 or sign up for the Sprout Baby Club and have packages mailed to you each month in pre-determined amounts (60, 90, 120, or 150), for an even greater savings. All orders of $75 ship for free.

You can also save 15% off your first order by mentioning the code FOTC15!

Win It!

Sprout Baby is offering one of my readers a $50 gift card!! To enter, you must visit SproutBaby.com and tell me your favorite flavor of food that they carry.

For Extra Entries (Leave a separate comment for each):

- Follow my blog

- Follow @FamilyofCloth on Twitter. Leave a comment with your @ twitter name

- Tweet the giveaway. You may tweet up once daily. Be sure the leave the permalink of your tweet.

- Become a fan of Family of the Cloth on Facebook

- Grab my new button and display it on your blog. Be sure to leave a link telling me where it can be found.

- Blog about this giveaway for 2 extra entries. Leave the link to the blog entry.

- Order anything from Sprout Baby (be sure to use the coupon code above!) for 5 extra entries! And, for 5 more, use my referral code: SBBL090

- Subscribe to my blog via email or in a reader.

This giveaway is open to US residents. It will close on 10/31 at 8 p.m. central standard time. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to a notification email, or a new winner will be chosen. Sprout Baby sent Family of the Cloth a small package of 6 month old appropriate foods for this review.

EXTENDED!! This giveaway has been extended until 11/8! More chances to enter and retweet!

Winner!

Congratulations to lucky comment number 2! I just sent out an email, and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or I will pick a new winner. Thanks to everyone for entering!

Staring Solids pt. 1

"Exclusive breastfeeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months after birth... Gradual introduction of iron-enriched solid foods in the second half of the first year should complement the breast milk diet." - American Academy of Pediatrics Statement

We had the boy's 6 month well check on Monday. He is 26.5 inches long (42nd percentile) and 13.3 lbs (1st percentile). His doctor said he is healthy and looks great, but he also encouraged us to go ahead and start him on some solid foods. Early on, I started researching how to make my own baby food. I read about how easy it is, and about how much healthier it can be since you can choose organic produce and avoid all the preservatives that come along with most commercially jarred foods. When the boy got here, I insisted on waiting the full six months recommended by the AAP, WHO, UNICEFF, and various other health organizations. I knew that in doing so, I would be protecting him against obesity, food allergies, and other health complications (You can read more about the health benefits of delaying solids at KellyMom) And despite some questioning by well meaning family and friends (and an uncle who slipped him some chocolate pie before I could stop him) my wishes were well respected.

The boy has always been on the low end of weight charts (just like his mommy when she was a baby!), and with it being his six month check-up, I knew I would be encouraged to go ahead and start giving him some solids. I fully intended to, and planned on starting at six months months, so this recommendation came as no surprise, but now that the time is finally here, I find myself hesitating. I know it's silly to get so worked up about it, but I've found that I've been clinging to breastfeeding because it was a sign that my body really could do something correctly (as opposed to the c/s I needed in order to deliver the boy). I've relished in the fact that I am my son's sole source of nutrition. We've had our fair share of breastfeeding problems (delay in milk coming in, clogged ducts, etc), but I have been determined to stick with it. My first breastfeeding goal was to get to six months, and now that it's here, there is no way that I will be stopping. I have been surprised by how much I enjoy it. The bond that it's creating between me and my son is indescribable. Bringing solids into the mix can't hurt, and my son has taken to them like a champ. He's a great eater. And I know that the introduction of solids doesn't mean that my son will wean anytime soon, but it still stings to know that he needs something more than me (or should I say "in addition to"?). It's a sign that my boy is growing up. Something his mommy is finding hard to accept.

All this to say that I will be sharing my baby food journey with everyone, and I'll be hosting several related giveaways soon. Be sure and be on the lookout for them!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

The Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Sea Horse. I've been trying to encourage my son to find a lovey or something to help him soothe himself to sleep. He fights sleep like no one's business, and this little sea horse helps lull him to sleep with the gentle light and calming music. It's his (and mommy's!) new favorite toy.

Sewing! I'm still getting started, but I'm loving all the cute fabrics and patterns. Hopefully I'll be able to make some awesome Christmas gifts this year.

What are some things you're thankful for?