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

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- 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!