Review and Giveaway: SproutBaby CLOSED

It's no secret that I am a homemade baby food advocate. I knew from the get go that I wanted to make homemade purees for my son. I wanted the comfort of knowing exactly what was going in his belly. Fresh, natural dishes with no additives or preservatives. I bought the best equipment for the job and had every intention of cooking for him exclusively. But inevitably, Nate had other plans. He didn't really care for the textures of my self-made purees. My pears were too gritty. My banana too lumpy. He was - and still is - beyond picky. And with our busy lifestyle, I found myself increasingly short on time to make batches of food. Not to mention our limited freezer space. So, I wistfully turned to jarred food to supplement my homemade creations. But I still upheld my standards and have opted for only organic brands. I can't speak for all of you but the thought of pesticide residue on my child's food just gives me the heebie jeebies.

Now that he is 13 months old, we have pretty much graduated to finger foods. However, I still spoonfeed a few ounces of homemade or jarred fruit or veggie at dinnertime - when he doesn't resist, that is - to ensure something makes its way into his tummy rather than on the splat mat (did I mention my son is picky with a capital P?!). While I'm still breastfeeding to fill in the nutritional gaps, I am always on the lookout for new, exciting tastes that I can try and entice him with. So, when I came across an opportunity on The PR Place to review SproutBaby baby food, I jumped at the chance.

SproutBaby.com aims to simplify the purchasing process of products essential to the healthy development of our children. Upon researching their website, I immediately knew I wanted to work with them. They are an authentic, socially responsible company I can feel good about supporting. Here is an excerpt from their promise to customers:

It is important that we cover our bases and offer information that you can inherently trust. It’s most important that all the products we sell and recommend have passed the requirements set forth by Healthy Child Healthy World.

And because this is our largest task, we may not be able to offer products in every category. Good-enough will not do. However, it is also essential to remember how far we have come in this movement and how far we still have to go to ensure that all the products to which we have access be safe for our children and the environment.

As the first step to fulfilling this promise, SproutBaby.com developed the Sprout Foods product line. Sprout Foods are a USDA-certified organic, gourmet line of baby food, co-founded by celebrity chef Tyler Florence. As a dad himself, Florence has handpicked each ingredient used in the recipes to create pure, flavorful meals for infants. Sprout Foods are packaged in convenient, eco-friendly, BPA-free, resealable pouches. Unlike glass jars, they only take up a marginal amount of cabinet space, are easy to transport and are actually more green:

The objectives of our Company in using pouch packaging are to reduce waste, and to reduce energy consumption in the manufacturing and transportation of our products, while still providing the customer with a high-quality convenience product. In comparing the pouch to glass, which is the material used in the majority of baby food products, we found that the energy (fossil fuels) used over the entire life of the glass package for its manufacture and transport far exceeds the energy that goes into the manufacturing and transporting of a pouch package. This means significant environmental gains in terms of CO2 emission and solid waste disposal in pouches over traditional packaging.

Recycling is important, and a recyclable package is a goal we strive toward, but it can be more environmentally sound with existing technology to reduce the amount of material generated in the first place and the amount of fuel used in transporting product to retailers.

The patent-pending pouches include a foil liner to preserve the flavor and color of the contained food. Oh, and they are cute too! The design is modern and easily distinguishable from any other baby food on the market. The flavors, which come in Stage 1 and Stage 2 textures, range from simple (Roasted Pears) to complex (Pasta with Lentil Bolognese).



SproutBaby.com was kind enough to send me a one-week supply of Sprout Foods (6 pouches) to review. The variety we received included Sweet Peas, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Oatmeal with Roasted Cinnamon Applesauce, Roasted Bananas and Mango, Sweet Peas and Garden Green Beans, and Sweet Baby Carrots, Apples and Mango.

Let me tell you...straight from the horse's mama's mouth...these foods are delicious! Yes, I couldn't help but dip my finger in and perform my own little taste test. Because Nate is so finicky, I needed to know for myself if he was justified in any distasteful reaction.

First, we tried the Sweet Peas. Nate isn't a fan of his green veggies, even though I continually offer them. It's a good day if he manages to take more than one bite before disposing the emerald-hued legumes over the side of his highchair. But when I opened the pouch, Nate was fascinated. He wanted to explore inside and outside of the container. I gave him his own spoon and allowed him to have at it before proceeding to feed him. As you can see, he was in his glory.



He managed to eat about 3/4 of the pouch before signaling he had enough. While he didn't inhale it, he definitely ate more than he typically would so this received two thumbs up from us.

Second, we tried the Baked Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are his absolute favorite food so I expected he would love this dish. And I was correct. He devoured it. I'm talkin', could have licked the pouch clean. I liked its fluffy texture much more than the runny type that some brands pass off. It's a shame there was only 3.5 oz. because I think he could have easily eaten a whole other pouch. From the smile on his face after completing his delicious meal, it would be hard to top this.



Next, we opted for the Oatmeal. As soon as I opened the pouch, I smelled the spicy aroma of the cinnamon. It was divine! I was wholly impressed with the scent and the taste. Not bland at all compared to other oatmeal mixes I've tried. But alas, Nate was not a fan of this one. He doesn't typically care for oatmeal so I didn't expect much but I was only able to get him to take two or three bites before he called it quits. His loss, I say.

Later on, we tried Bananas and Mango. Bananas are Nate's least favorite fruit (yeah, I don't get it either!) but I was hopeful that the unique roasted flavor would lure him in. Surprisingly, he ate the entire pouch! Same results with the Carrots, Apple and Mango combo - which was reminiscent of a V-8 Splash concoction. Neither could beat the gusto of the Sweet Potato but are still deserving of a rave review.

We haven't yet opened the Sweet Peas and Green Beans mix. I think I might try to experiment a bit and combine the green veggies with brown rice for a chunkier texture that might be more appealing to Nate's selective palate. That's another great thing about Sprout Foods - the meals are so flexible. You can leave them as is or easily blend them with meat, pasta or yogurt to jazz them up.

There are just a few minor disadvantages I'd like to note. First, due to the foil liner, the pouches cannot be microwaved. You must warm them by placing them in a bowl of warm water. This could be an issue if you are accustomed to heating your baby food quickly. Nate prefers his food at room temperature, however, so we just fed straight from the pouch with no problems. Secondly, it was a bit difficult to get all of the food out of the crevices of the pouch. I felt like I wasted a couple of spoonfuls because I just couldn't scrape it all out. Lastly, it would be nice to see some Stage 3 dishes or finger foods for toddlers on the menu. Especially with the growing movement of baby-led weaning. But considering all of the benefits to Sprout Foods, these issues are hardly a dealbreaker.

Bottom line: I would highly recommend Sprout Foods as a top-quality, organic addition to your baby's diet. I only wish I knew about this brand sooner so we could have tried more flavors!

BUY IT: Sprout Foods can be purchased at select H.E.B, Central Market and Publix locations, as well as online at Sproutbaby.com. At $16.65/12-pk., the cost is competitive with other organic baby food brands. You can also join the SproutBaby Club to order your baby food in bulk (quantities of 60-150 pouches per month) and not only save on the price but get free shipping as well! The SproutBaby Club allows you to customize your order specifically to your baby's ever-changing tastes. How brilliant is this?! You'll never run out of baby food again!

But SproutBaby isn't all about baby food. Their shop includes an awesome selection of baby care items, as well as books and pregnancy/maternity/postpartum goodies for mom. In particular, check out their Lifefactory Wee Go glass bottles (with their bright silicone sleeves), Born Free Stainless Steel Water Bottle (a great replacement after the whole SIGG controversy), CleanWell Hand Sanitizer (a diaper bag must-have) or Lafe's Organic Insect Repellant (chemical and DEET-free).

DELICIOUS DISCOUNT: See something you like? I know you do! All Goodie Goodie Gumdrops readers can get 15% off their first order by entering code "GGG15" at checkout. This code is good from today through September 30, 2009.

WIN IT: Sproutbaby.com has generously offered one lucky Goodie Goodie Gumdrops reader a $25 gift certificate!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Stop by SproutBaby.com and have a look around. Tell me what you'd spend your gift certificate on. It's that simple! Make sure to leave your email address in your comment or have it visible on your profile so I can contact you should you win!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count!

1.) Follow my blog or subscribe via reader or email. Comment telling me which method you chose. (1 entry)

2.) Sign up for the SproutBaby newsletter (lower left sidebar on site) and comment with the email you used. (2 entries!)

3.) Become a fan of SproutBaby on Facebook and comment with your username. (2 entries!)

4.) Follow me and @sproutbabyclub on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Comment with your tweet link. You can do this daily! (1 entry per day max)

5.) Add my button to your site and comment with a link where I can find it. (1 entry)

6.) Tell me which flavor of Sprout Foods you think your baby would like most. (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on September 19, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. Open to US only. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: As mentioned above, I was sent six pouches of SproutBaby food from SproutBaby.com to facilitate my candid review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post.