Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Earth’s Best Pouches Are a Travel Must-Have

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We have been doing a bit of traveling this holiday season, much the same as millions of other families across the world. We visited my family down in Alabama. They actually came up to visit us a few weeks ago when we had both our girls baptized. When they were loading up the car to travel back home, I sent them back with all the Christmas presents I had ready at that point and perhaps more importantly, I sent ahead some food for the girls. I wanted to make 100% sure that I didn’t forget the Earth’s best jarred food AND the Earth’s Best squeeze pouches. What a nightmare it would have been to have to go to Walmart, or really any store at all, on Christmas Eve to buy them!

Earth’s Best Food Pouches

I choose Earth’s Best for my girls for several reasons. First and foremost, the ingredients are all organic, and that gives me a lot of peace of mind. At home, Layah eats homemade organic baby food about 75% of the time, with some jarred food sprinkled in to give extra variety. I also aim to give Darah organic fruits and vegetables as much as my budget will allow.

Earth’s Best pouches are so fantastic to have on hand because it is pretty much guaranteed that Darah will eat them. Overall she is a good eater, but she’s 3, and that means that she certainly has days where the only thing in this whole world she wishes to eat is peanut butter and chocolate. Sigh… But I have found that if I offer her a squeeze pouch, she says yes to it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And Earth’s Best pouches contain all kinds of yummy stuff (no, not peanut butter and chocolate). It’s such a clever way for me to get some veggies and fruits in Darah’s system.

earth's best food pouches

The pouches also work great for Layah, especially on the road. She doesn’t have the hang of sucking the food out herself, but I can squeeze the food onto a spoon for her and feed her at whatever place we have chosen to stop at. When she’s finished, I just screw the lid back on. Since the pouches are shelf stable, I know the food inside will be just fine for several more hours until we reach our destination (at which point I do refrigerate opened pouches and jarred food).

On this trip, Layah has been enjoying the Earth’s Best 1st Foods pouches, which include the following flavors:

  • bananas
  • pears
She has also REALLY enjoyed the Earth’s Best Greek Yogurt Smoothies. Banana is what she has tried so far, but you can also find it in apple or cherry.
As for Darah, as I said before, she will eat any of the pouches (even the 1st foods!) but I’ve been giving her the Just for Toddlers Sesame Street Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies, available in the following flavors:
  • Strawberry Banana
  • Apple Blueberry
  • Peach Banana
  • Pear Mango
  • Mixed Berry
Earth’s Best pouches help our family make the long road trip a little bit easier, and they also help us ensure that our kids are getting the great nutrition they need even when we are away from home and not “in charge” of the meals being served.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win an Earth’s Best pouch sampler pack!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions express here are strictly my own.

Do You Prefer Jars or Pouches for Baby Food? Great Reasons to Choose Both!

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Have you ever found yourself at the baby food aisle trying to decide if you should purchase jars or pouches? I definitely have, but I find that I reach for different options based on the reason why I’m getting the food. If I’m picking up something for Darah, I obviously go for pouches because she’s way too old for baby food, but she LOVES squeeze pouches of fruit and vegetable purees.

If I’m just trying to add variety to the meal options at home for Layah, I’ll go with the jars. They are less expensive than pouches so they provide a better value for times when I’ll just be feeding her in her high chair.

Earth’s Best has a great chart that breaks down some of the key differences between jars and pouches and the reasons why you might choose one over the other:

 

As Layah gets older, I’ll gravitate more toward the pouches because the self-feeding aspect of them is one of the biggest pluses. They are also fantastic to use on the road!

What about you? What percentage of solid food for your little ones comes from a jar vs. a pouch? Do you have a favorite brand of baby food for jars and/or pouches? I’d love to hear what you are buying!

I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions express here are strictly my own.

All Layah Wants for Christmas is Earth’s Best Toddler Biscuits (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Just as everyone told me it would be, my two little girls are so very different in so many ways. But they seem to be mirror images of each other when it comes to teething. Namely, they get their teeth two at a time. It makes for double the pain of teething, but at least we get two teeth in instead of just one each time we go through all that teething drama!

Layah has had her two bottom teeth for over a month now. They are the cutest thing on earth! I suspect that more teeth will be along shortly, judging by the GALLONS of drool she produces every day. Even with bibs on her (which, by the way, she’s learning how to pull off! ARGH!), I’m still changing her onesie two to three times because they are getting soaked.

I have had some Earth’s Best Toddler Biscuits in my freezer for a little while, waiting for her to be ready for them. Oh my word, you guys, they are a HUGE hit! I think sticking them in the freezer makes them even more enjoyable to her sore gums. Since they are intended for slightly older babies, I want to emphasize that I do not leave her unattended with these. For her safety, I’m right with her when she gets to gnaw on them. If you choose to give these to a baby under 1 year of age, I recommend you do the same.

(What I would give to have lashes like hers!)

Teething biscuits are popular with babies because they are hard. The point isn’t so much for them to eat it (although they are obviously edible!) but to have something very safe and soothing to gnaw on as those little teeth work their way up through the gums. I like the Earth’s Best teething biscuits because they are the perfect size for Layah to grasp. They also are made with organic wheat and barley, which makes them a good choice from a nutrition standpoint, too.

If you have a little one going through teething, you may have some questions about the process. Check out the FAQ section on Earth’s Best about teething. It’s got some really helpful tips!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win toddler biscuits from Earth’s Best!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions express here are strictly my own.



Getting my Kitchen Ready for Layah: Earth’s Best 1st and 2nd Foods (GIVEAWAY!!!)


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Over the past week, I’ve been extra busy in my kitchen. I’m getting my freezer stocked up for Layah. She’s already 4 1/2 months old. My intention is to start her on solids at 6 months, but I want to be prepared sooner just in case she can’t wait that long. I will make the majority of the food she eats using my baby food maker. I’m also using product from our CSA share and from our own little garden. These fruits and veggies are organic, and that’s what I aim to feed Layah, as much as possible. Plus, when you make it yourself, it really is quite affordable!


I also made Darah’s baby food, so I can tell you from experience that when you are going to be away from the house all day (running errands, going on a trip, etc.) it is challenging to bring your own food that might not be shelf-stable. Just like last time, I’ll be reaching for Earth’s Best for those moments! I can’t believe it is already time to start buying these cute little jars!



		
		
			
			
		
	


 


Earth’s Best can help you get your little ones to love their veggies from the start by exposing it to them early and often! They have some wonderful vegetables that are in season right now on the shelves, and every ingredient is organic.


As your little one tries a vegetable for the first time (such as sweet potato or green beans), keep in mind that a common response is to spit it out at first. Don’t be discouraged! Simply try again the next day and the next. In most cases, your baby will be willing and even happy to eat it by the end of the week! It takes time for their palates to get on board with a new flavor.


Earth’s Best also has some great resources online to help parents navigate introducing their little ones to solid foods and how to introduce new flavors and textures in a way that will maximize the chances of you having an adventurous eater! I loved this article on infants’ unpredictable palates.


Do you have a baby eating solids (or soon-to-be eating solids?). Then I have a great giveaway for you!


Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an assortment of Earth’s Best 1st and 2nd Foods – Seasonal Vegetables!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Be sure to enter my other giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.


I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such, I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own


Proud to Be an Earth’s Best Blogger


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Earth's Best Blogger Program


The very first solid food we put in Darah’s mouth was from Earth’s Best. It was rice cereal. Ever since that day (New Year’s Eve 2009), we’ve been big fans and loyal customers to this brand. When I was offered the opportunity to become an ambassador for the brand for the next 6 months, I knew the partnership made perfect sense. I already love and respect Earth’s Best, and now I get to share my thoughts and experiences with you, and along the way, offer up some wonderful prizes to you, my readers.


This is going to be so much fun!


Did you know that Earth’s Best has been around since way before organic became trendy and cool? It has 25 years under its belt, and in that time, has grown tremendously, now offering more than 100 products, including organic infant formula, a really impressive line of infant and toddler foods, and baby care products.


Earth’s Best works hard to be the company of choice for parents who are hoping to provide organic options for their babies and children, and who seek out companies that only use the purest ingredients.


Earth’s Best aims to help make your life a little less hectic. For example, we don’t all have time to go to our local farmer’s market each week and then come home and turn those ingredients into delicious purees and snacks. Earth’s Best is happy to take that chore off your hands without you having to sacrifice the standard you’d like to set for your child’s nutrition and overall health.


Over the next 6 months, I’ll be bringing you news about great new Earth’s Best products, information from Earth’s Best nutrition and health experts, and of course, wonderful giveaways. I hope this series will inspire some good conversations among my readers, not only about this particular brand, but also about how we can strategically make choices to provide products that are free from nasty chemicals to our children.


I’ll be posting for Earth’s Best twice each month, and one post each month will have a giveaway. Folks who comment on the non-giveaway post each month will get a bonus entry into that month’s Earth’s Best giveaway! So here’s your chance to earn a bonus entry!


Do you have any questions for Earth’s Best, either about their products or about ways to cut out unhealthy chemicals in your home and in your child’s diet? I’d love to take your questions and comments back to the company!