Virtual Baby Shower – Gerber Graduates Yogurt Melts with Veggies Review
One of the first “snack” foods my daughter was introduced to were Gerber Graduates’ yogurt melts, and to this day she still loves these puffed yogurt pieces. And I mean REALLY loves!
Since they are really made of freeze-dried yogurt and fruit (no preservatives), I have always felt good about giving them to her as a snack. But now Gerber Graduates has stepped up the healthy snack by adding veggies to the yogurt melts. Nice!
K has always been a great eater who actually likes her veggies - broccoli, peas, corn, edamame, etc. But sneaking in a few extra veggies at snack time can’t be a bad thing. So I was game to try the new fruit and veggie melts, which come in two varieties Very Berry Blend and Truly Tropical Blend. Let me tell you, K had no problem gobbling these up just like the older version. Of course, she wanted the “pink” ones first (Very Berry), but once she tried the “yellow” ones, she was just as happy.
But how much veggies are really in these yogurt melts?
According to Gerber there are actually three toddler-sized servings per bag (a toddler-sized serving is 1/4 a cup of veggies). The math gets a bit fuzzy on me here because the recommended serving size is 1/4 a bag… so less than a full serving per snack. Obviously, this isn’t a veggie replacement, but hey that’s more veggies than she had in her day otherwise. So I am all about it.
Interestingly, the basis for both varieties is a butternut squash puree.
Frankly, I think yogurt melts (in general) have very little taste to them, but I can’t deny the kiddos love them. Since they pass K’s takes test, assuming price is the same on the new variety, I’ll be getting the veggie ones from now on. Â Moms to be and new moms – get ready to stock up on these snacks!
Disclosure – I was provided samples of the new yogurt melts to facilitate this review, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.Â
How to Get a Toddler to Eat Veggies (and other good stuff)!
It is the question that plaques moms everywhere, “How to get their children to eat veggies and other good stuff?” I am a bit of picky eater, so when K was born I was determined to help expand her eating horizons to include a little of everything. Since her Daddy eats everything, I turn to him for samples of things to try.
At first, things were great, and I was sure I had gotten lucky with a great eater. K ate everything I put in front of her without protest. But suddenly she changed (free will set in)… she only wants to eat snacks and even turns her nose up at even her old favorites. I hit the toddler roadblock! Some meals she eats great, other meals nada… and she seems to be giving up on her favorite veggies like peas and corn.
I am a bit of a loss, to tell the truth, I find myself in a food rut begging my little one to eat the things I give to her.
So, does work for us? The best piece of advice I can offer to other moms hitting this block is try, try, try and try it some more! We have all read the articles about it taking up to 10 tries to get a baby to accept new flavors, but I know it is easier said than done. It is so frustrating when your little one screams in protest or tosses the offending food to the floor. We all dread becoming the short-order cook for our picky kids, so if you are like me you feel panic coming on with each food protest. But there is no one magic trick to get your little one to eat. The only sure fire answer is patience and keep trying. What works today might fail miserably tomorrow. So, offering the standard veggies and trying some new ones (K has discovered a new love for edamame), and most of all keep setting a good example by eating lots of healthy stuff yourself.
Recently, I learned about Little Blends by Horizon . Little Blends mix veggies into their fruit flavored yogurts to sneak some extra good stuff into your little ones yogurt. I LOVE this idea as another way to get one of the recommended veggie servings into your toddler’s diet. Since K loves her yogurt, I plan on picking up some on my next shopping trip. (Since you know I love coupons, I even found coupons on the Horizon website to save on Little Blends!)
About Little Blends: Little Blends from Horizon is an all-natural yogurt blend of fruits and vegetables that will help parents incorporate more nutrition and variety into their child’s diet. Each 4-ounce cup packs a daily value of 20 percent calcium, 25 percent protein, omega-3 DHA and probiotics. Parents will really love how Little Blends makes sneaking fruits and veggies so much easier. This new line is just one example of how Horizon continues to deliver nutritious food options that support healthier kids and a healthier planet.
My friends over at Twitter Moms have teamed up with Horizons to offer a blogging contest to win free Little Blends for bloggers and their readers. If you are a blogger, check out the contest here.
I will report back after we try the Little Blends to let you know what K thought… fingers crossed, I would love for an easy solution to sneak in an extra serving while I continue to try to get her to eat veggies out right too!
