My 13-month old son Gavin loves to eat. I mean LOVES to eat. I consider myself lucky as he’ll happily sit in his high chair gobbling up pretty much anything I put in front of him, whereas my nephew (who’s the same age) refuses to sit still and flings his food at my sister! I know this could all change in the months to come as Gavin hones in on his independence and verbalization skills. (Luckily he can’t say “no” yet!) So I need to continue to expand his diet and keep introducing him to new foods. Just because I’m the world’s most boring eater, doesn’t mean my son has to be, right?

Keep it simple

Per the recommendation of my pediatrician, I introduced Gavin to vegetables before fruits so he wouldn’t have an inherent preference to sweet foods. I also tried not to “mask” any of the natural flavors of vegetables with sweeter foods. Luckily this approach has worked! He happily eats peas and green beans just as easily as blueberries and bananas.

Sprout Baby Foods

This approach of simplicity is at the heart of Sprout Baby Foods. I was fortunate to have a lovely conversation with the marketing team at Sprout to learn more about their philosophy and approach to baby foods. To be honest, I feel the baby food market is flooded with “better-for-baby” options today. “Organic,” “all-natural” and “recyclable materials” are somewhat common themes now. So, what makes Sprout stand out from the rest?

First off, they were founded by Tyler Florence, 15-year Food Network veteran and father of three. Talk about a resume! A few tidbits on Tyler I received from Sprout:

Sprout baby food was co-founded by 15-year Food Network veteran Tyler Florence—trusted chef, author and father of three—to encourage healthy eating habits early on and provide products that are better for children and for the environment. Florence believes that by the time kids enter school, their preferred eating habits are already established. With this in mind, he developed Sprout’s amazing, fresh-tasting products using premium organic ingredients that are packaged in innovative pouches designed to protect the quality and flavor of the food. Tyler believes that Sprout Foods will not only provide your baby with wholesome, organic, delicious nutrition but will also foster a lifelong appreciation for healthy eating.

It’s all in the pouch!

Sprout Baby Foods are only available in a resealable “pouch.” They literally cook the food inside the pouch to help maintain the flavor, textures and nutrition. And it works! The food smells delicious and my son happily gobbled up the samples we received.

Three stages to grow with baby

Sprout features three stages of foods that will grow with your child to provide a balance of healthy organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins.

• Starter Meals: Carefully cooked single fruit or vegetable for beginners
• Intermediate Meals: Perfectly paired ingredients for even more great flavors
• Advanced Meals: More extensively blended meals to satisfy a greater appetite

Since Gavin is on the older side, we received a wide variety of Advanced Meals to sample. Some of his favorites included Beef and Vegetable Lasagna, Peach Pumpkin Pie with Graham, and Curried Red Lentils with Carrots. Yum!

Special giveaway for Mom Central readers!

One lucky Mom Central reader will be randomly selected to receive a special Sprout Baby Food prize pack – 12 Free Sprout Coupons and a copy of Tyler Florence’s new book called “Start Fresh”!

This giveaway is now closed.

Find more information on Sprout and the “Start Fresh” book, go to www.sproutbabyfood.com. You can also connect with Sprout on their out Facebook page.

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Disclosure: Mom Central received Sprout Baby Food samples and a copy of “Start Fresh” to help facilitate this review.

Mom Central