by Jennae Peterson, GreenandGorgeous.net

There are a lot of things that I wish I could go back and do differently when my daughter was an infant. For one thing, I would’ve made the effort to breastfeed her for more than 2 days. Yes, it was painful, but I imagine the bonding time and health benefits would’ve far outweighed the pain. I also wish I’d been more selective about the baby food I gave her. Ideally, I would’ve preferred to make my own baby food. But because spending a lot of time in the kitchen isn’t something I take a lot of pleasure in, organic baby food would’ve been great too.
Sprout Organic Baby Food ironically started out as a way to make one mom’s life easier (sounds like a great idea to me), and it later turned into a mission to change the way parents introduce their children to solid foods. It was created by chef Tyler Florence of Food Network fame (shown below). He believes that by the time kids
enter school, their eating habits are already established. So he developed the Sprout line using premium organic ingredients to help foster a lifelong appreciation for healthy eating.

Given how picky my daughter is about food now (she’s 5), it couldn’t have hurt to have introduced her to more delicious, wholesome foods while her tastebuds were still developing. This line is USDA-certified organic, so you can buy it with confidence that it is free of pesticides, fillers, sugar, preservatives or anything artificial.

Sprout’s food are available for babies of all ages. Their 2.5 oz. “Starter” line includes 6 fruit and vegetable purées. The 3.5 oz. “Intermediate” selection includes 12 combinations of puréed fruit, vegetables, beans and grains for older babies who are ready for new flavors. And finally, their 5.5 oz. “Advanced” line is made up of 12 hearty meals that include generous pieces of organic meat or poultry, whole grain pasta, lentils and beans and vegetables. Imagine: You can feed your growing baby foods like macaroni & cheese, roasted bananas and brown rice, and even roasted turkey without worries about what that food contains.

I also love what Sprout has done with their packaging. The foods are packaged in resealable pouches, so if you don’t use it all in one sitting, you can simply close it and use it later. They are good for up to 3 days after opening, so you don’t have to rush. In addition, the pouches were chosen over glass because they are shatterproof and weigh much less than glass, so less energy is needed in transportation. But of course, glass is recyclable.

Because food and drink pouches tend not to be, Sprout Foods has partnered with TerraCycle (one of my favorite companies). Parents are encouraged to return their empty Sprout pouches, free of charge, to TerraCycle, which upcycles those pouches into new items like bibs, splat mats and diaper bags. TerraCycle also donates $.02 to various charitable organizations for each returned pouch.

If you’re not inclined to make your own baby food, and you want an organic options that won’t break the bank, consider Sprout.
You can lean more at www.sproutbabyfood.com, find Sprout on Facebook or Twitter, or visit their blog to learn more about Tyler Florence and how to use Sprout Foods in other recipes.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for sharing Sprout Organic Baby Food with You. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.