BFBBP: Happy Baby Organic Food - review of munchies, pouch, bites

I love cooking, I really do, but sometimes I just need a quick and easy meal--even for the baby. I also enjoy giving her healthy snacks throughout the day to promote eating when hungry, rather than learning to stuff herself full at meal times. I found Happy Baby just as she was starting solid foods. She instantly loved the Happy Baby Puffs--so much so that she kind of became addicted! I'm happy to say that she has widened her food preferences as she's grown, and Happy Family brand products have plenty to choose from. They offer cereals, puffs, pouches, finger foods, and even frozen meals--always organic. Check out baby G's favorites below, and enter to win some Happy Family products of your own as part of the Babies First Birthday Blog Party.

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Why Happy Baby is great for one-year-olds

I am so glad that Happy Baby products exist. The fact that there are organic, frozen meals for kids just makes moms' lives easier. Sometimes we don't feel like cooking, or have to run out the door to a practice, lesson, or game. Happy Baby uses only the finest organic ingredients and supports non-GMO farmers. The products are packaged in BPA free, (mostly) recyclable containers that are also made from recycled materials. They strive to bring you healthy foods at reasonable prices, no matter your child's dietary restrictions. Many of their options are dairy, gluten, soy free. They are super convenient for busy families. 

Happy Munchies (retails for about $3.70)

Ingredients. Aside from added vitamins and minerals, the munchies are made up of: organic whole grain yellow corn, organic canola oil, organic cheddar cheese, and then either organic carrots or organic broccoli & kale
You can find the complete list of ingredients, including added vitamins and minerals by clicking on the Happy Munchies link above.

Varieties. G has tried both flavors of munchies, and doesn't seem to prefer one over the other. Each have the same nutrient values, and taste pretty similar to me. The main difference is the Broccoli, Kale & Cheddar Cheese are green and the Cheddar Cheese with Carrot are pale yellow in color. I think that it's great to offer your kids different color food (especially green), so that they get used to seeing the rainbow on their plate.

Fine Motor & Chewing Skills. We started G on puffs to primarily practice fine motor skills and chewing. She became an expert at picking little things up in no time. I was really excited to move on to different shaped snacks for her jaws. At first, I was a little nervous that they might be too big for her to know what to do...but right away she started mashing the munchies with her back gums. She now also likes to crunch them with her front teeth as she pushes them in her mouth. I attribute her great chewing skills to Happy Munchies!

Baby G's verdict: She originally still preferred the Happy Baby Puffs to the Munchies, but has since decided either type of snack was acceptable. She really likes when I let her pull a few Munchies directly out of the container. These are a necessity in her book, but I'm not sold on the expensive price. I can stretch a container about 2 weeks (each container has seven 14 piece servings), so that makes them a bit more affordable. I know that offering her organic snacks will never be cheap, so as far as value is concerned, Happy Munchies are the best I can find!

HappyTot Pouches (retails for about $1.70)

Ingredients. These pouches are the only baby food fortified with Salba®, described as nature's super grain. Happy Tot pouches have omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and minerals.
Salba is gluten-free sahi alba 911 & 912 registered varieties of chia seed. The ingredient lists can be found on the Happy Tot website and are simply organic vegetables, organic fruits, and Salba. Ascorbic Acid for vitamin C is added to many flavors.

Variety of Flavors. Happy Tot pouches are offered in six diverse flavors:
• Green beans, pears & peas
• Sweet potato, apple, carrots & cinnamon
• Banana, mango & peach
• Apple & butternut squash
• Banana, peach, prunes & coconut
• Spinach, mango, & pear

Self-Feeding or Spoon Feeding. The good thing about Happy Tot pouches are they allow you to either spoon feed your growing baby; or let your toddler feed himself by sucking on the pouch. I'm not sure Happy Baby advocates that last one, I've just seen it done around the play groups we frequent. 

Baby G's verdict: She's never been a big baby food person, and until she can squeeze feed herself without making a mess, I don't know that pouches, in general, are a good fit for us. I love that they are so convenient and organically nutritious; and the price point is spot on for organic pouches...but they are quite messy for us right now!

HappyBites Frozen (retails for around $5)

Ingredients. Organic, all natural frozen kids meals? Yes! Options are made with organic meats, cheeses, grains, and vegetables. Some are dairy free & some are gluten free. Only natural flavors are included. Check out the Happy Bites website for full ingredients list.

Varieties. There are 4 different types of Happy Bites, but I've only been able to find two of them in our local stores. I'd love to offer baby G the Chicken Bites because she doesn't usually like the chicken I offer her; and have been searching for the Salmon Stix (made with wild salmon and cod) for months. Now that G is one, I really want to increase her taste for healthy meats. Since I haven't found those two options yet, we've only tried the Mac & Cheese bites and the Veggie Tots. I'm happy to report that G will eat the Mac & Cheese bites, despite not liking my homemade mac & cheese. She loves the Veggie Tots, but be warned...they make for a smelly diaper!

--Happy Bites also has a Breakfast Pocket now available.

Serve whole or cut up. I was apprehensive about trying the bites, for fear that G would choke or not know what to do with such a "big" chunk of food. I cut them into quarters and she has been doing great with them. I think she'd be find with a whole piece now, but for my peace of mind, I continue to offer them cut up. For toddlers and bigger kids, Happy Bites are great hand held food options!

Baby G's verdict: At first she wasn't sure what to think about such a different food option on her plate. The first day I offered them, she kind of picked at them...but ever since then she has gone straight to her Happy Bites when they are on their plate. She loves them! She eats about 3 - 4 per meal, so the price can get a little steep when only 16 are in a box. I think they are a nice treat every once in a while, or great to keep on hand for a night when life gets busy (or you just feel lazy in the kitchen)! I'd say these are a keeper for us, though, because a) it's something she'll eat and b) they are organic & nutritious.

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You can purchase Happy Family brand products on their website, and from various online & local stores. Follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook--you'll also get bonus entries in the giveaway for doing so. Be sure to check out the Happy Family Blog and Newsletter, too!

Happy Family has offered one Letters from Momma reader two of each item I reviewed. Winner will also get a nutrition guide, recipes, and information about Happy Family. Open to US. Enter to win using the new version of Rafflecopter form below. If you need help with Rafflecopter please contact me or see this video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received the above products to facilitate this review. Prize will be sent from Happy Family Brands. All opinions are my own, yours may differ. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Facebook. Entries involving Facebook are not mandatory, and Facebook has no liability for this giveaway. Ends 3/31/12 at 12:01 AM Eastern. Open to US.