Hipp Organic Mini Pots

Hipp Organic played a significant role in the weaning of my two little ones.

Both children continue to be great eaters and enjoy a range of different foods which is particulalry important to me bringing them up on a vegetarian diet. They do, however, both have a fondness for the sweets, crisps and biscuits that I do my best to limit but are so handy when a hungry toddler needs a snack or treat.

I was sent some of Hipp Organics new mini pots to try.

The mini pots come in packs of six 50g pots - ideal for a snack. Made of 100% fruit puree blended with a little bit of yoghurt , they are healthy, nutritious and contribute to the government guideline '5-a-day'. There is no need to refrigerate which makes them ideal for when you are out and about. They are available in two varieties: banana & peach and apple & pear.

I did wonder if my children, having become familiar with high sugar/ fat/ salt snacks, would consider something this wholesome and pure as a treat. It has certainly been a problem previously.

I needn't have worried. They both loved their mini pots. Addy loved the fruity smell as much as the taste which did lead to several incidents of puree on her nose! The video shows both children enjoying their little treat which evidently is also perfect to take to the moon!

Little Nibbles

Both of my little ones are great eaters and have been brought up on an entirely vegetarian diet.

I was impressed by the vegetarian range from Hipp Organic which I reviewed some months ago and was happy to receive some products from the re-packaged Little Nibbles range and some 100% Fruit Puree pouches to try.

The packaging was bright and fun, featuring cartoon animals and the products were all made using natural, organic ingredients with no added sugar, salt or artificial colours, preservatives or flavourings.

Making sure we give our children the best possible diet and instilling good eating habits for life is a huge responsibility. The Little Nibbles range seemed like an ideal solution to the problem of providing healthy yet convenient snacks.

I put my 'Taster Tots' to work to see what they thought of them.

I have to admit, I was in two minds whether or not to include this review on my blog but I felt I could not claim to "blog with integrity" if I did not. I totally respect the ethos of Hipp Organic and really don't want to say negative things about the products but the Little Nibbles range just did not work for us. I really wanted my children to love the healthy snacks but they simply didn't. If you watch the video you will see it was more than a mild dislike!

If my children had never been exposed to the delights of salt and vinegar crisps, custard creams and chocolate buttons, perhaps they would have been more accepting of the 'natural' tastes.

On a more positive note, they both loved the 100% Fruit Pouches. They are so convenient to pop in your handbag when you are out and about and you know that you are giving your children the best of organic as well as contributing towards their recommended five-a-day fruit and veg intake. There is definitely a place for these in my weekly shopping trolley - alongside the custard creams that I will try to make sure are consumed in moderation!

Peter Rabbit Organics Juice Drinks - review

Who doesn't love Peter Rabbit...

...and who wouldn't love these Peter Rabbit Organics Juice Drinks.

We were sent the three varieties from the range to try: a pear, a blackcurrant and apple and an apple and grape.

The small 150ml size was great for little ones who struggle to finish larger drinks.

The attached straw extended to double its length making reaching to the bottom of the carton really easy with a generous amount of straw sticking out.

As a health conscious mum I loved the fact that these drinks are made of 100% organic fruit juice diluted with water - NO added sugar, NO artificial ingredients. As a mum who wants her children to be happy, I was delighted when my little girl asked for 'rabbit drink'.

For a convenient, cute and healthy drink, the Peter Rabbit Organics range is perfect.

Away from home...

... in the car...

... on the go!

Stockists include Sainsbury's, Asda, Toys R Us, Waitrose and Ocado. For more information about Peter Rabbit Organics and the full range of products visit http://www.peterrabbitorganics.co.uk/home

Hipp Organic Baby Food - Review

At 10 months old, my little boy is a fantastic eater. He pretty much has whatever the family are having and is always willing to try new tastes and textures. I still breastfeed him to supplement his nutrition and love to see him learning about food.

It is always useful to have some proprietary Baby Food on standby for those moments when it simply isn't convenient to have him share the family meal or we need to feed him in a hurry. We have been enjoying trying out the relaunched Hipp Organic range.

The new design packaging for 2011 is certainly very appealing with lovely photographs of the fresh, organic ingredients used to make the products.

We are raising our son on a vegetarian diet to fit in with the rest of the family. It can be a struggle sometimes to find enough variety when meat is off the menu. The Hipp Organic range includes several vegetarian options.

We tried three different varieties from the traditional jars of baby food: Sweet Parsnip & Potato Puree, Mixed Vegetable Medley and Tasty Vegetable Risotto. These are all suitable from 4+ months. Each of the  purees was a distinct colour which made them feel as though there really was a difference between them rather than being slightly tweaked bland mush with imaginative names. I was impressed with how pleasant they smelled and my boy demolished the whole jar without pausing for breathe!

We also tried the Creamed Root Vegetable with Apple variety from the Wholesome Pots range. I really liked the resealable, reusable pots that they come in and found them brilliant for when we were out and about. I am not keen on carrying the glass pots around in my handbag and I did have a rather unfortunate incident when trying to feed an excited little boy in the front seat of my car recently trying to balance him, a jar and a spoon. It was messy. The plastic pots are very much more like a little bowl with the benefit, therefore, of greater stability and a bigger area to aim at with your spoon!

I was pleased to see that the Hipp Organic range contains non-animal sourced Omega 3, which we are told is important for development and health.

I have long been a fan of the the Hipp Organic Fruit Pots. They have no added sugar and taste like  fruit you could have pureed yourself. My son has loved all the fruit we have given him (including some lemon that his big sister gave him to see him pull a face at the bitterness!) and he loved the Fruit Pots. My three year old daughter, on the other hand, does not like the texture of fruit apart from kiwi and banana but she does love the Fruit Pots. It is a great way to get her to enjoy the flavours of fruit and hopefully work towards her being more adventurous when it comes to getting her Five-a-Day.

We were given the Fruit Pots with Yoghurt to try in Apple & Pear and Banana & Peach varieties. I was interested to see what she made of these. The video speaks for itself.

   

Find Hipp Organic at http://www.hipp.co.uk/, on Facebook and Twitter for information, competitions and chat.

The products featured in this review were supplied by Hipp Organic.

Libido during pregnancy - is it a way of predicting baby's gender?

As I was looking through everybody's Reasons to be Cheerful I was reminded that Carole at Carole Finds her Wings is 2 weeks away from her due date.

For Carole and anybody else who is pregnant this Valentine's Day, here are the results of a survey conducted by Hipp Organic:

Don’t let being pregnant take the spice out of your Valentines Day!

This Valentines Day, don’t let your bump get in the way of enjoying yourself with that special someone. Whilst sex might be the last thing on your mind when you are expecting, a recent survey conducted by HiPP Organic, the leading experts in nutritious baby food, found that over a third claimed to feel their horniest during the second trimester of pregnancy! 

However if you really can’t think of anything worse than getting close to your partner this Valentines Day but don’t want to completely banish the romance from your life, why not spice things up a little and take a tip from the 65% of mums claiming to try the more reputable method such as eating hot curry to speed up labour. After all, there's nothing wrong with a romantic takeaway night in with your loved one. And according to HiPP's Mum’s Know Best survey...it’s also the quickest way to the delivery room!

The recent 'Mums Know Best’ survey commissioned by HiPP Organic, which uncovers the trials and tribulations of modern day motherhood was conducted amongst over 11,000 women via the brand’s reputable online Baby Club www.hippbabyclub.co.uk

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With my babies number five and six, not even the hottest vindaloo was going to shift them (and I did try!) I had to resort to a hospital induction both times.

As for libido during pregnancy, I found that there was an enormous difference between my desire for sex when I was pregnant with my girls and when I was pregnant with my son. With my girls, I was embarrassingly horny most of the time. In my last pregnancy, that gave me my lovely little boy, I was expecting that same level of insatiability but it never happened. I did wonder if this was just me or if other mothers had noticed this pattern. If there is some connection between libido and baby's gender then I'm surprised that it isn't well documented. It has to be a better prediction tool than the swing direction of a ring dangled from a piece of string over a pregnant belly.

If anybody has any stories of libido during pregnancy that will corroborate or dispute my claim that horny=girl baby, not horny=boy baby, please leave a comment. I would love to know if there is any anecdotal evidence to support my theory.

Look out for my upcoming reviews of products from the Hipp Organic range. 

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