Review: Parent’s Choice Organic Baby Food Purée offers much-needed convenience

When I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter, it was what I like to think of as a “later in life pregnancy.” (That day, my doctor uttered the words “geriatric pregnancy” for the first and last time in my presence.) My first child had just turned 14, and it was like I was having a baby in an entirely new world. At 39, I was more confident, and I was determined to make this child’s early years perfect. Now, I should mention that I own my own business and work from a home-based office, and I didn’t really have a true vision of the changes that were about to come our way. My dreams of becoming The World’s Best Mother were about to fly out the window. (I haven’t even mentioned that when baby number two was 18 months old, I found out I was pregnant again.)

My first big goal was that I was going to make all baby food from scratch, and I did it—a grand total of once. I bought the baby food processor with all of those adorable little freezer containers. I went to our local farmers’ market and picked up fresh fruit and vegetables. I spent the afternoon peeling and cooking and chopping, and I ended up with an assortment of natural, homemade baby food to show for all my efforts. Sounds good, right? Well, my husband does most of the cooking because I’m not a huge fan—which should have made me think twice about this ambitious plan. At the very least, I probably should have tried to perfect recipes one at a time before loading my freezer with purées that were either tasteless or unappealing to my little one. My hard work was either spit out, dumped over or just plain refused entry by my baby's much-pinched lips.

I quickly realized that it was more important that my daughter actually like the food, and that it be convenient, than it was for me to be the "perfect" mom. On my hunt for nutrition and convenience in one small package, I settled on a few different brands, and one of the main staples was Parent’s Choice Organic Baby Food Purée. I really like that it's affordable and comes in a wide variety of flavours. And you can't beat the convenience of as re-sealable pouch. My babies often attended meetings with me, and it was so helpful to be able to reach into my diaper bag and give them a snack without missing a beat. I always knew they’d be happy and excited for a “snacky packy”—our little nickname for the re-sealable purée pouches. And as my kids have grown older, they’ve become able to help themselves. I even make ice pops with the purees in the summer by mixing them with an equal amount of Greek yogurt and freezing them.

In the end, it wasn't that hard to let go of that idea of perfection. Parent’s Choice Organic Baby Food Purée helped me make a healthy choice for my girls, and it gave me the convenience that was much needed for this busy-mom-on-the-go’s sanity.

Angela of FromHeelstoHighchairs.com, is mom of three girls ranging 18 months to 18 years. She lives with her family in Nova Scotia. Angela embraces the chaos of life while trying to find balance between motherhood, her work in the fashion industry and her new role as a children's book author. Follow her on Twitter @a_campagnoni and Instagram @angelacampagnoni.

Parent’s Choice Organic Baby Food Purée is a Today’s Parent Approved 2016 winner. These portable resealable purée pouches make feeding little ones a breeze when you’re on the go. Great for babies just starting solids, thepurées are certified organic, kosher and free of added sugar, salt, preservatives, and artificial flavours and colours. They’re also a good snack for toddlers who might need a little extra boost of fruit and veggies. $1 per 128 mL, walmart.ca

See all of the 2016 Today’s Parent Approved winning products