food

Great Gift Ideas: Foodie Mom Friends

It can be hard to make new mom friends, and often we’ve found that it is easier to bond over something you both like…and who doesn’t like food? We rounded up some great gift ideas for your foodie loving mama friends – and also asked our baby planners where some great places to meet new mom friends are – plus their picks for gifts for foodie moms!

What does a foodie mama need, and where can you find foodie mama friends?

Being a new mom can be super lonely; spending all day with a newborn gets long, real quick – so, we always tell our new moms to get the diaper bag ready and head out into the world. If you’re a foodie fan, there are lots of places to go meet other new moms. We asked our Baby Planners where foodie moms can find new friends, and also what their one must have item for foodie mamas is:

Gugu Guru’s Founder, Monica: When I ask seasoned mamas, especially those who work outside of the home, to share their tips for a work/life balance – “food prep” seems to always come up. In my house, we cannot live without our VeeTee rice. VeeTee tastes like delicious, gourmet rice but it’s ready in just 2 minutes in your microwave. And even though it has no artificial flavors or preservatives, it lasts a whole year in your pantry so you can always have it on-hand.

Jessica Zablan of The Birth and Baby Company: Our must have foodie item is a good Mason Jar. They can be used for food storage, you can drink from them, and it’s easy to take them with you. Join your local Co-Op to meet other parents that love food. Most Co-Ops support local farmers and small businesses.

Kimmie Johnson, Maternity Consultant, Co-Founder at Your Milk Shoppe, Chicago, IL: Every Foodie mama needs a go-to blog for inspo and recipes. Mine are, Skinny Taste, Iowa Girl Eats, and Frugal Foodie Mama. [The Gugu Guru team also loves our friend Ali over at Inspiralized!]

Amber Michels, Maternity Consultant, Founder at Your Milk Shoppe, Greenville, SC: My one must-have would be easy go-to recipes to have on hand for those days that seem to run on forever and also any kind of wine and/or meal delivery service! Just because us moms don’t have time to cook and drink all things amazing doesn’t mean we can’t pay for a service to bring the yummy goodness to our homes. Not to mention, the whole household is extra happy and fed! I suggest juice shops to meet other foodie moms. As far as juice shops, I love Southern Pressed Juicery. There is nothing like their energy bowl, The Green Monstah. Every one of us moms would kill for something that tastes good, is healthy and gives us a boost of energy!

Some of our favorite Foodie Finds:

Junkless Bars: As a new mom, you’ll find that you always need to bring a snack for yourself in the diaper bag. Sometimes you get stuck under a sleeping baby, or strolling a baby to sleep…for a long time, and you get hungry! We’re huge fans of Junkless Bars for many reasons – they come in four delicious flavors, cinnamon roll, strawberry, peanut butter chocolate chip, and chocolate-chip. Why are they called Junkless? Each granola bar is made with just eight or fewer basic, real ingredients – ingredients that are pronounceable and commonly found in most kitchen pantries; plus they are non-GMO. These are also a great snack for toddlers!

Partake Cookies: If you’re breastfeeding, you’re going to probably need to pack some snacks for yourself because you’ll be hungry throughout the day. However, some moms need to steer clear of dairy or gluten when it comes to breastfeeding, which is why we’re loving Partake Cookies. These delicious (totally addictive!) cookies are certified Gluten Free, certified Vegan, OU Kosher, and Non GMO Project Verified! Furthermore, they are also free of the Top 8 Allergens: no peanuts, no tree nuts, no egg, no soy, no milk, no wheat, no fish, no shellfish, no corn, no sesame, no sulfites. If you’re heading to meet a new mom for the first time and unsure if she, or her little one, is allergic, Partake is a great snack choice to bring along; safe for all – and really yummy.

BizyBelle Snack Bags: Need something to pack all of those snacks in and throw in the diaper bag? We’re fans of reusable snack bags, especially the adorable designs from BizyBelle (ahem, these make really cute little gifts for mom friends!). These handy bags are cotton with a velcro closure and easily washable (phew!).

Dert Bags: It seems as though farmer’s market shopping is a very popular past-time for mom friends, so make sure you’re prepared with Dert Bags. Why are we obsessed with Dert? These eco-friendly bags are sturdy and easy to clean…and fold up into adorable little animals! Stuff the bag back into the holder and it forms an animal shape – super easy to throw into your stroller or diaper bag.

Little Teether: Foodie fun can be had with babies too, especially when it comes to cute teething items. Little Teether is your one-stop-shop for teething toys and necklaces. Check out how adorable those donut teething rings are! They are 100% silicone and BPA free; feel free to freeze them, too. They’re easily washable and lightweight for little hands.

Party at Your Door: It may be a Monday afternoon, but you and your mom friends should celebrate being awesome with Party at Your Door. This adorable shop creates everything you’d need to throw a fun bash, including custom confetti – how cool is that!

Little Spoon: Little Spoon’s motto is, “it’s fresh, baby,” and they mean it – Little Spoon creates baby food which is not only super fresh and shipped to your door, but chock full of healthy ingredients and enticing flavors. With their signature baby spoons built into their packaging, their BabyBlends take your little one through the process of trying new foods, with flavors such as Beet Tahini Chickpea Apple Brown Rice Cardamom, Blueberry Chickpea Spinach Pear Rosemary, and Quinoa Raspberry Pear Coconut Milk Vanilla Date Wheat Germ Oil. Let’s be honest, you and your mama friends will most likely dig in before baby gets a chance, but as long as you share, we’re okay with it!

Little Nugget Co.: We’ve written about why we’re fans of Little Nugget before, and when it comes to food time for baby, you want to make sure the Little Nugget app is downloaded on your phone. Little Nugget uses artwork overlays to perfectly mark your baby’s exciting milestones and sweet moments! Select from beautiful fonts to add your little one’s name, measurements and memories you never want to forget. Easily edit your baby photo with a selection of over 15 beautiful photo filters. And, when you’re done, have the photos sent to your for the baby book or share with family and friends.

This post may contain affiliate links.

Cover image via Extra On Top

Baby Palate-Training Tips from Little Foodie Club

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One of the questions we see all the time in our mom groups online is “how do I even start baby on solids?” We know that anything food related can cause great anxiety for parents, so we’re excited about today’s guest blogger. Little Foodie Club is the brainchild of Kerstin Kühn, an international food writer, who has traveled and eaten her way around the world for more than 10 years. When it came to feeding her daughter Maxine, she realized the importance palate-training plays in raising a child who loves to eat vegetables and is willing to try new foods. So Kerstin developed her own range of baby purées with a culinary touch. She’s here today with some helpful and easy tips for making the introduction of solid food seamless and fun for both mama and baby. You can find Little Foodie Club on Facebook and Instagram.

Starting solids is one of the most exciting and fun milestones in a baby and new parent’s first year of life. But it’s also such a minefield of different opinions and contradictory information that it can quickly turn into a source of anxiety. Do you start with rice cereal or vegetables? How often can you safely introduce a new ingredient? Are nut butters and gluten safe? What if your baby chokes or has an allergic reaction?

It is essential you consult your pediatrician before starting solid foods, ensuring your baby is ready and there are no underlying food intolerances to worry about. But once you’ve been given the go ahead, you can let the fun begin. Here are a few tips on giving your baby the best start to a lifetime of happy, healthy eating habits.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Highchair
Feeding spoons
Plastic bowls
Bibs
Blender

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

It’s important for you as the parent to stay focused on building your little one’s positive relationship with food. Here are a few tips on how to turn mealtime into fun time:

Highchair happiness: In the week before you start solids, sit your baby in the highchair and play games so there is a fun association with it.
Don’t worry: Your baby senses your emotions and will pick up on your excitement or anxiety. So try not to stress during mealtime.
Make faces: Smile, open your eyes and mouth wide and show your baby how excited you are that he or she is eating.
Talk about the food: Explain what your baby is eating by naming the ingredient, its color, smell and taste.

VEGETABLES AND VARIETY

Babies are very receptive to new tastes during the transition to solids foods so the more variety you introduce right from the start, the better. Research from the University College London found that starting babies on a variety of simple vegetables – i.e. one ingredient purees – during the first 15 days of introducing solids makes them significantly more willing to try, accept and like new vegetables later on.

WHAT ABOUT ALLERGIES AND THE THREE-DAY RULE?

Unless there is a strong family history of food allergies – in which case you should consult your pediatrician – you can confidently expose your baby to a new ingredient every day. The most recent scientific research suggests that the earlier potentially allergenic foods like peanuts or gluten are introduced, the less likely a baby is to develop an allergy later on.

AVOID RICE CEREAL

Experts don’t recommend starting with rice cereal as this has virtually zero impact on a baby’s taste development and very little nutritional value to boot. Studies have even suggested that babies who are first given rice cereal are more likely to be obese later in life and grow up to prefer processed over fresh foods.

FIVE FIRST FOODS TO START WITH:

Avocado: Loaded with essential vitamins, minerals and good fats, all of which are great for a developing baby, avocados are easy to digest and simple to blend – simply blitz with a few drops of water, breastmilk or formula.

Broccoli: The king of vegetables – packed with minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium) as well as vitamin C and B-complex vitamins – is a really great food to get your baby into as early as possible.

Carrots: Bright and colorful and packed with goodness, carrots are a brilliant first baby food. They are an excellent source of beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A in the body and contain fiber, iron, calcium and vitamin C.

Pears: One of the least allergenic of all foods pears contain good quantities of fiber, making them great for digestion. If a little hard, simply poach in water for a few minutes before pureeing.

Zucchini: This summer squash is a wonderful first food as it’s mild tasting rich in B vitamins as well as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are excellent for promoting good eyesight. Steam for a few minutes until soft and blend.

21 DAYS TO SOLIDS

At Little Foodie Club, we understand that starting solids can be daunting. That’s why we have designed the Little Foodie Club 21 Days To Solids Plan: to help, support and enable parents to introduce their baby to solid foods with confidence and ease. Use promo code GUGUGURU17 and get $10 off.

More Foodie Inspiration:

On the Go Snacks for Busy Moments with Kids

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Our editor in chief is a huge fan of the Whole30 program as a wonderful way to reset your mind and body; a few months back we posted about doing a Whole30 with the whole family. We also had the chance to interview the mama behind the Whole 30’s Healthy Mama, Happy Baby program, Stephanie Greunke – the Healthy Mama, Happy Baby program and Instagram is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all topics breastfeeding, pregnancy, eating clean, and even mental health. We are so excited to have teamed up with the Whole30 Mamas again – and this time all about healthy snacks for busy families!

Summer is winding down, which means you’re probably gearing up for back to school. We know how busy things can get in the frenzy of packing lunches, school pick ups, and work deadlines. Today we’ve partnered with our friends at Whole30 Healthy Mama, Happy Baby to bring you some healthy snack ideas for on the go!

Pre-made snacks:

Epic bites: think beef jerky, but with clean ingredients and in bite-sized form
RX bar kids: clean ingredients and 7 grams of protein in kid-friendly sizes and flavors
Serenity Kids pouches: purees that include protein, veggies, and healthy fats in easy-to-grab pouches

Easy whole foods:

Mini cucumbers
Mini peppers
Baby carrots (Serve any veggies with Wholly guacamole snack packs or a pre-filled tupperware of Tessemae’s ranch dressing)
Raw nuts (toddler-friendly, but not so baby friendly!)

Minimal prep snacks:

Lunch meat roll ups (clean lunch meat – we like Applegate Farms – + cheese + condiment if you like, rolled up and held together with a toothpick)
Cut up fruit and add a small tupperware of natural almond butter + honey
Hard boiled eggs dipped in Primal Kitchen mayo

Interested in hearing even more advice recommendations from the Whole30 Healthy Mama, Happy Baby team? This month they are focusing on all things baby and toddler feeding! Recently they wrote about their personal experiences with introducing solids and how their now toddlers eat. They’ve also compiled a list of their favorites plus recommendations from their community on Instagram for baby and toddler feeding over on their blog: HMHB Loves: Baby and Toddler Feeding.

Getting Ready For Feeding Time with Kizingo

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-Sponsored Post-

It is always exciting when a baby transitions from eating baby food, to grabbing their own food, and eventually using utensils on their own. However, teaching a child to properly eat with utensils is not always easy. Luckily, Kizingo has come up with a new way to introduce using utensils to toddlers and kids.

Founded by two moms, the mission of Kizingo is to help children learn to love to eat, and therefore, learn to love mealtime, as it is such a special time for families. The name Kizingo means curved in Swahili and honors that time of exploration and discovery. Learning to feed yourself is difficult, but it’s so important and Kizingo believes that kids should have the tools they need to do this, successfully, for themselves.

What makes Kizingo spoons special? Kizingo encourages independence, as their curved form is easy for children to grip and therefore, children will be eager to hold them to eat. The short, wide handles are easy to hold, especially for small hands which are just learning to grasp well. They do not contain BPA, PVC, lead or Phthalates, and they are microwave and dishwasher save. They’re also designed and manufactured in America!

As baby will be learning to feed themselves before you know it, we highly recommend adding Kizingo to your baby registry! The Kizingo products are designed to promote successful self-feeding, giving confidence to parents and children. Babies and toddlers learning to feed themselves can get frustrated and most utensils are not well designed for how toddlers want to hold and use them. As a result, parents often take over feeding which can have unintended consequences. Kizingo spoons are curved to work with the way children hold utensils, making it easer for kids to successfully do it themselves. Help instill a sense of independence in your toddlers with the Kizingo spoon; a little independence goes a long way in toddlerhood, and anything to make meal time a little easier is always a plus in our book.

Thank you to Kizingo for making this sponsored post possible.

Top 5 Must Have Essentials: Starting Solids

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-Sponsored Post-

It’s always super exciting to enter the world of starting solid food with your baby, isn’t it? However, it’s great to be prepared when you start solids and we’re here to make sure you have everything you need. We know that it can seem overwhelming to register for everything you may need for a baby; so, we’ve broken all the necessities down into your Top 5 Must Have Essentials for every category you may need. Today we’re covering the Top 5 Must Have Essentials for Starting Solids.

1. b.box baby Travel Bib: We know, it’s a little unusual to post a travel bib for starting solids, but you’re going to want to be able to go out to eat with baby, so we love that this bib can do double duty as an at-home staple, and for on the go. This cool travel bib and spoon has baby covered, literally. And there’s no need for zip lock bags – after baby has finished eating, pop the spoon inside, fold the bib into the catcher and zip closed. Then when you get home, just wash and dry it ready for your next adventure. BPA, Phthalates and PVC free. The modern designs are super cute, and we can stand behind this bib, as our team uses it for our own kiddos!

Also seen: Product Discovery, travel bib

2. Micuna OVO High Chair: When it comes to where your baby will spend their time eating, you want the high chair to be comfortable, easy to clean, and also not a total eyesore. We’re huge fans of the Micuna High Chair; we know this chair is on the higher end of prices, but it is a long-term investment into your child’s love of eating. Plus, it converts to a toddler chair! It features a round removable side tray and solid lacquered beechwood, with a seat made from rotation molded plastic. It has a white /natural fabric harness and can be pulled up to the table, so baby can join in on the fun, too.

Also seen: DIY Fringe Bibs with See Kate Sew

3. Little Foodie Club: As much as we want to say we will make all of our baby’s food from scratch, it just isn’t always realistic. Enter, Little Foodie Club! Little Foodie Club is a subscription service that delivers fresh baby food straight to your house! Their baby purees are the real deal: handmade from fresh organic ingredients and free from anything artificial, sugar or salt. The recipes are unlike anything else on the market – and there simply is no other service with a similarly diverse and unique range of flavors that takes care of a baby’s complete dietary needs.

4. Beaba Babycook: For the times when you have an afternoon free to make baby food, we’re big fans of the Beaba Babycook. The Beaba Babycook is a 4 in 1 baby food maker, which will not only make your life infinitely easier but help you save money in the long run, as well. With its patented steam heating system, you can prepare fruits, vegetables, meat or fish from raw to any stage baby and toddler food in 15 minutes. It features a large 4.7 cup bowl with graduation markings for easy measuring and mixing, so you can invent delicious and nutritious purees for your little one.

Also seen: Foodie Finds: Beaba Babycook; Baby Registry Ideas for Adoption; A Foodie Mom’s Registry

5. Real Baby Food: Easy, All-Natural Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler by Jenna Helwig: It’s always great to have a healthy and helpful cookbook ready to go in the house, which is why we are big fans of Jenna Helwig’s Real Baby Food Cookbook. Helwig, the food editor at Parents magazine, makes the art of creating baby food so simple, even for busy moms and dads. She guides you through the early days of simple foods, to adding spices, meats, flavors, and even multi-flavor blends like Salmon, Kale, and Sweet Potato Smash. With over 100 meals in the book, your little one is sure to have a head-start on their culinary palate!

Also seen: A Foodie Mom’s Registry

Thank you to Micuna and b.box baby for making this sponsored post possible

DIY Lunch Bag Tutorial

by Gugu Guru 2 Comments

See Kate Sew partners with Gugu Guru once again to share a fantastic DIY tutorial. This time? A cute lunchbag for baby, toddler or even mama.

I’m so excited to be here today with a fun lunch bag pattern for you! This little pouch is perfect for stashing baby food containers, fruit and more! It’s also super easy to make! We had a blast making baby food with the Beaba Babycook. It was my first time making baby food and it was so easy! I guess I’ve been scared of making it myself before but now I’m excited to try all sorts of new flavor combinations for my 9-month-old!

Click over to SeeKateSew.com to read my review of the Beaba Babycook! I’m also sharing 4 baby food recipes that I made in the Babycook!

Ready to sew?

This cute little bag is perfect for stashing in your purse or diaper bag as you head out the door. The thick velvet fabric will give it a bit of insulation (as well as a luxe feel!) and the strawberries on the other side are just too cute! This project is great for an advanced beginner, there’s a zipper but it’s not too hard to install!

Materials:
1/3 yard velvet
1/3 yard quilting cotton, I’m using Cotton + Steel Yours Truly
1/3 yard fusible interfacing
one 12″ zipper

Instructions:

This is a basic zipper pouch pattern with a little twist!

1. Cut out 2 pattern pieces from the velvet and two from the strawberry fabric. Then cut 4 from the fusible interfacing.

2. Fuse the interfacing to the back of each fabric piece.

3. Lay the zipper face down on a strawberry fabric.

4. Place a velvet piece on top of the zipper, face down. Sew where line is shown below.

5. Fold pieces back and press well.

6. Lay the other side of the zipper on the second strawberry fabric piece face up. Then place the other velvet piece on top face down.

7. Stitch along the top.

8. Fold back and press.

9. Open the zipper and fold the fabrics over so all right sides are facing inward. Sew all the way around, leaving a 3″ opening in the lining. Clip the corners.

10. Turn the bag inside out and pinch the bottom corners, perpendicular to the side seam. Measure up 2.5″ and mark it. I used a pen, which is really a sewing “no-no”. Shh, don’t tell! 😉 Stitch over the line you created and repeat on the other side. This big pinch will give it the shape on the bottom to hold lots of baby food! Clip off the excess fabric and sew up the bottom opening with a ladder stitch.

Foodie Find: JJ Rabbit

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This week we are so excited to be featuring amazing products perfect for a foodie baby. Today we’re highlighting a baby feeding essentials from JJ Rabbit!

JJ Rabbit is a design first, eco-conscious, children’s feeding brand. JJ Rabbit, the brainchild of two parents, knows how important meal times are in shaping your little one’s love for food, family time, and memories, so they strive to create fun and functional feeding items which bring joy to mealtime. Their design philosophy is modern, contemporary, and fun. First, the design must be safe and functional. Second, it must excite and inspire kids. Third, it should look great to parents too.

But, one of the reasons Gugu Guru loves JJ Rabbit is how eco-conscious the brand is! JJ Rabbit has developed a stronger eco-friendly bioplastic to ensure their products are both healthy for kids and happy for Mother Earth. JJ Rabbit products are free of all the bad stuff that is found in traditional plastics such as BpA, Phthalate, and PVC. Their bio-plastic products are made from a unique formulation which includes an organic additive called EcoPure. EcoPure causes the bio-plastic to biodegrade through a series of chemical and biological processes and therefore, it cuts down the increase in plastic pollution that threatens ecosystems and environmental safety worldwide. Not only are JJ Rabbit feeding items colorful, bold, and functional, but they’re saving Mother Earth, too!

One of our favorite products is the dryBib; this waterproof bib has two layers of organic cotton, and a catch pocket for all the extra food baby drops. Their Cuppies are so adorable and functional; at the bottom of each cup is a little penguin peeking out to say hello. If you’re looking for utensils for your little one, the ergoFork + Spoon are the perfect size and shape for little hands. The angled handle makes it easy for baby to hold, pick up and put down, and the curved tip makes self-feeding easy for baby to learn. siliMATs are perfect for home or on the go – protecting kiddos from germs, dirt, and cleaning chemicals on public surfaces! Made of soft, food-grade silicone, the anti-slip siliMAT can be a placemat or a plate. Reusable and easy to clean – simply wipe or throw in the dishwasher. Any parent of a toddler can tell you that toddlers LOVE dipping their food into dips! Luckily, JJ Rabbit has their dipPlate; make meal time more fun with these stackable animal plates. Keep foods, condiments, and anything else separated with divided sections. Keep your little ones happy with their animal friends.

You can follow JJ Rabbit on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Foodie Find: Plum Organics

by Gugu Guru 3 Comments

This week we are so excited to be featuring amazing products perfect for a foodie baby. Today we’re highlighting an ideal first food (and beyond) for your little one with Plum Organics!

One of the most exciting parts of new parenthood is when baby tries solid food for the first time; however, there are always so many questions surrounding the moment, especially, what is baby going to try as their very first solid food?! Luckily, Plum Organics has one mission in mind: to help you feed your little one organic, delicious, and nutritious food from the very beginning and beyond. As Plum Organics says, “From pregnancy on through the first two years, food helps spark baby’s growth, eating preferences and overall development.” Which is why their philosophy is to use organic, non-GMO, whole and simple ingredients whenever possible.

If you’re looking for a foodie find for baby, Plum Organics is sure to have something to spark baby’s taste buds. For young babies, 4 months and up, Plum Organics offers their “Just Veggies” and “Just Fruits” line of food pouches. The Just Veggies line is a stage 1 baby food line of vegetable blends, perfect for introducing solids or first foods to your budding eater. Even more wonderful, some of the blends are accented with a hint of mild herb or spice to introduce flavor to help develop baby’s palate. The Just Fruits line is also a stage 1 baby food line of fruit blends that are perfect for introducing solids or first foods to your little one. Using only organic ingredients, the blends are in a convenient, resealable pouch that’s perfect for flexible portions.

We’re big fans of the Eat Your Colors line of pouches, whose aim is to help little ones fully experience food with all their senses. With mixes such as red – beet, apple & red bell pepper, orange – peach, pumpkin, carrot & cinnamon, yellow – mango, yellow zucchini, corn & turmeric, and white – apple, cauliflower & leek, you are sure to introduce your baby to a rainbow of wonderful colors and flavors. For babies 6 months and up, they offer the Grow Well line, which are stage 2 purees that harness the nutrition of real ingredients to help support baby. Each puree blend focuses on bolstering DHA levels, tummy, muscle, and bone. The Second Blends line for 6 months and up is a Stage 2 baby food line with blends of fruit and veggies that are perfect for exposing your little foodie to unique flavors and colors. Using only organic ingredients, the blends are in a convenient, resealable pouch that’s perfect for flexible portions. Plus, they sound…amazing! Who wouldn’t want to eat roasted pumpkin and coconut rice or lentils and roasted squash with apricot? Delicious!

For snack time and travel time, Plum Organics has their Super Puffs for baby. Super Puffs are a colorful line of bite-sized, nutritious puffed snacks, are made with whole grains and organic veggies and fruit. Packed with 14 essential vitamins and minerals, Super Puffs delight tiny taste buds with a rainbow of nutritional goodness. And, for a little teether (and a great on-the-go snack), check out Plum Organics’ Little Yums, a line of baby teething wafers made with whole grain buckwheat and real fruit & veggies, is the perfect first snack for little teethers. The wafer easily dissolves, encourages self-feeding for teething babies, and is made with unique fruit and vegetable combinations to delight tiny taste buds. With so many food options, your little one is sure to be exposed to amazing new flavors and tastes in their food pouches and snacks from Plum Organics.

You can find more about Plum Organics on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Baby Eats with Happy Family, OlaBaby and guzzie+Guss

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March is national nutrition month, and while we’ll be celebrating all next week, our editor, Olivia, wanted to share some of her favorite foodie finds which her little guy loves. Check out her baby food essentials below!

As a mom, I love when my little ones get to explore with their food. I also happen to love when that food is super healthy and delicious for their growing taste buds, too. Ever since my oldest son could eat solids, I have been a superfan of Happy Family – and, now that I have a toddler and baby, I can still use their food, because they make baby, tot, and kid products too! Every aspect of Happy Family foods are so well thought out, especially with nutrition in mind. Even their baby puffs are chock full of healthy nutrients like choline, for brain and eye health. Their food pouches are perfect for early eaters, or I like to mix the purees into cooked rice or oatmeal as the baby gets older. The baby pouches are clear – making it easy to see all the fresh goodness packed in! And, to be honest, my toddler grabbed a hold of the gluten free multi grain alphabet snacks and not only proceeded to announce each letter he ate, but shared them kindly with his brother. I absolutely love that Happy Family uses interesting flavor combinations to expose baby’s taste buds to all sorts of fruits and veggies – even mama steals some of the food, too!

As a parent, it’s an amazing transition to see your little one learn to use a spoon and…feed themselves! My little guy was never a fan of letting me feed him with a spoon, and eating with his hands is such a mess, so I was beyond excited to try the OlaBaby SteamBowl and spoon. The Olababy SteamBowl is designed to perfectly prepare steamed baby food puree, allowing parents to retain the rich nutrients for a child’s healthy diet. The bowl is made from toxin-free, BPA-free, food-grade silicone that acts as both a steamer and serving bowl, combined into one. When steaming baby puree, the SteamBowl is simply filled with food, placed on a saucepan or pot over a shallow pool of water, and covered. Within minutes, nutrient-rich baby food is prepared and ready to eat.

My son adores his OlaBaby spoons – they are so soft on his mouth and emerging teeth; he uses them as teethers sometimes. The Olababy Feeding Spoon, made from 100% silicone, is perfectly designed to feed baby with ease. Inspired by natural plant elements, the spoon resembles the shape of a sprout while the tip resembles that of a leaf. The shape and the flexibility of the spoon allow for easy scooping, cutting, and slicing. A suction-cup base allows for hygienic, upright placement on any surface. The silicone, combined with textured lines resembling the shape of vegetation, provides a better grip. Dishwasher safe and BPA free, the Olababy feeding spoon is the perfect tool for your baby to start eating solid food.

I’ve been using the Tiblit highchair from the wonderful guzzie+Guss with my second son, and love everything about it – the design, the fact that it’s so light – and most importantly, how comfortable it is for my son (so comfortable in fact, that he fell asleep eating). The modern design of the chair features a microfiber seat that is stain-resistant and wicks away moisture on a hot day; this means baby can make a huge mess and it won’t ruin the chair! Plus, this chair is wonderful for outdoor use in summer because the seat wicks away moisture. Traveling? You’ll want to bring this chair, it folds up flat and comes with a bag, making it easy to transport. In sophisticated colors, with a modern design, parents will fall in love with this utilitarian yet very handsome high chair.

Whole30 Tips and Tricks for Moms

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Gugu Guru’s editor in chief is a big fan of January Whole30’s to reset for the year; when she came across the Happy Family Organic Superfoods Cookbook for Baby and Toddler, and saw that some of the recipes were Whole30 compliant, she knew she wanted to share the book and some Whole30 tips with all of you! Read on for a description of the Whole30, as well as tips for completing a Whole30 with a baby and toddler in tow.

Doesn’t every January feel like a total mental reset? Along with organizing my bank statements and computer files, I also gravitate towards doing a Whole30 program. What is this Whole30 that seems to be popping up everywhere now? Essentially, the Whole30 is a total reset of your awareness of food; by eliminating sugar, grains, alcohol, legumes, and dairy, you can give your body a chance to reset the system and see how these foods affect you mentally and physically. Initially, I started eating paleo and doing Whole30s back before I had kids, as I found that sticking to a paleo diet helped cure my lifelong cystic acne! However, I’ve stuck with it because I’m a huge fan, and I love that I can involve my kids in eating healthy too.

When I received the Happy Family cookbook, I was in awe – it is gorgeous! My three year old even came and read it with me; the colors are bold and bright, and I love that the recipes are kid-friendly, but also super sophisticated. A bunch of their recipes are paleo, and even Whole30 compliant, but two of them stuck out to me as sounding amazing. The Coconut Milk Chicken with Broccoli and Snow Peas (just sub out the vegetable oil for coconut oil!) on page 70, introduces children to a new palette with mint and basil, as well as providing healthy fats and veggies. I couldn’t stop salivating over the recipe on page 77 for Orange-y Beef and Carrot Burgers (again, sub in another oil for the vegetable oil to make it Whole30 compliant). I love that these burgers have so many veggies and fruits high in vitamin C – perfect for a wintertime dinner! These meals, while created for children, would be wonderful for anyone, even at your most chic dinner party! Colorful, healthy, and completely full of flavor.

Doing a Whole30 with kids at home isn’t always easy; there’s lots of cooking and cleaning up, meal planning, and thinking about food. By resetting your system and not eating sugar, often times, you’ll find yourself sleeping better at night…that is, unless you’re a mother whose two kids wake up every hour (sleep, what was that again?) Luckily, you can still have your coffee in the morning; though dairy isn’t allowed on the Whole30, we have a wonderful solution: Nutpods! I have to say, when a friend told me about these genius little pods, it was a total life changer. Did you know a lot of coffee creamers have added ingredients which aren’t good for you? Nutpods are made from purified water, coconut cream, almonds, and natural flavors. They are totally Whole30 approved and delicious! They come in original, hazelnut, and french vanilla (I even cook with the original sometimes!). They surely perk up my coffee after a long night of not sleeping. It absolutely makes the Whole30 easier to have these on hand (we suggest adding them to your baby registry, as they’re great even when you’re not on the Whole30).

There are many amazing resources for staying strong during a Whole30 – especially for pregnant and breastfeeding moms! Healthy Mama happy baby is a Whole30 website dedicated to all of the women currently on the Whole30 whom are breastfeeding, pregnant or post-partum. Anyone else doing a Whole30 this month (or have you done one?) leave a comment and let us know!

All photos by Molly Leon Studios

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