Why Go Organic? - Gerber Tender Harvest
Written: Jan 27 '01 (Updated Jul 04 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Organic Foods, Becoming a Wider Variety
Cons: More Expensive Per Jar
The Bottom Line: A wonderful, organic alternative to traditional baby food, with interesting combinations and textures my baby loves!
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| KMINER's Full Review: Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food |
My son, Colin, is now almost 9 months old. Any parent knows that feeding an infant and introducing "solid" foods can be an overwhelming process. There are many different types of brands, flavors, sizes, and stages on the market. As a first time mom, I was both concerned about feeding my son healthy foods, and also giving him a wide variety of the nutrients his body needs. This has become a greater concern as we are giving Colin the bottle less, and real food, cereals, and jarred food more.
I did not start off with Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food as Colin's first jarred foods, and you probably would not want to either. Tender Harvest provides a combination of 2 or 3 different foods, mixed into one jar. Pediatricians often recommend starting with a single food and waiting to see the baby's reaction to it first. Once they tolerate a given food well, it can be mixed with other foods they know.
Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food is made out of totally organic products, certified by the company. This means no fillers or other unwanted substances such as hormones (for meat products) or pesticides (for plant products) were used, much like the organic foods you can often buy for yourself at grocery stores.
Their product line includes: [Colin's favorites are starred (*) ]
Fruits With Grains/Cereals:
*Banana Blueberry
*Apple Strawberry
Tropical Blend
Peach Strawberry with Mixed Grains
Apple Mango Kiwi
Banana Oatmeal & Peach
Pears & Wild Blueberry
Vegetables Mixed With Grains:
*Broccoli Cauliflower
*Garden Carrots & Brown Rice
*Green Beans & Potatoes
Butternut Squash & Corn
Spring Garden Vegetables
Fruits Mixed With Vegetables:
*Apple Sweet Potato
Pears & Winter Squash
Dinners:
*Chicken with Wild Rice
*Vegetable, Turkey & Barley
Carrots, Beef & Barley
Minestrone Dinner
Pasta Primavera
Vegetable Pilaf
Squash, Corn & Chicken
Spinach Lasagna
We introduced Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food at about 7 months, after 2 months of feeding Colin jars of separate foods (for example, a jar of just peas, just bananas). Originally I was hesitant to purchase Tender Harvest, mainly on price alone. Typically Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food costs about $.10 more than the other same size jars of mixed foods. In our area Tender Harvest can be found for $.59 a jar.
Having signed up for Gerber coupons on-line, I tried Tender Harvest because I had a coupon. I liked that he was getting a chance to taste flavors and combinations previously not mixed together in the other jarred foods. I also liked that I knew he was getting the most healthy baby food available.
I did not know if Colin would like Tender Harvest, I figured if he did, it would be more than worth the price . My son is a vegetable lover. While he will eat some fruits, pears and peaches have really bothered his digestion, with applesauce bothering him from time to time. Additionally, I was finding that Colin was not really liking the meat choices from the other standard jars (Beechnut and Gerber Stage 2 jarred foods). Wanting to find ways to mix vegetables with meats and fruit in hopes that he would tolerate them better, and wanting more items mixed with bananas (the only fruit he could handle) I really hoped Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food would do the trick.
Colin loves it .
The smellier the jar (and believe me, Tender Harvest smells worse than ordinary baby food - try opening the Broccoli Cauliflower!) the more Colin loves it. It makes my heart happy to see him really enjoying, for the first time, a variety of mixed food.
I'd like to point out a few flavors that we have really enjoyed. In the fruit, Banana Blueberry is Colin's all-time favorite. The Apple Strawberry we have just tried more recently in hopes of getting Colin to better tolerate applesauce, and he seems to do better with this combination. Since Colin really likes vegetables anyway, I like the combinations picked because they "sneak" in some grains or plain food (potatoes) that Colin may not eat when presented alone. Apple Sweet Potato has also been an ideal way for us to sneak the apples into something he loves. These dinners are really the only meats Colin eats much anymore. To me, the jars smell less "meaty", and so they may be mixed to provide a milder flavor for him.
Before trying all of these flavors, I would suggest talking with your child's doctor. There are certain foods like strawberries and corn, that may be harder for your child to digest, or may start up an allergy. Additionally, Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food is usually found in the baby aisles with the other baby foods, and provided in 4 ounce jars. The jar mouths are wider than most other jars I have seen, making it easier for me to dish out Colin's food.
Now I feel like I am giving my son healthy foods and meals, and providing him the most balanced meals he is able to eat. I could not be more pleased with Gerber Tender Harvest Baby Food. My son's healthy and eating happiness is worth the money spent .
Recommended:
Yes
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