In partnership with Happy Baby Organics. Editor’s Note: All opinions are our own. We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
Before my kids were born, I read French Kids Eat Everything and felt like I had it all figured out. All we needed to do was create an environment in which food was served at predictable schedules with an emphasis on exploration and joy, without giving in to the American propensity for constantly snacking on calorically dense sugar bombs.
Fast forward a few years and that culinarily confident soon-to-be-father is now drizzling syrup on waffles every morning, sneaking chocolate chips into the lunchbox, bribing my kids with fruit snacks, and negotiating dessert while in the middle of dinner.
Luckily there is a bright spot in my kid’s daily intake, which is necessary because everything else they eat is beige. Happy Tot pouches from Happy Family Organics.
We like
- Kids will actually eat it
- Nutritious and organic so you can feel good about feeding it to your family
- Wide variety of flavors exposes kids to a range of fruits and vegetables
- Allergy friendly so they can be packed for school snacks
We don't like
- My kids refuse certain blends (ie. green ones)
- Individual pouches mean we create waste after each use
- The bright colors can be a pain to clean off of clothes and couch cushions
Eating the Rainbow
My kids might not remember the name of their alleged best friend, but they can somehow remember the packaging on any food product they tried once and disliked, refusing to ever taste it again. Those negative associations are why we’ve left so many pouch brands in the dust. Happy Tot pouches, on the other hand, have remained in the snack drawer thanks to their positive associations. They reliably offer vibrant packaging, bright (but not too bright!) flavors, and nutritious blends.
My children have become frustratingly finicky eaters when it comes to mealtimes, relying on variations of carbs to fill their bellies, and I sometimes worry that they aren’t eating a sufficient amount of the rainbow, the simple phrase often mentioned as a reminder to eat a healthy and varied diet. Happy Tots pouches help alleviate this gap in their diets with a diverse range of pouches that includes offerings as part of a morning time meal (apples, cinnamon, yogurt, and oats), fiber and protein blends (pears, blueberries, and spinach), and sneakily tasty veggies (beets, squash, bananas, and blueberries).
Here’s the full breakdown of all the pouches from Happy Tot:
- Super Morning: Offer 600mg of omega-3 ALA from chia and 2g of fiber per serving, and made with delicious whole grain oats, whole milk yogurt* and organic fruits.
- Fiber & Protein: 3g of fiber and 3g of protein per serving to help support your toddler's growth even when on-the-go.
- Super Bellies: Added prebiotic fiber helps support digestive health, and beta-glucan helps support the immune system.
- Super Foods: Includes superfoods, like chia, to help meet their nutritional needs.
- Love my Veggies: Each pouch contains 1 full serving of veggies.**
*Does not contain live and active cultures.
**1 full serving of vegetables is ¼ cup
Disclaimer for all of the above: Happy Tot products are intended for ages 2 & up.
A Win-Win: Flavorful and Nutritious
If you ever want to know how nutritious (or not) your food is, there are a few apps that allow you to scan the barcodes of products to get a score based on nutrition information. My wife and I are partial to Yuka, and have been horrified to learn that certain things we assumed were okay for our kids were filled with additives and other ingredients.
Scanning Happy Tot’s pouches was another story. Thanks to the organic ingredients, each pouch scored between 85-100. Phew! This wouldn’t be a win if our kids ignored the pouches, but luckily those organic ingredients actually make it into their bellies.
I shouldn’t be so surprised: since trying Happy Tot pouches, I’ve learned that Happy Baby Organics is the brand parents choose most for baby’s first foods!* In addition to Happy Tot pouches, the brand has Stage 2 infant formula and snacks, all made without artificial flavors or toxic persistent pesticides.
*IRI Latest 52 Weeks, WE 12.29.24
Great for On the Go
Lastly, there is the portability of a pouch. Stashing a few of these into my backpack before we head out is always a wise move, and regardless of how long we stay out or how hot or cold it is, the pouch will be perfectly edible when it is time to eat it. After a recent winter outing to the playground they were a great snack to crush on the way home before lunch. A nutritious snack that helped satiate my kids until it was time for our next meal.
Ever since our kids were born, my wife has commented on how satisfying it is to watch them eat something they enjoy and that is good for them. It doesn’t happen often, so knowing we have a consistent source of packable, palatable pouches is a relief. Unlike French kids, our kids might not eat everything – but they will eat Happy Tot Pouches.
