If you’re like me, you are the one who is in charge of, well, everything — planning the kids’ social calendars, making sure they have clothes for the next season, getting food on the table, making sure that food is healthy for them, and packing plenty of snacks for when they are out and about.
When I had my first child, I couldn’t wait to introduce solids to her. I excitedly made purees of some foods and bought others pre-made. I read countless articles about which foods to introduce when (and how). I hounded my doctor’s office with questions. And I turned to my best friend with even more questions.
With my second baby, I simply did not have time for any of it. When I did start her on solids, I was a lot more chill — maybe because I did not have the time to ruminate, or maybe because I realized the important thing was to make sure she was healthy and fed. Of course, nutrition was still key.
In between the births of my two kids, new research came out that changed what we know about early allergen introduction. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology now states that potentially allergenic foods can be introduced just like other solid foods, around 4-6 months of age. This change was a result of the publications of the LEAP and EAT studies.
This was new for me, and I was intrigued. I couldn’t exactly give my baby a spoonful of sticky peanut butter or a handful of whole walnuts. And, she was on a “gagging on food” kick.
Luckily, I found out about a new Boston-based (yay!) company called Inspired Start. Inspired Start has created convenient, delicious baby food pouches that make early allergen introduction (of eight common allergens) easy.
Each non-GMO pouch is made with an organic fruit puree and a small amount of one allergenic protein per pouch. The pouches are sold in packages of eight, with each pouch containing only one allergen. It’s great! Inspired Start does all the thinking for you. Just open the pack, then dole out the pouches, introducing one allergen at a time. And watch your baby enjoy.
One of the reasons I was super psyched about this was because Inspired Start customized a pack of baby food pouches to meet my household dietary observances. I mentioned that we have some dietary restrictions, and the folks at Inspired Start were quick to offer a solution of a customized pack of perfect recipes for our family. The 4-year-old and I were so excited when the boxes came — apple and peanut, pear and egg, mango and soy! This baby was gonna dine!
These pouches are soooo tasty (and approved by both my 4-year-old and my baby), plus they’re convenient and made with wholesome ingredients (meaning they’re mom-approved!).
It is super convenient to stash a few of these in the diaper bag and to be able to introduce new allergens to my baby, or give her one of her new favorites. Our top pick was the mango cod.
Sometimes in motherhood, we have easy wins — the baby falls asleep when you need a nap, the 4-year-old puts on her shoes the first times she’s asked, and a company creates a quality product that makes doing your job as a mom that much easier.
Not only is Inspired Start helping us with early allergen introduction, they’re also giving us a promo code! Go on over to their website — www.inspired-start.com — and enter BostonMomsBlog to get $5 off your order. Also, great news for you Amazon Prime mamas — Inspired Start pouches are also available there for ultimate convenience (sorry, though — the promo code is only good on their website!).
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