Hi mamas! I am trying to find refillable baby food pouches that I can use for my 18 month old son. He is going through an independent streak where he wants to feed himself, and we have lots of success giving him those baby/toddler food pouches such as Ella's Organics (at Babies r Us), Peter Rabbit Organics (available at Starbucks), etc. Then it occurred to me that I could probably save lots of money if I could find a refillable pouch and put my own food in it. Does anyone know of such a thing? Thanks!
p.s. I should clarify that he does feed himself other things too--table foods (cut up meat, veggies, fruits, etc) foods we eat, he is starting to use the spoon/fork himself, etc. But sometimes he is picky and won't eat things. He will ALWAYS eat pouches of things and/or smoothies :) So, just trying to be creative here for those times when he won't eat, if I could have a refillable pouch to put things in he might eat!
Thanks everyone for the responses! My son is now 25 months, and is eating better, using a spoon, etc. But baby #2 is on the way due in April, so these suggestions will be a big help for when/if she goes through a similar phase.
My son loves the pouches too and it is sometimes the only way I can get him to eat yogurt or veggies. Have you had any luck?
I was just thinking the same thing. I just discovered those pouches. I let my 19 month old son get messy at home but the pouches are wonderful for packing for day trips or errands for mom's like me who are always on the go. Just hand it to them in the stroller and continue on you way. If you find any let me know or maybe you should start a business and sell some?
T. W.
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http://tweber.aupairnews.com/
Update: The GoToob is not easy to fill. I just found out about the Babypote by Beaba. It has a really big opening, so it's easy to fill and clean out. Do some comparison shopping to find the best price.
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Maybe I've found it! How about these little tubes?
GoToob from humangear. They come in a 3 oz size, which is great for veggie purée. After the puree stage, you can use them for ketchup, salad dressing and other things that go in the lunch box.
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Have you had any luck yet? I'm looking for the same thing. My son will eat just about any vegetable out of one of those pouches, so a refillable one would be great. The closest I've found so far is Boon's Squirt. It's a soon with a bulb attached that you fill up. My son's hands aren't strong enough to squeeze the bulb, but he thinks it's fun to watch us squirt the veggies onto the spoon. Then we just hand it over to him.
Look on www.etsy.com
I was just looking for the same thing. I haven't found anything yet, but I am planning to buy a pastry bag and a wide plastic tip and letting him suck baby food through it. My son is 8 months old and recently refused eating off a spoon and I've had great success with the pouch baby foods.
http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/510729-Beverage_po...
This is a collapsable pouch style water bottle.
You should check out www.littlegreenpouch.com. It looks like they haven't officially launched yet but may be soon. Seems like a great solution.
I wish I had an answer for you, but, unfortunately, I found this looking for the same thing--something like the Ella's or Plum pouches our little picky eaters can independently suck food out of, when they won't eat anything from a cup, bowl, spoon, fork or hand. I hope there's something out there! Good luck to you! Oh, yeah, if you're okay with non-organic, Trader Joes sells 2 varieties, Applesauce & Apple/Carrot. We get the Apple Carrot and it has some pumpin concentrate in in and some other veggie or fruit, but I can't remember right now. No sugar or anything else--just fruits & veggies. Costs less than the Ella's, Plum & my toddler likes it better than the Plum apple carrot. :)
Moja Creations has excellent, reusable pouches in a variety of patterns and can be purchased through Etsy. You won't be disappointed!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MojaCreations?ga_search_query=mo...
In their efforts to lecture you, I think some folks have missed your point! You don't need help teaching your child to eat, nor do you need to be told how important it is that your kid can feed themselves. Duh.
Sometimes, convenience is important. You can't give your kid a tub of baby food while you're at the grocery store. The pouches are great for such a thing. There are some products for hikers that do this. I am considering buying some. However, I can't quite figure out how to get the food to an edible condition. If you're starting with frozen baby food, if you thaw it, it may be cold when they try and eat it. That's doesn't sound good to me. I suppose you could warm it and keep it in a thermos. Or, just use something like applesauce that can be tasty cold.
The only other issue is I don't know what these products are made from. Plastic, obviously, but I haven't researched enough to know what types.
Here's an example:
http://www.moabsports.com/web-pid-7605A-Coghlans-Refillab...
I want to second the recommendation for Reusies! They have them at whole foods, by the cash registers. They are great, clean up nice, dry fast, don't leave food smelling or tasting strange. They are about $10 a piece but worth it.
Also great are snack traps. They have them at babies rus and other places. The are little bowls with tops that have an opening that a little hand can reach in, but they won't spill all over if turned upside down (or thrown :) ) www.snacktrap.com
My 18-month-old girl has been feeding herself (almost exclusively) since she turned 1. She eats practically everything that I eat, so I don't really buy any "just-for-baby" products. She also has no problem eating solids, although I do cut up the most common choking hazards (hot dogs, grapes, etc). So, I don't know about the pouches, we don't use anything like that (except for gogurt). The Munchkin brand makes little hand-held feeders to put solid foods in for baby to gnaw on, but we stopped using those around 10 months, when the girl was able to chew her food well enough. Munchkin also makes little bowls with lids that they can reach into to take out the food (good for the car to keep most snacks off the floor).
I SO understand where you are coming from! I actually found this page because I am searching for the same thing. I have a 15 mo who will enthusiastically chug down anything in pouch form, and I really want to be able to put my own mixtures in there. Right now I'm trying to figure out if I could configure something with a frosting tip & coupler in a heavy duty zip top bag of some sort. I am going to do some experiments and I'll write back here if I come up with anything that works, and doesn't make the mess worse!
I was wondering the exact same thing yesterday and then today by chance I found the Vapur Anti-bottle (vapur.us) at Macy's and it looks very much like the baby food pouch. I still haven't tried it but I think it'll work. Mine came with a sports cap but they also sell the solid twist caps on their website. I hope it works!
how about reusies? http://www.reusies.com/
(i don't know if you sew, but it looks like you could easily make a reusie yourself.)
he's 18 months old why not just let him feed himself? I know its messy but that's part of the learning process. Give him a bowl and a spoon and let him go to town. By 18 months my oldest was eating everything we ate my youngest had some texture issues but he was feeding himself with a spoon by a year and a half.
edited: does it have to be in a pouch? You could do smoothies in a cup w/ a straw
No, but I bet if you look on the internet for refillable pouches, you will find something............and if not, well, make them and start your business!
Good Luck and take care.
http://www.easytravelerinc.com/8ozrumrunnerflaskand8482.aspx
These might be great. Just ordered some so have not tried yet. They were made for other purposes, but the same design and on 3.70ish each.
