Baby Product Review: Squooshi Reusable Food Pouches (& Mango-Carrot-Spinach-Applesauce)

After trying the Beaba Babypote and researching similar products available, I decided to give the Squooshi pouches a try.  They are similar to the disposable food pouches you can buy in the store, but have a zipper pouch on one end and cute animals on each side.  I ordered a 4-pack of the large (4.5 oz) meal size pouches, and they actually threw in a trial of the small (2.5 oz) snack size pouches.

this is the snack sized pouch

The pouches are easy to clean, easy to fill, and overall easy to use.  Annalyn has no problem squeezing them (but unfortunately she likes to watch herself do so, which can make for a mess... I really have to watch her while she eats these lately) and can easily get every last bit of puree out.  The zipper seal seems to be pretty strong and reliable, but I haven't pushed this too much (as in, see what happens if baby squeezes like crazy when the lid is on). 

washes easily with warm soapy water

I have, however, learned the importance of putting the lid on before filling the pouch.  Yes, I absolutely did that, and felt pretty embarrassed for making such a ridiculous mistake, but cooking/filling pouches is getting much harder now that Annalyn is mobile (and obsessed with the dogs' water dish).  To make things worse, not only did I let some drip through the spout, but my reaction was to quickly grab (and unfortunately squeeze) the pouch, sending more of it spewing out the zipper end... *sigh*  I then proceeded to remove the baby from the dog dish, wash her hands and set her down so I could start cleaning up the mess that covered my clothes, cabinets, counters, and floor.  Before I could even remove my puree-soaked sweatshirt, I looked down to find my daughter eating handfuls of it off the floor. *sigh*  There's a making mama moment for ya!  Of course, I did what every good mama would do... wipe her hand off, snap a pic, and quickly clean up everything in baby's arms reach!  

 

*fail*

Here's the recipe I  made that she seems to really like (from the pouch or off the floor!):

Mango-Carrot-Spinach-Applesauce

 

Ingredients:
- 1 c. mango, frozen or fresh
- 1 c. sliced carrots, frozen or fresh
- 1/4 c. water
- 1/2 c. packed spinach, frozen or fresh
- 1/2 c. no sugar added applesauce

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine mango, carrots, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 5-7 minutes, until softened.

 

2. Add the spinach, replace lid, and cook another 3-5 minutes until spinach wilts.



3. Remove from heat, add applesauce, and puree using a blender or food processor, adding as much of the cooking liquid as possible to ensure all nutrients remain in the puree. Add additional applesauce as needed to adjust consistency. (for an optimal pouch puree, you want the final puree to be about the consistency of thick applesauce)

 

what's cookin', Mama?



4.  Carefully, with as few distractions as possible, fill the pouch - serve, refrigerate, or freeze until ready to use.  Be sure to fill only about 3/4 of the way full when freezing to allow for expansion.