All About Baby: Evenflo

I’m busily getting ready for our little girl, due to arrive very soon.  I’m going through bins of clothes to see what we can salvage from our son’s newborn days.  I’m going through baby gear and dusting it off for her arrival.  And I’m doing a lot of research for the few things we still need that I couldn’t reuse from our little boy.

It seems like so far away, yet by six months, our little girl will be ready to start using a sippy cup…she’ll be staring solid foods.  It will happen before we’ve had a chance to even think about catching up on sleep.  On my quest for feeding products, safety is my number one concern.  Since MOST feeding products are derived from plastic, it’s important that anything that goes in my childrens’ mouth is free from BPA.  A couple of years ago, I can’t tell you that well-known baby companies even thought about BPA as an issue.  These days, it would be a little more difficult to find a company still using BPA in baby products.

Evenflo is one such company who has worked to ensure that their products are BPA-free.  The company has just launched a new toddler line called Smart Steps.  The launch of the line is an effort by Evenflo to address childhood obesity and eating disorders (a product concept I find very interesting).  Here is a little more info from the site:

Smart Steps was developed in collaboration with top nutrition experts from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, to offer parents a simple solution to fostering lifelong healthy eating habits by providing products for each age and stage of a child’s eating development. The products can help toddlers recognize proper portion sizes, explore new and different foods, and learn to self-regulate meals by listening to their bodies to identify when they feel full.

Smart Steps offers products in 3 different lines:  Knowing Portions, Exploring Food, and Serving Myself.  Each category offers products which correlate with varying developmental stages.  Insulated Cups which keep liquids cool, Portion Plates that teach toddlers about appropriate portion sizes, and Snack Stackers which promote toddler self-feeding are just a few of the products offered in this new line.  I really like the incorporation of a child’s development with education about nutrition and eating.  They’ve also aligned their products to correlate with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines for toddler feeding.

Overall, I think this the line is healthy, user-friendly, and a great starting point for teaching toddlers.  You can find Smart Steps at Babies R Us and select retailers nationwide.  You can  download a coupon here.

Do you have a picky eater?  I know I do!  Here are some tips, courtesy of the site:

• Let your kids be “produce pickers” at the store.  If they can pick out their own fruits and veggies – they’ll be more inclined to eat them
• Invite your kids to prepare meals with you.  All of that mixing, mashing and measuring will make them want to taste what they are prepping.
• Try to make meals a stress-free time. Talk about fun and happy things.
• Offer choices. Rather than ask “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” ask “Which would you like for dinner: broccoli or cauliflower?”

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Evenflo and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”