A few months ago my son started getting picky about what he would eat.  He had moved far beyond pureed foods and was on to eating almost all the same foods that we ate. At first he was all for trying new things, but much to my surprise, out of the blue he decided he didn’t like bland foods anymore.  I tried spicing things up a bit but I have to admit that I have a very limited ability when it comes to cooking.  I attempted new recipes and even though most of them were edible, it all ended up the same, with the dog cleaning the food off the floor.

In my frustration I decided to search the Internet for toddler meals of some sort that didn’t resemble what you  get in the store.  Have you ever seen those meals?  The sight is awful and the smell is even worse.  You don’t even have to taste it for yourself (although I have unfortunately) to figure out that it’s not very palatable, not to mention the loads of sodium.

When I came across Sproutbaby.com, who is the exclusive online source for Sprout Organic Baby Food I was excited. I had never heard of Sprout Foods but everything I read sounded great, especially the descriptions. It almost makes you wish they made adult food.   Sprout Organic Baby Food was co-founded by executive chef  Tyler Florence. If you’ve ever watched Food Network you know who he is.

Sprout Organic Baby Food is not your typical baby food and it does not come in your typical jar.  It comes in a pouch and you can read why: HERE

As I already mentioned, Sproutbaby.com is the exclusive online retailer for Chef Tyler Florence’s Sprout Organic Baby Food, but… they offer so much more than just baby food.  This is what CEO and Co-Founder Jody Sherman had to say about Sproutbaby.com: “We are a store that is focused on making it easy for healthy choices to be easy choices. We hand select and test every product before we decide to offer it. We adhere to very high standards and incorporate  Healthy Child Healthy World product criteria.”

Since my son has moved beyond pureed foods, Sproutbaby.com graciously allowed me to review some of the other wonderful products they offer in their online store.

Cleanwell Starter Pack – (Ginger Bergamot)

These were my absolute favorite products out of the bunch. The CleanWell starter pack consists of foaming hand wash and two 1 oz. hand sanitizer spray bottles.  I chose the Ginger Bergamot scent because it was not something I was familiar with.  When I first tried the spray I have to admit that for me the scent seemed a bit strange.  Because neither of the cleaners contain alcohol, the smell you experience is a lot more earthy and natural. Somewhat of a mix between citrus and herbs.  It only took me a few more sprays to realize I actually loved the scent…. and so did my son.  He loves to mimic my behavior of cleaning my hands and when he got one whiff of them, he decided he had to smell my hands each and every time I used the sanitizer.

I am absolutely certain that I won’t be able to go without the hand sanitizer. I love it.  My husband wasn’t too keen on the fact that it’s a spray (That didn’t stop him from using it constantly!) but I found it to be a lot easier and way less messy than regular hand sanitizers.  It’s not sticky and it’s less apt to leak out in your purse, car console or diaper bag.  It’s important to also note that the sanitizer has a cap that is attached to the bottle, therefore making it less likely for you to lose it and baby to find it.  But best of all, these products are Proven to kill 99.99% of germs naturally by using essential plant oils instead of alcohol and chemicals you can’t pronounce.

Epicuren Baby Daily Lotion & Epicuren Diaper Spray

“Epicuren Baby Daily Lotion is gentle enough for the most delicate skin. There is no greasy residue and it is 100% naturally derived from plants including pineapple, banana, apple, corn, wheat, rice, oat, palm and coconut butters, licorice, and chicory root.”   For me the scent is again more of an earthy one.  It’s very hard to describe but I think it’s the chicory root that is standing out the most with maybe just a hint of the pineapple.  Overall it’s a nice scent and is perfect for either baby or mom.

“Epicuren Baby Diaper Spray contains 25% zinc oxide, thyme and tea tree for naturally effective antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties”.

Diaper spray is something you don’t see very often so I was curious as to how well it would work.  Unfortunately the spray doesn’t spread out the cream enough but if you make sure to shake the bottle extremely well it helps. Unless you are going for a smaller area you may have to smooth it out with your fingers.   I have to say this though, as far as the actual product, it works very well.  It just so happens that my son was starting to get a bit of diaper rash the day before I received the spray.  I promptly tested it out. By the next day the rash was gone.  And the smell is fantastic. I can’t even put it into words.  It’s totally unique and smells nothing like your typical diaper cream.

Both products are made in association with Anne Geddes, who’s photography you will immediately recognize.  They have cute little pictures of babies on the bottles and on the boxes which in my opinion make it a great baby shower gift. My son loves the babies. He has been running around with them all week saying “baby baby”.

Baby’s Bliss Diaper Cream

“Baby’s Bliss Diaper Cream is made with premium quality Borage and Avocado oils to help with healing, as well as natural Aloe Vera to soothe and reduce inflammation. It contains all natural ingredients, is alcohol, paraben and petroleum free and not tested on animals.  It is 100% vegetarian, vegan, gluten and soy free.”

I’ve only had the opportunity to try this cream out once so far but when I did I immediately noticed it was much more creamy and smooth than your average diaper cream. More like a lotion. I could definitely notice the addition of Aloe.   The scent is of light cucumber and smells very fresh.  It comes in a 4 oz bottle that should last quite a long time.

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Overall I am very thrilled with all the products I tried.  It’s nice to know that there are other options out there that are natural, not filled with tons of unnecessary chemicals  and that actually work.  It’s also nice to know that their are people who are committed to bringing a variety of natural products together in one place.  I’d like to Thank Jody from Sproutbaby.com for the opportunity to review his store and the products they offer.  I’d also like to remind you that Sproutbaby.com donates 1% of their sales directly to Healthy Child.

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Giveaway (Now Closed)

Sproutbaby.com has generously offered to give one of my readers a $50 gift card to use at their site.  On top of this, anyone who enters the giveaway can receive a discount on their first purchase simply by emailing your contact information to jody@sproutbaby.com with the subject line Promo Code.

To enter do any (or all) of the following but make sure that for each one you do you leave a separate comment. Each comment counts as one entry. Please leave your correct email addy, especially if you do not have a blog. If I have no way of contacting you, your entries will be deleted before I choose the winner.

Required
* Go to sproutbaby.com and let me know of at least 2 products you would like to try and who they would be for.

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1 Extra Entry –
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1 Extra Entry Per Day –
* Tweet this giveaway – Press the Green Retweet button at the top of this post to make it super easy.  (Just make sure you come back each day and leave another comment)

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Giveaway is open to US Residents, 18 yrs of age or older. Any posts not including the requested information will be deleted. This giveaway ends: Sunday August 09, 2009 12am EST. Winner will be contacted and announced Monday August 10, 2009. In the event the winner does not respond within 3 days I will choose another random winner. I will be using random.org to do this.

And the lucky winner is..

#34 – Deanna

Congrats!

A big thank-you to sproutbaby.com and everyone who entered.  If you didn’t win but you entered don’t forget to email Jody@sproutbaby.com with the subject line: Promo Code for a discount on your first purchase.