A few weeks ago I received an exciting email from a representative of Gerber. She had seen me on Twitter and was interested in having Eli test and review their Smart Sips product. After I jumped up and down, ran around shouting at the top of my lungs, I of course emailed her back.”Yes, yes of course we would like to review your product. Send it our way!” We soon had it in our hands, and then, because life has a funny way of throwing things at you when you least expect it, it sat in our fridge for a few weeks. Sorry Gerber, but with a surprise broken leg, and my last couple of weeks at work, we didn’t have a chance to review as quickly as I would have liked.

But when we did finally try it out, WOW, Eli was in love. But first, a little background information about Smart Sips.

1. Made with fat-free milk (without the use of antibiotics or added growth hormones)
2. Loaded with 15 vitamins and minerals including Calcium, Vitamin D and Magnesium for strong bones (important to a little boy recovering from a broken leg)
3. Made with Omega 3 fat and iron for healthy brain development
4. The drink is preservative-free and with no added sugars (to help develop good eating habits)
5. Available in three flavors: plain, vanilla and strawberry

We received a sample of the vanilla flavor to try out. The straw was a little tricky for Eli to master. The first day he drank it as part of his afternoon snack, the first few sips ended up on his shirt, instead of in his mouth. Easy fix, I just poured it into his sippy cup. I think the drink lasted about 30 seconds after that. OK, I’m exaggerating a little, but he did drink it quickly. That’s a high complement coming from Eli. By the second day, he had mastered the straw, which actually made it even more fun for him to drink.

So what do I think? I give it two thumbs up. I love that the it is made with fat-free milk, since obesity is a growing concern among children. I like that it has Omega 3 and that it is preservative-free, since I do my best to keep all unknown ingredients (i.e. ingredients with names that I can’t pronounce) out of Eli’s diet. Better to start him out on a health eating course than try to change it down the road, right? And I love that the packaging is sturdy enough for little hands to grab and squeeze without the drink spouting all over the floor. And best of all, I LOVE that Gerber takes the time to listen to what is important to Mom’s and their kids. Health foods, without unnecessary ingredients/preservatives in fun flavors that kids will actually enjoy. Bravo Gerber.

My only suggestion is to add chocolate as a flavor. Everyone loves chocolate after all.

As a special treat to my readers, Gerber is offering a coupon to try Smart Sips! Just call 1.800.4.Gerber for your coupon.

Has your toddler tried this Smart Sips? What was their favorite flavor?

Gerber Graduates Smart Sips – Product Review and COUPON! is a post from: Alli 'n Son