Keeps you feeling fruity (Heinz Farley's Oats & Apple Cereal)

Member Name: Essexmumof2

Product:	Heinz Farley's Oats & Apple Cereal
Date:	17/03/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to mix together, contains no salt, colours or preservatives

Disadvantages: Sticks like glue

When my daughter was 17 weeks old I decided I would try her on some baby rice to start to introduce her into solids. After a few days of that which she seemed particularly unimpressed by I decided to buy something with a little more flavour. There are several leading brands to go for and a range of cereals but I wanted one that I could mix with water rather than her milk which can be a bit messy, so I decided to try Heinz breakfast Oats & Apple cereal which was £1.99.

The cereal comes in a foil sealed bag (containing 125grams of cereal) inside a box. I cant say that I'm a fan of these foil bags as they are notoriously difficult to open by hand so I tend to cut them along the top with scissors and then roll the bag over and seal it with a peg so it stays fresh. As with most packaged children's foods it needs to be used within 6 weeks of opening.

First impressions when I opened the bag were that it didn't really smell of anything I'm not sure if I expected to be able to smell apples but I was left slightly disappointed. The guidelines on the back of the box suggest approx 3 level dessertspoons mixed with approx 3 dessert spoons of warm previously boiled water for age 4 months +. I found that that left me with a very thick mixture so I added another spoonful of water which made it a better consistency. Still couldn't particularly smell apples but it certainly smelt more appetising even if it looked like wallpaper paste. Now the moment of truth, what would the taste test reveal.....she loved it! I have found that with jars of breakfast cereal she finds that a little runny and isn't really interested, whereas with this she loved the taste and the consistency seemed to be much better for her to swallow. I have tried this cereal a few more times to make sure it wasn't a fluke and she absolutely devours it. The only down side is that it doesn't only look like wallpaper paste but sticks like it too and can be very difficult to get off clothes or skin!!

The front of the box advertises "no added salt, colours or preservatives" and that it contains "vitamins and minerals" and that it is suitable from 4-6 months onwards. According to the ingredients it contains 18% apple which is slightly lower than I had expected but was higher than some of the others I looked at.

I have continued to use this cereal and I have to say its one of my daughter's favourites. It's incredibly easy to mix up and even when I have had to give her breakfast outside of the house as you only need boiled water which can be taken in a flask. Ultimately I will move onto home made foods but as a breakfast cereal I'm really pleased with it.

Summary: A good food to start with