Healthy snacks! (Organix Finger Foods Apple Rice Cakes)

Member Name: RU5H1NG

Product:	Organix Finger Foods Apple Rice Cakes
Date:	06/11/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No junk guarantee, made with wholegrains, no sugar

Disadvantages: Not resealable packet

THE FRONT OF THE PACKET

Organix Apple Rice Cakes are a finger food for babies of around 7 months and up. They come in a green cellophane packet of 50 grams. There is a drawing of a smiling baby holding a rice cake. The organic standard soil association logo is clearly stated along with the logo for wholegrain cereals and their 'no junk promise'.

THE BACK OF THE PACKET

On the back of the packet, the nutrition information, ingredients, advice for storage, safety advice, the company's contact details and extra blurb are all clearly presented.

THE INFORMATION

Their ingredients list has been made very easy to understand, meaning you can see what is in them at a glance. This makes Organix appear to be more trustworthy and means that you can grab these in a hurry without needing to read lines and lines of unnecessary text.

The safety advice states they are not suitable for under 7 months of age and to never leave your child unattended when self-feeding - my son was born late and mastered finger foods early so I asked advice from my health visitor who said he could use them from 6 months.

To keep them from going stale, they advise putting any leftovers into an airtight container. This is where they loose points in my opinion as there is no way a baby will finish a whole packet in one sitting, I would prefer the packets to be resealable - surely it's not much to ask?

A little snippet of text at the top states that when weaning, your baby's facial muscles improve which can help speech development. They go on to say that Organix finger foods help children develop hand-eye coordination - to me this is only half true as many other homemade foods will do the job just as well.

THE SMELL AND FLAVOUR

When opening the packet for the first time, a lovely subtle scent of apple and cinnamon hits you. The smell is not too overpowering or sweet for a young palate. This gets the thumbs up from me as alternatives such as rusks can be very high in sugar.

In taste they are slightly too bland for an adult to enjoy but at just the perfect level for a young baby to experience as a new flavour. My son will not let them go until he has devoured them so he gives them five stars!

NUTRITION

These rice cakes are naturally sweetened with concentrated apple juice which is not so harsh on baby's teeth. They contain added thiamin which is apparently an essential vitamin for growing babies, this is reassuring to know you are giving your child a good start with their diet.

The rice used is wholegrain and is stated to contain more minerals and vitamins than the refined white variety and takes longer to digest keeping baby satisfied for longer. This is good too, however I worry that the upshot of this is that they could cause constipation? It is just a hunch although my son has not had any problems.

In all, they are definitely better than offering cheese wotsits or onion rings to your child, I will be sticking to this brand until my son is at least at school age.

Summary: Trustworthy baby brand.