Some of the most asked questions I get about Charlie are about his eating habits. For a tiny human (he is only in the 5th percentile!), this kid can eat! We are lucky that Charlie will pretty much eat anything and everything – pickles, tomatoes, spinach cakes, lima beans…the list of random foods goes on and on. 

We actually started him on solids around 5 months after noticing that he was constantly opening his mouth and leaning in every time Dave or I took a bite of food. We started with butternut squash, carrots, prunes and moved on to every pouch under the sun. Now that he is 19 months, he has three solid meals a day and we still use pouches as a quick snack at home or on the go. 

However, since Charlie is in full toddler mode, handing him an open pouch is like giving him a squirt gun full of food. I am constantly on the defense hoping he doesn’t get too excited and spray the pouch everywhere. Note to self: do not give a toddler a pouch when they are sitting in their car seat and you are stuck in gridlock traffic, unless you want pureed food EVERYWHERE (the entire ceiling of our car is still covered in dried food).

Gerber recently introduced a line of Gerber® Grabbers™ pouches with Smart Flow™ technology to help with the mess of feeding a toddler. It gives your child the control and puts more food in their bellies and less on the floor. Seriously you guys, these pouches are genius. I feel like the photos in this post capture Charlie’s snack process perfectly. He is constantly sprinting from one activity to the next with a pouch in his mouth or thrown on the floor. In the time it took to shoot these photos he threw his pouch against the wall, on the ground, etc. and there was not one spill. Not only are they way less of a mess for mom but the Smart Flow™ spout has soft sides and rounded edges making it more comfortable for their little mouths. 

One of the biggest things I’ve taken away from our feeding journey is to let the child discover his own independence. I swear Charlie is a good eater because he explores himself. We don’t always watch him eat, if he screams and cries we try to ignore him until he settles down and finds interest again, we let him make a mess and we let him fill his belly himself. Self-feeding has brought us the most success and has allowed Charlie to discover what he likes and doesn’t like. If you’re interested in trying this method, the Gerber® Grabbers™ pouches with Smart Flow™ are a great starting point without the worry of a mess. 

You can share your own #PouchWin on social media to be a part of the Gerber® family by posting a photo of your cutie using the Smart Flow™ pouches. Mamas, let me know what you think!

This post was created in collaboration with Gerber®. All opinions are sincerely my own!