Last week I received some Fruit Pack to try out. I’d already tried one of the flavours about a year and a half ago, and packed some on our trip to America as easy and healthy snacks on the plane. Interestingly, there were similar products in supermarkets in the US and Canada, a sign of the interest in healthy snacks for babies and toddlers.

And since I will mostly try baby and toddler food once (barring cheese and avocado), I’ve snacked on these purees and I liked them. At first I got a fright by the very natural taste – close to the homemade fruit purees I used to prepare for my baby, but once I got started I loved them. There are no preservatives, colourants, flavourants and added sugar, and they come in three flavours: apple, apple and pear, and strawberry and banana.

The pouches are resealable, easy to handle and eat from, and great to pop into lunch bags/nappy bags, and are suitable for babies from 10 months. While I’m a believer that the real deal, ie fresh fruit, is best, this is a healthy and convenient second best. And let’s face it, not every child will eat fruit in its purest form.

They’re available from R9.95 for a 90g pouch, and R38.95 for a four-pack, from Spar, Baby City, Wellness Warehouse, Dis-Chem and selected health shops and pharmacies. For more info go to their website or Facebook page