If you’ve been around a child in the past five years, you will likely be familiar with those super genius handheld, squeezable food pouches. Pureed fruits, applesauce, yogurt, and baby foods of all types are now packed for ease of feeding, cleanup, and portability. But, as is generally the case with any container of pre-made food for kids, they can get pricey. Especially if your kid is anything like my almost-two-year-old and sucks down four in a row. That’s a whole box of pouches, if your counting.
I wasn’t that bothered by the price of these pouches when we were purchasing the baby food purees (and by that I mean I stifled my inner tightwad by telling myself that it was a whole meal). But when the little guy starting putting down three to four pouches of the big kid variety (which is essentially applesauce in a foil wrapper) that’s when I started to groan.
So, when I discovered these beauties, I knew I had to try them out. Squooshi Reusable Pouches come in a variety of designs including kid favorites like panda bears and monkeys, but also these bright, geometric designs in aqua and orange. They come with their own caps which can also be purchased separately in case you lose them. I’ve also discovered that many of the store-bought pouch caps fit, if you need extras.
I also purchased the Squooshi Universal Filling Station which uses a manual plunger to pump foods into the nozzle of the pouches, making filling them up with food quick and easy. The Filling Station works with any reusable pouches, not just the Squooshi brand.
So, who could benefit from using Squooshi reusable food pouches?
I’ve made a list of the parents out there who I think would most benefit from having a reusable pouch system.
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ECO WARRIOR: You are worried about the planet and your environmental impact.
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COUPON QUEEN: You are on a budget or pride your ability to stretch a dollar.
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FOODIE: You make your own baby food purees for the simple joy of creating tasty foods.
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HEALTH NUT: You make your own (exceedingly pure) baby food to avoid toxins and contaminates.
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PREPPER: You are preparing for a dystopian future with complete power grid collapse.
If any of these crude typecasts describe you, you should seriously look into these reusable pouches.
Here are the benefits of the Squooshi pouches as described by them:
- Squooshi reusable food pouches are BPA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC-free, and Lead-free.
- Squooshi reusable food pouches provide more flexible and healthy nutrition options: fill with your favorite grain, veggie, legume, dairy, and fruit combos!
- Squooshi reusable food pouches reduce waste: no more throw away food pouches piling up in landfills and contributing to air pollution!
- Squooshi reusable food pouches save you money on your food bills: pre-filled pouches cost between 1.50-2.25 each!
- Squooshi reusable food pouches save energy: empty pouches require a lot less fuel for shipping and most pre-packaged food travels over 1,200 miles before it reaches your table!
- Squooshi reusable food pouches are easy: in the car, at the park, in your kiddos’s hands, less mess from broken jars, spoons, and trash!
The pouches are simple enough to use and feature a sturdy ziplock-type closure at the bottom. To fill, either spoon food into the opened bottom of the pouch and seal or use the Squoosi Universal Filling Station to squeeze food in through the top nozzle, with the bottom already sealed shut.
Store pouches upright (I stack them in a bread pan) in the refrigerator, then grab and go. Clean up is also easy. I hand wash the pouches in warm soapy water and use a bottle brush to do a thorough job. However, you can also put these colorful little pouches in the dishwasher.
Here is a quick recipe to get you started, but you could even use these pouches to serve something as simple as applesauce or yogurt straight out of the container. The benefit here is the portability, ease of use, and ease of cleanup because giving a toddler a bowl of food and a spoon is like using a top-less blender.
