22 Jan
Review: Little Green Pouch
Have you pinned these pouches on Pinterest yet? I’ve been buying a similar non-reusable product at Costco filled with sweetened applesauce (apple juice concentrate is used as a form of sugar to make it sweeter than plain applesauce would be), and once I got it into my head that I could save them and somehow use a funnel to refill them. Fail. I’m guessing the same thought must have crossed the minds of Maggie and Melissa because they created this nifty little product called Little Green Pouches. Little Green Pouches are plastic reusable pouches with a spout on the side and a zipper on the top.
One of the reasons I so badly wanted to fill my own pouches is that I’d really like to feed T1 applesauce and yogurt when we are running errands and he wants a snack, but it’s tough (impossible?) to find things that aren’t sweetened in some way. The yogurt I buy is full-fat and plain, and the stuff they make for kids is usually low-fat and sugar-sweetened (because once you remove the fat no one wants to eat the yogurt). Now I have the freedom to choose whatever yogurt brand/flavor I like, and I can browse the shelves looking for the smallest amount of sugar per portion size in the applesauce jars.
Cleaning them out is a breeze. I open the zipper top, remove the cap, and do a quick rinse of the bag. Then I place it in the dishwasher with the spout stuck on the tongs on the top shelf.
We did baby led weaning with T1 and plan on doing the same with T2, and that’s when these pouches are really going to be indispensable. I can make purees and feed our little one vegetables on the go, and I’m thinking about buying several boxes of Little Green Pouches and creating a freezer stash that I can pull from each night so that there’s something to easily grab during the day.
I have a confession: I like using these pouches even more than T1 does! It’s really convenient to keep applesauce and yogurt stocked in the fridge in a grab-n-go container that I can take with me as we run errands or when I’m running late in the morning. My favorite snack is yogurt in the Little Green Pouch accompanied by these date-sweetened squares that you can find in the bulk section at Whole Foods.
I’ve only had one setback so far with these pouches… I sent one with T1 to his school and the teachers threw it away because they had never seen one before! I explained to them that it was reusable and asked that they please not do that again. If you’re going to be using these around other people be sure to clarify that you would like to have it back. Once the pouches become more common (as they should) I don’t think that will happen as often. I posted the photo above on Instagram and one of the commenters said that her pouches came apart at the zippered top. I’ve had mine for a few weeks and put them through the dishwasher several times and this hasn’t happened to me. I’m thinking she got a bad batch and if this happened to me I would use the Contact Us link at Little Green Pouches as my guess is that every so often there are issues with the production line. They need to know so they can make sure that doesn’t keep happening!
Now that I’m down to just three pouches, instead of the four that come in each box, I think I’m going to have to put in an order for another. Thank you to Little Green Pouches for sending me this complimentary box. You can follow them on Facebook where they frequently host giveaways. I guarantee you’ll see these pouches popping up every so often in my Instagram feed from now on as they’re a normal part of our every-day routine!
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Oh, those look so interesting. And I agree with you, much better to be able to choose your own foods!
This is probably a really dumb question, but–is T1 older than I thought? I didn’t realize he was old enough to be in school! And if he’s started early, congratulations, that must be such a boost for him!
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Jenna Reply:
January 22nd, 2013 at 7:50 am
He will be 3 in April. So he’s right on the cut-off for how young you can be when you start! It’s so perfect for him though, he loves it.
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I love these, too! Both of my kids love them and they’re perfect for travel, school, and just a quick snack where my 1yo can feed herself!
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2So awesome and what a great review! I need to remember these for when we move back to the states (and have a dishwasher again). I buy (and spend too much) on the applesauce pouches now for myself and I know I’ll use them once this baby becomes a toddler. Very cool!
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3I so need these. We choose not to give our son foods with added sugar either, so having control over what goes in them is great.
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4Regarding unsweetened ready-made pouches, check out the Plum Organics line. I’ve been using them for a long time and I’ve never seen one with any added sweeteners, not even apple juice concentrate! They are literally JUST pureed fruits and veggies. I like them to keep in my purse or the car long term, so I don’t have to worry about it going bad and always have a snack with me. And they taste SO MUCH better than jarred baby food! You can get them on Amazon, some flavors through subscribe and save, and I’ve also seen them at Target and Whole Foods.
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5Thanks Jenna! Have definitely been wanting to try these out. Just ordered a pack! They’ll pay for themselves in about three weeks of not buying those applesauce packs!
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6These look super cool. I kind of like the idea of filling some of them with dressing for B’s lunches as the little tubs I buy always come open!
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7I’ve been using these since they came out and love them. I did have the same problem as your friend once, where the pouch popped open while my Bug was eating but I quickly discovered that was user error. I had accidentally gotten some of the food in the zipper while loading, so it didn’t seal properly. Easy fix was that now I fill using one of their collapsible funnels and I have never had that problem again. I highly recommend these for anyone.
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8Oh, and BTW, you don’t need a dishwasher. I hand wash all mine and they are no harder to wash than a bottle. Plus they are now available for over-seas purchase. (Can you tell I’m a REALLY big fan?)
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9I was looking into these for myself because I always seem to be eating in my car and could have yogurt without needing a spoon. Thanks for the review.
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10these look so great! and i would totally use them myself, too, lol!
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11Oh great!! We buy so many of those puree pouches, despite also making our own. I love the store bought for the convenience of having something non-perishable (more or less) on hand but love that I can use these over and over and over. Had no idea these existed! Thanks so much, just placed an order.
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12Why notjust an apple?
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13I’ve been wanting to buy these for a while now. I keep forgetting! I buy the premade ones and I’d like to be able to make my own.
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