My son likes Gerber fruit. Review on Gerber Baby Food

*How it Started

*This review on Gerber products(mainly 2nd foods in baby food category of Gerber) comes from my recent parenting experiences. This product may sound very new to some people. So please visit https://gerber.com and https://gerber.com/prodindex for more details specific to Gerber products.

For the first 4 months my son was completely on breast feeding and then as per doctor’s advice, we gradually started giving him cereals and other baby foods.  Soon we found that he was getting bored of eating the same flavor and texture. So there was a need for us to find a tasty yet, safe alternate, in addition to the home made food, and we ended up finding some very interesting stuff for him.

This included baby oats, baby rusks and finger foods like biscuits etc along with the product of this review 2nd and 3rd Foods(we can call it “Gerber Fruit / Veg.” for convenience).  This Gerber fruit is an instant hit with my son, when we first tried it while he was six months old. This little guy is very fond of trying out the new taste and has been very receptive(touch wood) to any new stuff that we tried.

As I told you earlier we found it when we were looking for the new stuff for my baby at Naidu Hall’s kids section at TNagar, Chennai. We(me and my wife) saw these very colorful and attractive little bottles of Gerber fruit in the racks of the shop.

The moment I saw them, I recollected my sister in law, feeding my nephew when they visited India from the US. I could clearly remember it was the same Gerber Fruit that she was feeding him. We were indeed thrilled by the fact that my nephew enjoyed eating it and it is now available in India.

So during our next visit to the pediatrician, (which was the next day), we asked him about the product and asked if it is good for the baby. The doctor gave a very positive feedback by saying that Gerber is a renowned company and it is safe to use their products and gave us a green signal to go ahead with it. So on our way back home, we bought just 2 varieties of Gerber Fruit to give it a try. Luckily my son liked the new taste and finished a small bottle of fruit in no time.

The Contents*

The Gerber fruit is actually the fruit or vegetable extract or pulp mixed with water and other baby safe ingredients. The product claims that there are no artificial preservatives, coloring etc. We could believe it because of their long term presence in the US and other international markets and also because of the fact that there are no undue side effects on my son’s health so far.

The Taste

I always have this habit of tasting cerelac, farex etc, and in this case I wanted to know how Gerber fruit tasted before trying it on my son and to be hones it was not to my liking. It had the real taste of the fruit pulp(I think it was Banana flavor) which was neither very sweet nor bland. But my son felt otherwise, for the young fellow, the new taste was very exciting and he liked it a lot and even today he would finish a bottle of Gerber fruit without much fuss.  I suggested this to couple of my friends and their kids are also now enjoying it. Hence we can guess it’s very tasty for the young ones.

Cost*

To be honest, it is not cheap to buy this in India. The Gerber fruit comes in various sizes and flavors and varies in rate. The smaller sized bottle, in Chennai costs Rs.69 and the bigger one will cost Rs.83. The smaller sized bottle can be used for one serving for a 6 months old baby. So you can calculate the requirement as the baby grows up. But the same product becomes more affordable in the Middle East(where we currently live). The smaller sized bottle costs AED2.75 and the bigger one around AED 3.75 or AED 4 approximately.

When to Use*

Initially we used feed Gerber Fruit once or twice in a day, generally in the evenings just like filler or a snack between the meals. But gradually we reduced it and now we use it only while we are away from home. Because it’s very easy to carry and easier for us to feed him, because of his liking to the taste. I still believe the fresh fruits and vegetables are the best food that anyone can get. So we feed him the fresh fruits and cooked vegetables while at home and use Gerber fruit while we are out. It is easy to carry and less messy on your bags.

How to use

The Gerber fruit can be fed directly from the bottle, using a spoon. While opening the bottle, you will hear a "pop" sound, indicating the freshness of the pack.  Once opened, it should be consumed immediately. If your baby doesn’t eat full bottle in one go, it can closed tightly and refrigerated and used within 2 or 3 days.

Where to Buy*

As mentioned earlier, we first bought it from Naidu Hall at TNagar(Chennai) and continued to buy from there. We also could find in stores like Just Born, Nilgiris, Mothercare and other big branches of Naidu Hall(Naaiha as it is called now). So I guess it’s available in all leading departmental stores across India.

How to Buy*

As in the case of all food products, please verify the manufacturing and expiry dates. Please be aware similar to Gerber fruits and vegetables, other verities like Vegetable korma, chicken soup etc are also available. So vegetarians, please make sure that you are buying a vegetarian stuff. Please choose the product appropriate for your baby’s age. Gerber fruit / vegetable Is available for babies 3+ months of age. The suitability of the product is clearly indicated in the bottle.

Conclusion & Important Note:

This is just my effort to share my experience about the baby food products from Gerber and how it worked out well so far, for my 1 year old son. Each baby and its body condition are so different, that you make sure to consult your doctor before starting with any new food for your baby.