But They Look Like Little Weenies!!!
Written: May 19 '00 (Updated May 08 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: High in protein, they travel well, they are so soft they're hard to choke on
Cons: They smell awful, they're difficult to get out of the jar without making a mess
The Bottom Line: They look nasty, smell icky, and are hard to get out of the jars. But...they're healthy, travel well...and at 99 cents a jar, they can't be beat.
|
|
|
| dannyzmom's Full Review: Gerber Graduates Baby Food |
Before I became a mother, I used the term "I'll never..." an awful lot: "I'll never give my child a pacifier..." (I gave him one when he was less than 48 hours old), "I'll never run my life around my child's nap schedule..." (watch me rush home from a good sale at the mall so I can get him to bed on time), "I'll never bribe my kid to behave in the grocery store by getting him a cookie at the bakery..." (Well, at least I give him the oatmeal cookie rather than the chocolate chip one), and "I'll never feed my child those nasty looking, nasty smelling meat sticks..." (read on...)
Once my son took an interest in finger foods it was a challenge to find healthy finger-sized snacks and foods that traveled well and were soft enough for the few teeth he had. I would give him little bits of cheese, kernels of corn, peas and other fruits and vegetables. But, I wanted to get some meat into him. My mother-in-law encouraged me to offer him Gerber Graduates Meat Sticks, "I gave them to both of my kids thirty years ago and they grew up perfectly healthy." I would politely hear her out, and then I'd let her have it, "They look so gross! They smell awful! They sit in a jar full of brine!" So, we would go back and forth...and my son would have his veggies, cheese and fruits.
Eventually, when my son was about 11 months old, I gave in and bought a jar of Gerber Graduates Chicken Sticks. They offer Meat Sticks, Chicken Sticks and Turkey Sticks, chicken sounded the least threatening. They were a huge (and I mean HUGE) hit with my son...and they still are.
At first I was concerned that with only a few teeth, he could choke on them. So, I would cut them lengthwise and then into little pieces that were shaped like little "D"s. He would gobble them up. One day, before I could cut the stick, he grabbed the whole thing and shoved it in his mouth. Within two seconds it was gone. It was then that I realized that these Gerber Graduates Chicken Sticks are so soft it's just about impossible to choke on them. They are about the same consistency as pate. They are approximately 2 1/2 inches long and about 1/2 inch in diameter...just the perfect size for little hands. If my son squeezes on the stick, it mushes.
They come in 2 1/2oz jars, each jar holds 7 sticks packed in water. The label says that the sticks are made up of "finely ground chicken, water, calcium reduced dried skim milk, salt, sugar, onion powder and garlic powder." They sound tasty enough. Gerber Graduates Chicken Sticks are high in protein (one jar contains 11 grams), but unfortunately they are a little high in sodium as well (one jar contains 300 milligrams).
They are hard to get out of the jar without getting your fingers all messy and possibly spilling "chicken stick juice" on yourself. The sticks tend to stick together in the jar making it hard to get them out individually. My husband flat out refuses to stick his fingers in there and usually attempts to get them out using a fork...ultimately making ground chicken sticks. I have long fingernails...a definite advantage when it comes to fishing for chicken sticks.
Yes, they look nasty, smell icky, and are hard to get out of the jars. But...they are healthy, they travel well (just refrigerate after opening) and my son loves them...and at 99 cents a jar, they can't be beat.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dannyzmom
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Carolyn
Location: South Florida
Reviews written: 109
Trusted by: 608 members
About Me:
Drop me an email if you would like to feel more Pampered in the kitchen!!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.