Little Freddie Multigrain Chickpea & Quinoa Smiles at a glance:
After seeing that many other puffs snacks were largely maize-based, Little Freddie pioneered the use of grains and pulses in its finger foods range, for a nutritionally superior base. These 12m+ Smiles are multigrain-based, introducing innovative ingredients like chickpea and Shropshire quinoa. They come in two delicious savoury flavours. Developed alongside a paediatric nutritionist, Smiles are a source of protein and fibre. There are no added preservatives, artificial flavourings, stabilisers, salt or sugar and no palm oil. Their size and shape encourage children to develop their finger and thumb movements to help with self-feeding.
We spoke to these real parent testers to get their review...
How did this product make your life easier?
Laura Daynes says: "Great food for on the go when out and about (lockdown means there’s not been much of that) and able to self feed with ease, good size snacks for little hands, although they were very messy, especially when wet, and seemed to go more like paste, so the clean up was not as easy as with other snack products on the market."
Pamela Falconer says: "My baby had a few and wanted more! He found them easy to pick up and get out of the packet, they didn’t dissolve into mush and he had fun playing with them as well as eating them - bashing them on his high chair tray ( which they survived). I liked that both packets were savoury and used grains, pulses and beans - which in their standard form are sometimes hard to get babies to eat but are a good source of protein and fibre."
Joel Feltwell: "It is in a small sized pack which is easy to transport in a bag or use on the go which is much needed with a small child. It is healthy and easy for children to pick up and eat themselves rather than having to be spoon fed. They don't make as much mess as other types of snacks we use so it is easier to clean up after."
Would you recommend this to other parents?
Laura Fitzgerald says: "I would recommend it to another mother because of the price, the packaging and the flavour combinations. The food item itself seems quite stodgy which on a positive note would make it filling for little tummy’s but also is a negative as it is hard for babies to eat which is why I think my little one didn’t like it."
Rebecca Fitzpatrick says: "These snacks would definitely be recommended as they are healthier than other options on the market: they come in a good and sensible sized packet that doesn’t leave lots of waste to go soft. The flavours and shape were interesting to little fingers and mouths and the price is competitive to other healthier snacks on the market."
Kate Fletcher says: "As I’ve said above, I really like the size of the snack itself as well as the fact it was in a handy snack size bag. I also liked that it had no artificial ingredients and that everything in them was ‘proper food’. I try to cook and prepare all my little boys food from scratch so if I do have to turn to processed foods I’m looking for them to have been made to the same high standards that I try to have at home ingredients-wise. Very handy for on-the-go or as a snack."
Would you choose this product above all others on the market?
Roisin McAuley says: "The product itself is great. It tastes lovely, feels healthy for my baby and the packaging is nice and simple. I like the fact that there is no palm oil which would be a stronger selling point for me personally. The flavours of the 2 items I was sent were lovely and most importantly my son ate them and seemed to enjoy them."
Emma Williams says: "I'm not sure I would choose this product over similar products on the market but I would choose them over unhealthier alternatives, I would prefer to pay the extra cost. I would probably go with any special offers on in the supermarket at the time of purchasing. I think it is £2.50 for a pack of 4."
Laura Daynes says: "I would have to say probably not, I’m purely basing that on price, and value for money If they are £2.50 for four packets that’s not too bad, but there are still much cheaper children’s options on the market, however if they were £2.50 for one pack I certainly would not pay that The stickiness and mess also put me off if I’m honest."
What changes would you make to this product?
Pamela Falconer says: The challenge with standard packaging is the risk of things getting crushed, however I tend to put packets in a solid box to get around this. The pack size is quite sensible for a one serve but there could be the option of a larger bag with a resealable tab to save on packaging as I would think they would last a few days or possibly longer in a resealed pack. As always cost- if cheaper would be great.
Joel Feltwell: "There is always room for more crisps in a packet as my daughter gobbled them down but it did have the normal amount of crisps that I would expect in a packet. Perhaps even more variety of falvours and maybe some more unusual ones as I like to get my daughter to try as many different flavours as possible."
Laura Fitzgerald says: "Make each puff a bit smaller and improve consistency of the product. The flavours are nice but as mentioned previously quite bland. However I understand that this will be hard to do without compromising on the ingredients such as added salt and sugar. Packing is great, appealing and pleasing to the eye."