Enfagrow Older Toddler Ready to Drink Cartons - Review

Everyone who has had an infant and used formula knows the name Enfamil.  I used Enfamil when my son was a baby.  Anna and Sara both arrived home past the "baby" stage, so I didn't have to use formula for either of them.  I was intrigued though, when I was contacted by Enfamil to try their 

Enfagrow® Older Toddler Formula in ready to drink boxes.  

I received two four packs of the ready to drink boxes, one pack in vanilla flavor and one in a natural milk flavor.  They come in a nice, STURDY container that is similar to what you would see for a juice box.  The difference is.... they are not as "squishy" as a juice box!  If you have a toddler, I'm sure your've experienced jabbing the straw through the little hole, handing the box gingerly over to your toddler, only to have them squeeze too tightly (even though you told them, AS you were handing it to them, not to squeeze) only to have a sticky, juicy mess all over your floors, your toddler and their clothes.  I was very impressed with this box for that reason.  It comes with a sturdy straw (one that won't fall into the container) and has a pull tab option for the older child who might like to drink right out of the box!  My only complaint with the packaging is that the straw is VERY difficult to get through the pull tab if you want to have your child drink it through the straw.  I gave up on trying and just pulled the pull tab back a bit and put the straw in.  My daughter did then decide to fiddle with the tab while she was eating lunch.  It would be my only packaging improvement suggestion for the product.

The product is generous in terms of size.  The ready to drink boxes are 8.25 fl oz cartons.  They are actually a bit big for my small toddler.  After I discovered she wasn't going to drink it all in one sitting, I just started pouring it into a cup for her and putting the rest in the fridge for a drink during the day or for her next meal.  Kids are always wanting drinks, so it was definitely not going to sit in there long.  

Sara eats pretty much anything, including fruits, vegetables and meats, so her diet is pretty well balanced.  I'm not really concerned that she is not getting the proper nutrition.  However, that being said, the product is full of great nutrients, including DHA that is beneficial to the growing (and learning) brain of a toddler!  You can never get too much good nutrition!

Another benefit of this product is that it can be stored on a shelf.  You can buy the product in 24 packs at your local big box store (you know which ones they are, no need to mention them here) and you don't have to worry about them taking up a ton of room in your fridge.  Just store them in the cabinet until you are ready to use them.  Personally, I would not drink anything that resembles milk warm, so I put mine in the fridge for Sara to have.  You could always put a few days worth in the fridge and store the rest in the cupboard if that is your preference.  They are also great for on the go kids.  Since they don't HAVE to be refrigerated, they can easily and conveniently go to the soccer game, the baseball game, the gymnastic lessons... wherever you might be on the go with your toddler.  

The biggest test would be the "Toddler Taste Test".  While Sara is not a "picky" eater per se, she is very vocal about what she likes and does not like.  So, I took a box out of the fridge.  It just happened to be the vanilla package that I opened first. I gave it to her with her breakfast and she LOVED it!  She asked for it for lunch as well.  Today we opened the natural milk flavor and I wondered if she would hesitate to drink it because it didn't have the vanilla flavor in it.  Nope, she loved it.  She finished her breakfast and asked if she could have the rest of it.  (She usually doesn't finish all of it, because it's a bit big for her small size).  

I went 0n-line and looked at prices for the product.  They are a bit pricey for my pocket book.  Especially since I don't have a toddler who I have concerns with wether their nutritional needs are being met.  If I did, I would spend the extra money and buy a product like this to make sure my toddler was getting the nutrition she needs.  I will say that I do have an older daughter that needs the extra nutrition, just because she is active and doesn't eat a lot.  We do spend the money on a product for her that is equivalent to the Enfagrow - just for older kids.  So, if necessary, I would definitely spend the money to ensure good nutrition!  Enfagrow does offer coupons on line that you can take advantage of, making the price a bit more reasonable.  

My only suggestion for the product itself (besides the ease of use for the straw mentioned above) would be to introduce chocolate.  Most kids would love a chocolate milk drink over a vanilla or natural milk taste.

Click here to learn more about Enfagrow Ready to Drink Cartons.

The toddler's opinion of the product (they don't care about price :) is really what's important, and my daughter would give it two thumbs up!  

Quality Mom

Glade Expressions Collection - Review

I was really pleased when I was asked to participate in the Glade Expressions Collection BzzCampaign.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a person who loves "scents".  Glade offered me the opportunity to try two of their new great products:

The Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist and;

The Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser

The people at Glade were kind enough to send me coupons for each of these products  to purchase the "starter kits" for each product.  It ended up costing me nothing to purchase these.  I found it nice to receive the coupons rather than the product itself, because it gave me the opportunity to pick the scent I would enjoy most in my home.   I chose the fuji apple and cardamom spice scent for both the oil diffuser and the fragrance mist.  

The starter kits for both of the items were reasonably priced. I like the fact that the products are refillable which make them more economical as well as eco-friendly.

I put the fragrance mist in the bathroom, but actually use it throughout the house.  The scent is long lasting, and "floats" in the room.  With some fragrance sprays, the spray ends up more on the floor than in the air.  The Glade Fragrance mist stayed suspended in the air, allowing the fragrance in the room to last longer.  And, since you have to leave the spray bottle out for convenience, I love that it is designed nicely.  It doesn't just look like a spray bottle, it's artfully decorative.  Of course, no spray bottle is going to be "lovely" sitting out in your rooms, but it is tastefully decorated to blend in more with the surroundings and not look so much like a spray bottle just sitting out.

I put the oil diffuser in the den.  I don't like to have a lot of stuff "sitting out" in the house.  It just tends to look messy.  The oil diffuser was easy to put together and is fairly decorative.  It has a somewhat "modern" feel to the style of it.  I like the fact that is it small, and even if it doesn't fit in the best with your decor, it's small and pretty inconspicuous.... with the exception of the scent.  I loved the scent!  The fugi apple and cardamom spice scent was wonderful.  It reminded me of the smell of fall.  It had a nice sweet scent, followed by the warm scent of the spice!  I'd definitely recommend this scent!

All around I found the Glade Expressions collection to be reasonably priced, effective, designed well and a good value for the money.  The scents filled the house and felt warm and inviting!  You won't be disappointed with the scents!  Even my husband and kids loved it!

Charity

aka "Quality Mom"