Evenflo Smart Steps Review

Thanks to Mom Central and Evenflo, I had the opportunity to try out some Evenflo Smart Steps products!  There is so much information on the news and internet about childhood obesity studies or complex strategies on how to deal with children that are picky eaters.  Many of these are focused on healthy and nutritious eating for our kids.  As parents, we may struggle with giving our child more than plain buttered pasta, macaroni and cheese, or chicken fingers.  Busy schedules, older kids, after-school activities, and daily life may make it difficult to deal with our fussy eaters.

Evenflo has recognized this and taken a step to help busy moms.  Evenflo launched a new Smart Steps line for toddlers, offering a clever solution that help to foster lifelong healthy eating habits.  Two of the favorites of the line by many moms are the Insulated Cup and the Portion Plate.  The Insulated Cup is designed to help toddlers transition to drinking out of a cup thanks to the soft spout that lets them sip confidently.  While it holds much of the liquid in, I found that if you turn it upside down, water does drip out slowly, but you do not get a constant stream of water flowing out.  You also don’t have to worry about your toddler dumping out a cup of water all over the floor.  I especially love the soft spout – ideal for teethers!  I did not receive the Portion Plate, but it is definitely something I would purchase in the future.  The Portion Plate teaches kids to know portion size, eat a balanced meal with its divided colorful sections and challenges them to explore food in a tiny “try it for the first time” cup (2 green beans will do!).  I loved the Smart Stackers – what a great idea for holding snacks and being able to stack them!

Smart Steps also offers insightful, educational strategies for understanding how toddlers think about food, building on core guidelines that help nurture healthy eating habits developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).  Do you have a picky eater at home?  Here are a few tips compliments of the Smart Steps website:

•    Let your kids be “produce pickers” at the store.  If they can pick out their own fruits and veggies – they’ll be more inclined to eat them
•    Invite your kids to prepare meals with you.  All of that mixing, mashing and measuring will make them want to taste what they are prepping.
•    Offer choices. Rather than ask “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” ask “Which would you like for dinner: broccoli or cauliflower?”

More tips can be found online at http://www.evenflo.com/smartsteps. On the site, you can also take the Smart Steps Quiz to determine your parental feeding style and discover where you fall on the Smart Steps Eating Arc.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Evenflo and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.