Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Snack Time With: Bear Nibbles // Giveaway!



Healthy Snack Time With Soph & Bear


I will happily admit that at times I haven't provided the healthiest snacks for my two children, not out of laziness but usually down to convenience and the need for a quick 'meltdown avoiding bribe' in exchange for a little retained sanity.

Sometimes I just need to get moving, or have Soph sit in her pram and I have been known to grab a quick lolly or kids cake to seal the deal - anything for an easy life some days as I'm sure most parents can sympathise with.

If I can do though, I prefer to give them healthy snacks with as little additives and rubbish in as possible, as they affect not just their health but also their behaviour too! This is something I have thought a lot about recently and really need to find some alternatives to the usual fresh fruit snack.

I was contacted recently to review for kids snack brand Bear Nibbles, and although we have had Bear fruit Yo-Yos before, I was surprised to see the range they now have of various fruit/veg based nibbles, as well as cereal! (There is also a giveaway for your very own selection just like this, at the end of this post.)



Both kids love having cereal and I have always found it makes a pretty good snack to keep in little tubs in the pram, as well as a quick easy and filling breakfast.

Some cereals (especially their favourite chocolate pops) have a huge amount of sugar, so I was intrigued to see that Bear had launched a cocoa cereal and wondered how this would taste and be received by the kids.

The products we were sent to try were;

  • Strawberry & Butternut Bear Claws
  • Mango & Carrot Bear Claws
  • Alphabites Cocoa Cereal

We tried these when Alf was at school as he loves his food a lot and I thought this would give Soph a chance to sample them all in peace.

Soph was immediately drawn to the fun packaging which features a bear (her favourite) lots of bright colours and the Claws boxes also have eyes teeth and feet which she thought was really funny.


Bear Claws



Soph went mad for the claws. The flavours are really nice and sweet and you cant taste those sneaky vegetables at all!

Our favourite flavour was the Mango and Carrot which surprised me, they are delicious and I think all kids would like these as a snack or lunchbox filler. I will definitely be investing in these to stash in my handbag for a healthy 'bribe' when needed.

These 'Claws' have no added sugar, they are made from 100% fruit & veg, they are vegan friendly, gluten free and suitable from 12 months upwards. One little bag makes up one of your five a day too, so it's all good!

Alf is nearly five and he loves these too. He has a sweet tooth and didn't see these as being any different from any other similar snacks that aren't quite as healthy.

"more?"
If your little one has a hankering for treats or you'd like an alternative for a fussy eater, I'd recommend these. You can buy these claws in a number of retailers and these boxes of five small packets cost around £2 and each bag has a good number inside. You can even arrange the monster 'parts' to create your own characters.


Alphabites Cocoa


Both kids love their cereal which I am pleased with. Cereal is filling, healthy and super easy to prepare, so it's always a really good option for breakfast on those busy school run days.

Soph in particular is a real fan of chocolate cereal and following a patch of sickness and getting  a bit fussy, she started eating chocolate cereal and I was so pleased she was eating again that I encouraged it by the bowl full! Now though, she asks for it most mornings and although essentially the cereal has lots of goodness in it, there is an awful lot of sugar and extras in there that I would much prefer her to avoid.

I was so excited to see the Alphabites cocoa flavour and really hoped Soph would make a switch to this as it is no more expensive but much healthier. A 30g bowl for Soph contains around 5 grams of sugar compared to her usual brand which has around 13 in the same measure (both before milk)! A crazy difference that I would be stupid to ignore.


When tasted dry I was surprised that this is actually nice and sweet, not as much so as the usual one but non surprising with so much less sugar and I think these are actually nicer as they don't have that fake sweetener taste. With childrens taste buds being so much better I hoped that the kids would enjoy these as I thought they were tasty but not overpoweringly sickly sweet.

Alf in true Alf style loved this cereal and wolfed it down wet or dry as a snack. He loved that he could name the letters, practise putting words together and spot letters in his breakfast floating in the milk. This is great for Alf as we are looking at healthy swaps for him and this ticks all the boxes.



Soph was more than happy to shovel them down with milk too just like her usual brand, as well as having as a dry snack. Both kids loved this for breakfast so I will definitely be buying Alphabites again for their healthy start to the day instead of our usual. It's just a couple of small swaps but it could make a huge difference!

I can't wait to try out the rest of the range! You can find out more about Bear nibbles and your nearest stockist on their website. Have your little ones tried the snacks from Bear?

To win your own selection of goodies just like these, please enter via the Gleam widget below. Good luck!

Bear Nibbles!




Disclosure: I was sent samples in exchange for an honest review - all words are my own...they loved them!

Giveaway listed on U.Me & The Kids and Prizefinder