A Smart Way to Feed the Kids

Most nights, Papa & I serve up vegetables with our dinner.  To be honest Bebe Bird isn't really, a veggie loving kid, like some of his pals. I wasn't either as a kid…so I kind of get it.  But still…In our home we  have some go to veggies that make an appearance each week, like kale & the carrots in a Viatnamese sandwiches & broccoli (that helps you run super fast).  But other than those smash hits, getting Bebe Bird to eat veggies can be a challenge.  These days when Bebe Bird discovers & new vegetable on his plate he simply licks it and we call it a success.  Introducing some healthy food and snack options can be tricky sometimes.  But not so tricky if you're feeding your kid delicious children's Bitsy's Brainfood, created by dynamic duo and mamas Maggie Jones Patton & Alexandra Buckley Voris.

" In order to effect change, healthy had to be fun and kids had to be empowered..." 

Bebe Birds (BB):  What inspired you ladies to partner up & create Bitsy's Brainfood? 

Bitsy's Brainfood (Bitsy's): We're moms and while that may seem like the obvious starting point, the inspiration for Bitsy's Brainfood came long before we had kids.  After many years of working together in education and non-profit, we reached a point where we felt we needed to look more closely and strategically at some of the most prevalent, persistent issues facing kids and of these, childhood obesity struck a particular chord.

In 2005, we helped create and run what was one of the first federally funded after school programs to address childhood obesity in grades K-8.  What set us apart was our belief that in order to effect change, healthy had to be FUN and kids had to be empowered.  And it worked.  Over 90% of the kids in our programs changed the way they were eating-and beyond that, they had a positive impact on the health of their families, their communities and their schools.  

So, on a mission to make healthy fun for kids across America and to create products that are truly good for kids, not just "not bad for you," we started Bitsy's Brainfood.  In 2012, we launched our first line of alphabet-shaped Smart Cookies and this year we launched a line of organic fruit and vegetable cereals, built around our core principles that healthy bodies and healthy minds are connected and learning to eat smart should be fun.

BB:  What was your background prior to starting Bity's Brainfood? 

Bitsy's: We worked together at a non-profit.  Maggie was Executive Director of generaionOn and Alex served as VP of Programs and Strategy. We've always been all about kids.  And though little known, a fact is that Maggie did a short stint in improv comedy her first year out of college.  We'll spare you any of her old jokes, though follow her on twitter and you can read some pretty bad ones.

BB:  What was your biggest learning curve when working in the kitchen when starting Bity's Brainfood?

Bitsy's: Well, we baked our original cookies together in Alex's parents' kitchen (our NYC apartment kitchens were too tiny for our crazy experimentation-and we tried recipes with every nutrient dense veggie out there)!

But neither of us are true chefs.  We are practical moms who believe kids should be healthy, happy, having fun and learning whenever and wherever they can.

To this end, we recognize the need for convenience and snacks and playing within reality.  So, while it would be great always to have fresh fruit and veggies on hand for snacks, this just isn't everyone's reality.  Sometimes, you need something that goes in the backpack or backseat and that isn't going to melt, squish, mess or go bad in a day.  And when you do-it should be healthy, functional and fun!

We were both influenced by food in different ways growing up.  Maggie had a lot of fun vegetables as a kid; her grandparents lived on a farm in Georgia, where she grew up.  Her dad was would always tell stories to make fruits and veggies fun, including one on a camping trip when he claimed that before the invention of the toothbrush people ate apples to clean their teeth.  (there's a good chance there were forgotten toothbrushes on that trip) But the point is that if you make it fun and interesting, kids will remember.

BB:  That's a great story!  Now, being parents Bitsy's Brainfood is truly kid tested.  What are your children's favorite Bitsy's Brainfood?

Bitsy's: For cereal, the winner for all our kids is Fruit & Veggie 1, 2, 3.  Its number shapes, fruity and delicious smell, mixed with  great whole grain crunch make it irresistible!  But, Maggie's son and his best buddy love to snack on the Carrot Raisin Crunch.  Alex's son, who is the youngest of the bunch, is bananas for Banana Squash Squares, which is also Gluten-Free.

When it comes to cookies, the kids truly love all four.  All of our kids have been very early alphabet learners, too, and we attribute that to 100% to Bitsy's fun alphabet shapes!

But, to break it down for you:
Maggie's son calls himself "broccoli man" and LOVES our Lemon Broccoli cookies.  Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin is an all around favorite!  In the office, we often snack on Orange Chocolate Beet, and both our husbands are crazy for the Zucchini Gingerbread Carrot.  Bitsy's truly is great for the whole family.  And that's something that was important to us too-if we can't eat the food we get for our kids, we'll go hungry!  And we really believe that families should buy food that everyone can eat together. Your kids are going to want to eat what you eat.    

BB: Any tips for parents & caregivers on getting kids to eat more fruits and veggies?

Bitsy's: What's huge for us is celebrating the fruits and vegetables we want our kids to eat--we're not hiding any carrots around here! Since we started Bitsy's Brainfood, there have been other brands who've begun to get in on the baking-in-the-veggie bandwagon.  But they HIDE the veggies from the kids under giant flavor call-outs like Snickerdoodle.  Huh?

If you wan your kids to like to eat veggies, don't teach them that Snickerdoodle or Double Chocolate Chip are the flavors we seek out when we're having a "treat."  We've got to do some good PR for broccoli!  And that's what we're about.  Show kids that broccoli, sweet potatoes, zucchini and beet taste good in many contexts.  Kids are not bornn thinking the word "chocolate" means delicious-we teach them this by reinforcing the concept of sweet treats.  If you start young with products like Bitsy's-you're setting yourself up for success.

Finally, with Bitsy's we believe parents can have their standards and kids can have their way.  As parents, we believe in picking our battles, and food doesn't need to be a daily battle if you start with good options and send the right messages.  The key is to do it in a realistic, kid-friendly way-make it fun! Empower children to make good choices.  Plant the seeds.

"What's huge for us is celebrating the fruits and vegetables we want our kids to eat."

BB:  As working mama's and raising a family any tips you can share on multi-tasking?

Bitsy's: Dont stress; do your best!  We say this a lot to each other.

I think we've both realized that it's a delicate balance.  Finding time with your kids to be present and be off work is so critical…but, that's easier said than done when things are coming for all sides.

I wish we had a really great tip to give.  But, it feels like all we can do is be honest and say that it's hard.  Launching a start-up and being a parent sometimes brings us to our knees, but we're lucky to have an incredible support system, too- each other, plust truly amazing teams both at home and at work.  Ultimately we give our best and try to keep everyone happy, growing and thriving.  We work hard to keep it all in perspective (and we frequently talk one another off the ledge).

Ahh! Thank you for that honest advice.  Bebe Bird is a big fan (as is his Mama)!  To get your little one's hands on some yummy Bitsy's Brain Food visit them here to find a retail store near you or order online (we get ours from diapers.com).  Enjoy!