Snack Attack: Stretch Island Fruit Is Back with Chews

I’m totally the mean mom. The one who said absolutely no sweets until the first birthday cake. The one who totally skips any of the items in the grocery store that are marketed to kids. When my son was sick recently, the doctor said not to give him juice. Ha! JUICE! I’m the mom who doesn’t do juice…and when I do it’s such a watered-down version that it would make a grown man weep.

Of course, it’s not that I don’t do treats on occasion. But they should be just that: occasional. I grew more relaxed after my daughter hit two, but not so relaxed that my daughter knows what fast-food is or the fact that neon-colored snacks exist. Her eyes get big when she gets something that she knows is a special treat. So of course, I’m the mom who does whole foods rather than fruit snacks. But Stretch Island Fruit? Well, I’m much more comfortable with that.

I reviewed Stretch Island fruit rolls and strips awhile back, and this time I tested out the company’s fruit chews in raspberry, strawberry and cherry. The chews hit stores this month, and I just had to celebrate national snack food month. The ingredient list is simple. They taste like real, tart fruit. Each pack contains a full serving of fruit, and they’re gluten-free and non-GMO. My daughter, of course, thinks they’re candy. They’re the perfect snack when you’re on the go because there is no mess—no dripping fruit juice down little arms, no squishy banana pieces anywhere. So while a piece of fruit is preferred, these chews are great for a snack or special lunch-box dessert. My husband may have also had his fair share of the samples, so know they are Grown-Man Approved, too.

Do you give fruit snacks to your kids or are you a Real-Fruit-or-Bust Mom? —Erin