By Naz Lim
Are the kids constantly hungry or craving a snack but you don’t have time to make or bake them something? Or need a few snacks as stocking fillers for Christmas? Here is a list of baby, toddler and child-friendly snack brands that can be purchased on Taobao (淘宝).
These brands aim to produce snacks for kids (recommended for 6 months and up) that are low in salt, sugar and additives and can be an alternative to the regular, sugary/salty treats found in the grocery store aisle. Packaged in small sizes, these can be handy to have around to keep the little ones happy when travelling. Besides rice cereals and food purees, some brands also stock baby-friendly pasta, noodles and condiments which can be used for baking and cooking.
Taobao links are attached for all brands, but they can also be found on other platforms such as Jingdong (京东), Hema (盒马) and Eleme (饿了么).
BabyPantry (光合星球)
If your kids love dinosaurs, this brand may quickly be a favourite. BabyPantry is almost all dinosaur-shaped lollies and biscuits. Snacks come in local flavours such as hawthorn or pear and loquat soft lollipops, pitaya/dragonfruit melts and crispy seaweed crackers. Other flavours include blueberry, peach and milk. They also have dinosaur-shaped noodles/pasta. BabyPantry is the snack-side of the baby product brand Babycare.
Taobao store link:
Little Deer Blue (小鹿蓝蓝)
Adult snack brand Three Squirrels (known for nuts and freeze-dried fruits) ventured into baby snacks by launching Little Deer Blue. Their snacks for kids include meat jerky, fruit or vegetable flavoured yoghurt melts, biscuits and hawthorn or pear-flavoured lollies and lollipops. They also have noodles, meat floss and soy sauce. For something special, they have a chicken, yam and hawthorn flavoured bite-sized lolly (one of my daughter’s favourite treats).
Taobao store link:
Pekish Baby (宝宝馋了)
Founded in 2016, Pekish Baby offers seaweed crackers, hawthorn lollipops and a shrimp with mushroom sausage (another of my daughter’s favourites). They also have food pouches, cheese biscuits, strawberry wafers and a variety of nut cookies. Their condiment range includes oils, soy sauce and ketchup and they also have baby-friendly pastas, noodles, rice mixes and baozi.
Taobao store link:
Rivsea (禾泱泱)
Shanghai brand Rivsea produces foods/snacks such as meat crisps, meat floss, fruit purees, noodles, teethers, biscuits, puffs, yoghurt melts and condiments such as oils, black sesame paste and soy sauce. Their biscuits come in a variety of shapes, such as forest animals or numbers.
Taobao store link:
Enoulite (英氏)
Popular for their rice cereal range, Enoulite also has food pouches, teether biscuits/rusks, noodles, melts, puffs and meat floss (in beef, pork or codfish with seaweed).
Taobao store link:
Happy Baby (禧贝)
American brand Happy Baby is USDA certified organic and produces snacks such as yoghurt melts and puffs or teethers in a variety of fruit and vegetable flavours. They also have Creamies, a dairy and gluten free snack made from freeze-dried veggie, fruit and coconut milk.
Taobao store link:
Gerber (嘉宝)
Started in 1927, Gerber began making purees for babies but has since expanded their range of products to now include teethers, puffs, biscuits, melts and grain bars.
Taobao store link:
Little Freddie (小皮)
Well known for their food pouches and rice cereal, their baby to toddler-aimed snacks also includes puffs, teethers and biscuits.
Taobao store link:
Kiwigarden
From New Zealand, Kiwigarden offers healthy snacks for kids that include yoghurt drops, New Zealand manuka honey lollipops and freeze-dried fruit or corn.
Taobao store link:
Ella’s kitchen (艾拉厨房)
UK brand Ella’s kitchen is popular for their food pouches, but they also have melty puffs, sticks and hoops.
Taobao store link:
