See what the 300 Mumsnetters and their DCs thought of BEAR Paws - £300 voucher to be won for providing feedback! NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This is the thread for the 300 Mumsnetters who were testing BEAR Paws with their DCs.

Here’s what BEAR say: "Hello we’re BEAR and we make healthy snack for kids, with absolutely no nonsense whatsoever. Our Paws are made from pure fruit that is gently baked and pressed into tasty paw shapes with no added sugar or concentrates and every bag contains 1 of your 5 a day. Grrr. Available in four tasty recipes, they’re great for little and big paws alike, perfect for grumbly tummies when you’re out and about or as a tasty, healthy snack at home. We’d love to know what you and your DCs think of BEAR Paws as a handy, healthy snack."

BEAR would love to know:

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test?
2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?
3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?
5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again?
6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?

All testers who post their feedback on this feedback thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £300 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Thank you for choosing me to take part - my Daughter was very excited by the parcel.
Unfortunately I didn't know what it was so we ended up sampling some immediately as they were desperate to try them!
It's been interesting reading how positive all the reviews are - I wasn't sure about these as I am another who worries that processed fruit is a bad idea - but they were a massive hit and the children viewed them as sweets / a treat.
We have tried the yo yo fruits before but much prefer these.

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test? 4 and 2
2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day? They would eat fruit all day - veg the 4 year old is quite good and enjoys a reasonable variety. My 2 year old son is generally a bit fussier and seems to have a 'sweeter tooth' I don't know if that's a real thing or whether he has just been exposed to more sweet treats earlier due to being my second child and so has developed this preference. So that's a long winded way of saying I struggle more to get him to eat a good range of veg!
3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them? The 4 year old loved the parcel. As I said above they definitely viewed them as 'sweet treats' and liked the paw shapes and the mix of flavours. Liked the sticker card too. Also liked the colours and simple packaging.
4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not? Yes - though I think they would have been just as happy with a smaller amount. I make them share but a slightly smaller bag each would be good. Really Good for out and about.
5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again? I have done already.
6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family? Yes definitely All in all these are a winner !

1. DDs aged 4 and 2

1. No-they love fruit and vegetables so don't find it a challenge. They think getting to eat a whole cucumber on the village green is a treat not that they're weird or anything

1. They both loved them. They loved identifying the different footprints. They didn't prefer one set of animals over another but I think if they hadn't been sharing a bag there may have been some 'discussion' over who has which one, especially the dinosaurs.

1. The bags seemed to be the right size for them to share as a snack.

1. I wouldn't buy them for day to day as given i am lucky and the girls eat plenty of fruit and veg I can use the real thing as a snack but they worked really well as a treat for them. I took them on holiday with us and they were great to have in my bag in case of emergency. They definitely saw them as a special treat.

1. I would recommend them as they were a hit with the girls.

1) How old are the DCs who took part in this test?
3.1 years

2) Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?
He would eat his body weight in strawberries if I let him / could afford to buy that many but doesn't have much variety of fruit / veg

3) What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
Liked the taste & little packets - easy to hold without spilling them. I disliked that they were a bit sticky & left me needing to wipe his hands afterwards

4) Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?
Yes, was a good size

5) Would you buy BEAR Paws again?
Yes, handy snacks to take on days out as they don't take up much space & he believes that they're sweets so easy to bribe him with!

6) Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?
Yes

Sorry to be a bit late supplying feedback. We went on holiday!

1) How old are the DCs who took part in this test?

8 and 3

2) Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?

Absolutely not. They both - luckily - eat plenty of fruit and veg.

3) What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

They really liked them. They're both big fans of the bear fruit yo yos (they're "fruity things" in this house, just like the tv remote is a "pressy thing" and the washing machine, a "spinny thing"). I had high hopes and we weren't disappointed. They both really enjoyed the footprint guides on the back and sat at the table making up animal noises and stories about their given footprints. They said they were very tasty and both have asked if we can buy more. I liked the packaging. It was bright, good fun, informative and instantly recognisable as one of the Bear products.

4) Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?

Perfect for the 8yo. I think the 3yo was fine with half a packet and actually, I made them share each packet.

5) Would you buy BEAR Paws again?

I think the children will be asking for them and I don't see why not.

6) Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?

I already have. I have a very fussy niece who struggles with textures but I suspect they'll be a hit.

We've been on holiday & weren't expecting a parcel before we left! Only got it back from a neighbour today so will start trying them tomorrow!

1. DC are 2 and 6
2. they are fine with fruit but fussier with veg
3. they both enjoyed the snacks, the youngest didn't finish the bag, I think they got a bit claggy in his mouth (but he was eating them by the handful!). 6 yo really liked the idea behind the different animal foot prints, although said her bag had more owls than any of the other animals.
4. the bag size was about right, enough for the eldest. Easy enough to keep any leftovers from the youngest for next time.

I will be picking mine up from the post office today so will report back this afternoon

5. I might buy them again, but the 50% sugar content might put me off. They are a replacement to sweets rather than a replacement to fruit IMO.
6. most of my friends with DC have better luck getting their kids to eat veg and fruit, so probably not.

Other thoughts) I agree with others that these being in the baby aisle is odd, the concept with the footprints and reading the information on the bag is much more suited to older DC. My 2yo couldn't care less what shape / footprint was on them and I don't go in the baby food section any more so I'd probably never see these.

I was surprised that the 6yo liked these as she has previously tried the yoyos and not liked them. To me they were the same thing but a different shape.

Thanks for including us in the test, sorry the feedback was so late but the box only arrived on Thursday.

1. Dc are 3 and 5, neices both aged 2 helped out though.

1. Dd (3) loves her fruit and veg but ds (5) can be more challenging and limited with what he likes.

1. Both kids liked the idea and packaging. Ds really didn't take to these, he found the texture very strange and I struggled to encourage him to then try other flavours. Dd had a few but again not keen on the texture and asked for proper fruit instead.

1. Quite a lot in the packet, if it was a pack of sweets I would want less but as a healthy snack the amount is just right.

1. Unfortunately not, kids just not keen. Maybe in a year or so I'll try again though.

1. Yes. Both nieces who helped us out did enjoy them so sister in laws keen to buy these.

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test?

Aged 2 and 4 (5 next week!)

2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?

Fruit no but veg yes - they only like peas and broccoli. The 4 year old eats well but not the 2 year old, he detests most food in general.

3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

They loved them - they love anything perceived as sweets or treats. The loved the animal packaging and enjoyed playing with the footprints.

4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?

Yes - possibly a bit much for the younger one but his sister helped him.

5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again?

Yes but as a treat only. High sugar content and they are not a true replacement for real veg.

6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family? Yes

1. 2yo boy, 4yo boy and a 6yo girl (and 32yo mummy)
2. yes, my 6yo in particular is fussy about vegetables and some fruit. the boys do eat a fair bit of fruit. If these had vegetables in too, even in small amounts, that would make the product more desirable.
3. We liked the colours of the packets, and the animals on the packaging, the prints on the product too that matched the animals. We liked the taste, especially the orange and the blueberry ones. The children liked that they were getting sweets and I was happy that although the sugar content was fairly high, as a treat it was ok.
4. The pack size was good, I could share them out and each child would get enough to feel they had had a treat. Likewise I wouldn't be too concerned if one child finished a pack all by themselves.
5. Would depend on price but we would consider a multipack to stock up on some, they are handy to have in my handbag for unexpected waiting around situations.
6. yes I would recommend these snacks as treats instead of sweets to friend with children. I have quite a sweet tooth so would also sneak a few for myself too.

1. my 3 & 6 year old daughters tried them.

2. my 3 year will eat most fruit and veg without and problems, my 6 year old on the other hand used to be a very good eater, now she is very picky on veg but will eat some fruit.

3. my 3 year has had them before, the blue and red pack and didn't like them then!
   So far we have tried all but the blue pack, they both liked the bright packets, the animal foot prints on the snacks. I liked it the you have the two separate flavours separate. The flavours were not too overpowering and just the right size for them to hold.

4. we had 3 packs to start with, which meant they had a pack and a half, I felt the pack size was a bit too small and just a bit larger would have been a more filling snack.

5. I will be buying again if on offer, as i usually find real fruit snacks too expensive for me normally.

6. I will be recommending these to other parents as they are really nice.

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test?
   7, 5 and 3.

2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?
   The older two will eat fruit and veg no bother but the youngest, although he will eat any veg, only eats bananas.

3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
   They all liked the packaging and trying to figure out which paw print they had. The older liked the taste but the youngest didn't like them at all.

4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?
   Yes, I think it was a suitable size. They shared the four bags in three sittings, stopping when they were done. (I had some too...)

5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again?
   Probably not. My main aim was to find something for the youngest and as he didn't like them, I wouldn't buy them again.

6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?
   To anyone who might be struggling to get their children to eat fruit, I would suggest it as an option.

1) How old are the DCs who took part in this test?
3 & 2y

2) Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?
No, my boys will eat anything as long as it isn't egg or mushroom!

3) What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
DS1 spent a while peering at the paw prints on the packaging & getting me to tell him which one his sweet was. DS2 ate all of his before I could compare any!

4) Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?
I split the packet between them - I think a whole one would've been a bit much. They're sweets, albeit healthier ones, & I don't want to encourage them to eat lots of sweets.

5) Would you buy BEAR Paws again?
Probably not.

6) Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?
I might tell others about them as an alternative to other sweets but won't be recommending anyone buys them who wouldn't be buying sweets anyway.

Dc ages 5 and 7

Loved them. Good snack size for both. There was interest in who got what design but that's it.

Yes I would buy them again for lunchbox snacks or dance energy which is what we use this stuff for.

I would recommend them but I not convinced that there are very healthy

Pressed post too soon.

Healthy to replace fruit and vegetables

1) How old are the DCs who took part in this test?
DS age 3

2) Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?
Not really - there is such a range of food (including straight fruit and veg) that contains "1 of 5 a day" that I can usually find something! That having been said, some of them also have less desirable ingredients in them too!

3) What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
DS thought they were delicious! He liked the fact they looked like paw prints, and he liked that he could stack them up like fruity sandwiches.

4) Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?
Yes the snack was a suitable size.

5) Would you buy BEAR Paws again?
Yes - but not necessarily instead of something else. Also they are more expensive than some of the snacks I would usually buy.

6) Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?
Yes, absolutely.

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test? They are 2, 5 and 7 years old.
2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day? The 2 year loves his fruit and eats most veg, the 5 year old eats most fruit and veg and the 7 year old only eats apples as a fruit (though at school she has eaten other fruits which she says she likes, but then refuges to eat them at home) and she eats pretty much most veg.
3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them? They were all very much attracted to the packaging, the polar bear was the favourite. The 7 year old said they were yummy, but wouldn't want to eat a whole pack. The 5 year old had one or two each time and refuged to eat more. She said they were juicy, but wasn't keen on them at all. The 2 year old could have eaten several packages in one go I think. He absolutely loved them. The orange and strawberry was the overall winner, with the raspberry and blueberry second. One remarks the 7 year old made was that they were nice as they didn't get stuck between your teeth :-) and having learned recently at school about eating 5 pieces of fruit/veg per day, eating the BEAR paws gave a lot more meaning to her. I think the 5 year old wasn't to happy with the BEAR paws as she didn't like the texture of them.
4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not? Yes, I think they were a suitable size and very good as a snack when out and about.
5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again? Definitely for 2 and 7 year old. If 1 of 5 a day, definitely good for another fruity snack for 7 year old.
6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family? Yes.

It was my 6 year old who was the tester, but her older siblings ( age 8 and 10) tried them too.

As long as I pick the right fruit and veg for each child I don't usually have problems getting them to eat their 5 a day, unfortunately normally 2 of the 3 like most veg with the third refusing to eat it, but the combination changes depending on the food.

They all enjoyed them, said they were like yummy humzingers and thought they were like sweets. I liked tge fact they were gluten free as two of my nieces are coelics, I was shocked by the high sugar content almost 50g in 100g total weight so not as healthy as I first thought. They liked packaging and DC3 loved the stickers too.

Size wise Dc3 would gave been happy to eat the whole pack but it was big enough for the three to share.

I would buy again and am supprised that they are in the baby aisle as I would never have found them there, I am surprised they aren't stocked with the dried fruit flakes and humzingers which I often use as school snacks.

Tester

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test?
   7 and 4, nearly 5

2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?
   Yes, DC1 is especially restricted in what he'll eat. Veg is easier than fruit for us, as they'll eat it various veg in curries and pasta sauces etc - fruit will only be tolerated if dried or juiced, so we were keen to give these a try.

3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
   They liked the animal packaging and appreciated the "bearcode" pun on the back. They enjoyed the taste and made the connection between these and BEAR's alphabites cereal, which they are very fond of.
   The footprint impressions were more shallow and difficult to make out in one of DS2's packs, but he wasn't too bothered.

4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?
   Packet size, yes. Size of individual discs - could be a little bigger, more like penny size?

5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again?

6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?
   Quite possibly. We often buy humzingers, so would consider or suggest these as an alternative, especially if the price compared well.

How old are the DCs who took part in this test?

5 and 6
2) Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?

Sometimes yes
3) What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

They loved the taste, packaging, and were quite keen on the stickers!
4) Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?

Yes although our kids would happily eat twice that much!
5) Would you buy BEAR Paws again?

Absolutely
6) Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?

Yes and we have.

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test?
   8yo and 5yo

2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?
   8yo; YES! It's a nightmare! 5yo, no. Total fruit bat!

3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
   Loved the bright packaging and different animals on them. They found them easy to open too, which is always helpful with a snack. They loved the shape of the BEAR paws too, and that they linked to the packaging. They really enjoyed the tastes of all but the orange flavoured ones, but I think that's becuase they're not madly keen on orange flavoured things (except real oranges!) A few may or may not have snuck into my mouth too... They were rather like sweets (so I guess that's why they appeal to the children) but obviously better for them.

4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?
   Yes, although the 5yo wouldn't/didn't eat a whole pack in one sitting (but that's quite common... small appetite).

5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again?
   Yes, but only the flavours they preferred (blackcurrant one was their fave) and alongside other snacks, rather than as their only choice. I like to vary their snacks and am conscious of the cost of some of these snacks.

6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?
   Yes, if they like the Bear YoYos or Fruit Strings etc, as they are similar.

1. My DD is 2.9
2. While she will happily eat 4 types of vegetable at dinner, she really doesn't like fruit other than apple. Not sure if it's a texture thing or what but she's so far consistent in refusing raw fruit.
3. She really liked choosing the different animals - it's the animal pictures over the flavour for her. She didn't really notice the paw prints on the shapes, and I think if she had to choose, there's another similar sized product on the market that she prefers. I tried one of the orange ones and found it quite bitter. The blue pack is her favourite of the 4.
4. Definitely a good size - she had a "bag of sweets" but I was happy that it was in no way going to spoil her appetite.
5. Yes I would buy them again, although I'd probably just buy a couple of the blue packs rather than the whole range.
6. If we were having a conversation about toddler snacks then yes. Whilst I don't have anything against the product, my DD's personal preference means I'd be unlikely to just recommend it like you do with things you really like.

sorry for late reply i didn't receive them at first so got them a lot later!

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test? my daughter who is 6

2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day? yes very she is a very fussy eater and wont eat stuff she hasnt tried before or if it looks strange to her.

3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them? she was so so excited with the box and the stickers and chart she made a chicks nest with the box too! hen she was sitting for ages looking at the animal paw prints on the packets.

4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not? yes she didnt manage the full packet but ate aout half but they just got foldedover and ate later on that day!

5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again? yes she loved them her favourite was the strawberry kind but she ate al of the flavours its a great way to get fruit into y daugher without her knowing!

6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family? yes definatley brilliant idea for children great for days out, playing outside snacks, packed lunches, all sorts!

1. How old are the DCs who took part in this test?

My children aged 6 and 4 took part in the test.

2. Do you find it a challenge to get your DCs to eat fruit and veg/get their five a day?

Yes, it can be a struggle mainly because they both like different things. One prefers dried fruit, the other likes fresh, they both like different veg etc.

3. What did your DCs think of BEAR Paws (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

My 4 year old was surprisingly not keen saying that he didn't like the taste, but he does tend to prefer fresh fruit. My 6 year old loved them! They picked the ones they wanted by the look of the packaging rather than the flavours, so I'd say that the packaging was eye-catching and engaging. They both really liked the different paw prints on them and looking on the back of the packet to find out which animal paw it was. They also liked the character on the back of each packet, although the dinosaur packet didn't have one?

4. Do you think this snack was a suitable size for your child/ren? If so why, if not, why not?

Yes, it was a perfect snack size and also handy to take out and about with minimal packaging.

5. Would you buy BEAR Paws again?

Absolutely - I have already ordered some on our next supermarket delivery. Will also be trying other BEAR products.

6. Would you recommend BEAR Paws to friends and family?

Yes, I thought they were great.