So then what is a squeeze? Only one of the biggest mess and money savers ever.
I was introduced to the Original Squeeze Company by Mat York during his very first Weekly Chat. From jump I knew that this was a product that could seriously help in my home.
The Original Squeeze is the first reusable, toxin free, 100% silicone pouch that I've ever seen and I love it. I want to touch base on 5 points that really make this product so awesome.
First, the Original Squeeze comes in 3 different sizes, which makes it a perfect product for use by just about any age. The original is available in 2, 4 and 6 ounce sizes and the Sport version is available in up to 8 ounces. To give some comparison on capacity a typical disposable apple sauce pouch is just over 3 ounces while a full sized juice box is just over 6 ounces. The Apple red one in the picture above is the 4 ounce version while the Reef blue is 6 ounces.
Next we get to talk colors. While available color may vary depending on the particular product you order, you can pretty much come up with any color combination your kids can think up. This become especially important when you have kiddos like mine who are super particular about which color anything is or is not theirs. Both the bodies and the ring colors can be customized to fit the likes and personality of the user. I've listed below all of the colors to choose from. BTW I love the names for these colors. They're so much better than Red, Blue, Green, blah, blah, bland.
Pro Tip: Building your own combination of squeeze will net you the biggest selection of available colors.
Next is the secret sauce, if you may, of this product. The spout. This is where I was really interested in testing out the Original Squeeze and is applicable uses. The spout comes in two forms, the original squeeze with spill proof spout and the Eeeze, free flowing, spout.
The spill proof spout is a cross cut closed spout that requires the user to clamp down a bit to open it up for product to flow out. It is really awesome for keeping messes , especially liquids, to a minimum. It does take a bit for a small child to get used to using it but as soon as they get the first bit of product out it become almost second nature. My five year old took about 10 seconds to figure out how to work it and my 2 year old wasn't far behind that.
The Eeeze free flowing spout, while completely open at the top is actually still quite effective at preventing spills and messes. In fact if anything other than a pure liquid is in the Squeeze it pretty much contains it all without any spills. It also has a few other applications that we will talk about in just a moment. Both of these spouts can be purchased separately as extras or replacements. (But they're quite durable, so probably not replacement).
Finally we get to talk about some of the fun tests that we did and other possible applications for the Oringinal Squeeze. So initally the entire reason I wanted these was to replace the apple sauce pouches that fill my fridge and empty my bank account. You see, we are a family that is lucky enough to have a giant apple tree in the yard that produces enough to apples to make apple sauce for the entire winter spring and summer each year. Also I have a wife who is skilled enough to turn all of those apples into something even better than the tree can produce itself. So it really hurts my heart every time I see one of the kids slamming a disposable pouch of apple sauce and then tossing the pouch in the trash.
That being said the first thing that entered the squeeze bodies was a freshly opened jar of homemade apple sauce. Now if you've ever made apple sauce you know that it is unlikely that it is going to be nearly as smooth and runny as store bought, so I questioned if it would clog the spout and not be able to flow through. The first spout we tried was the spill proof one and I was a bit discouraged at the difficulty for my 5 year old to get product out but after we swithed the spouts and put the free flowingind Eeeze spout on she was off to the races and happy as a clam. I swear she looked at me and said, "Daddy, I love it"! Talk about product endorsment. Lol. I thought that filling the pouches would be difficult and was very suprised when I was able to quickly and easily spoon fill the 4 ounce pouch with a standard teaspoon (not a measuring teaspoon, a table style teaspoon) in about 20 seconds. A heaping spoon slid right into the neck opening and becuase its made of silicon I could just grip the outside and pull the spoon free from the squeeze body completely cleaned off.
Pro Tip: Remove the plastic ring before filling the bodies to give you maximum flexability of the opening.
The next test we did was one that was suggested during Mat's Live Weekly Chat on his Facebook Page. I love making pancakes using my ultimate pancake recipe. I make them as often as possible, sometimes every day of the week. One thing though is that my kids always want to, using the term lightly, "help" make them. This has never once worked out. Messy product, hot griddle and clumsy motor skills do not add up to a good time in my book. So when it was suggested to use the Original Squeeze for kids pancake making, I had to try.
I filled a 4 ounce squeeze with pancake mix and topped it with the Eeeze spout. I then Let me 2 year old help my make pancakes. She had so much fun. She was able to stand above the griddle and squeeze her little heart out and help daddy make pancakes without the huge mess and a much smaller chance of getting a "kitchen boo boo".
We have also used them for water bottles which pretty much work exactly as you'd expect. The free flow spout makes a nice fountain when squeezed and the spill proof spout keeps the water inside until its in the mouth of the kiddo using it. On a side note, being silicon, they fit in just about any cup holder quite well.
Check out The Original Squeeze Company's facebook page or Recipe Page on their website for more use ideas.
Lastly we need to talk about cleaning. I have only hand washed these as it is so easy I see no other reason to do anything but. The caps and spouts clean nice and easy with a little spray from the sink and if there are any stuck on pieces, a bottle brush works very very well. The bodies being so flexible allow for any size hands to reach any part of the inside for a quick clean and rinse. I have giant hands and something this small I would normally not be able to reach the corners of the inside. A nice little bend of the fingers and BAM clean.
Overall I think The Original Squeeze is Awesome. It is sure to save us tones of money just with the apple sauce alone and with the many other applicable uses I'm sure we will be ordering more in the near future.
If you are interested in ordering some of these little miracle tools for your littles or yourself be sure to use SQUEEZEITFORWARD as a promo code to save yourself 10% on your order. Or for the next week use THATDADMAT to save 20%,
