I am recently learning that it is better to pay double for brand names for some things than buy the knock-off generics. For example, yesterday I went grocery shopping and needed fruit snacks and nutri-grain© bars for my daughter. The generics were half-price so I decided to go with those. While in most cases this would be okay, it turned out that this time it was not okay to go with the Kroger brand. For example, my daughter enjoyed the soft chewy fruit snacks made by Welch’s that my husband got last time. This time it was Kroger-brand Sharks and assorted fruit snacks. The Sharks were okay but the Assorted ones were so rock hard, I did not even hand her a package for fear that she’d use them as pellets for target practice instead of eating them.
Now the generic Kroger-brand fruit bars actually resembled the real thing and tasted good – they were soft, consistent and quite good. I guess it is not that hard to make a fruit-filled cereal bar but fruit snacks somehow elude people. Needless to say, I am learning this lesson since she started eating solids. In medicines, I try to stick to the name brands – Tylenol is a name you can trust I am not sure about Costco brand yet especially when it comes to an infant or toddler. Sometimes generics do not add up and it is better to stick with something you know. For example, tater tots and waffles in the generic brand are okay; formula and pediatric hydration beverages are not. Carnation instant breakfast is okay as a generic brand, but Graham crackers are not. And the list goes on …. I think the point is that sometimes you actually do get what you pay for and in the end, it is better to be safe than sorry.
