Question About Yogurt

Hi I.,
I had the same thoughts when I started feeding the Yo Baby to my 13 month old (now 3 1/2) and wrote to Stonyfield to ask about the sugar content. Here is their response to me! Hope it helps you.

Dear C.,

The sugar content on the label represents not just added sugar, but also
sugar that is found naturally in the milk (lactose) and fruit puree. The
grams of sugar on a label do not differentiate these. In developing this
product, we considered many issues, including whether or not to add a
small amount of sugar to the product. We did decide to add a small
amount of sugar in order to meet the taste requirements of the babies
and toddlers we tested. As a health professional, I feel it's important
to emphasize to you that each Yobaby serving provides the same or fewer
grams of sugar and total carbohydrates as applesauce or other fruit
servings. Additionally, Yobaby provides an excellent source of protein,
calcium, and our unique blend of six live active cultures. Our
Lactobacillus reuteri culture is especially beneficial for young
children. Reuteri helps prevent and treat diarrhea, which is one of the
leading causes of hospitalization of young children. The inulin we use
has been shown to increase calcium absorption and bone density. It has
also been shown to keep kids well. So, on balance, I believe that Yobaby
offers one of the very best foods you can feed to a baby or toddler.

As of April 2007, the sugar content in all of our YoBaby and kids'
yogurt will have less sugar. The YoBaby will have 13 grams. This is 25%
less! This includes the lactose, fruit and added sugar. The leading
kids' yogurt has 18 grams per 4 oz. cup.

We recognize that you choose your products with care, and I just wanted
you to know that we take the sugar content into consideration. There is
always the option of buying the plain whole milk yogurt and adding
fruit. This will give you the whole milk appropriate for his age, plus
the beneficial probiotics and inulin.

We are passionately committed to producing the best tasting, healthiest
yogurts available, and trying to do some good in the world while we're
at it. Please visit our web site at www.Stonyfield.com to learn more.

Thanks for writing.

Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN
Stonyfield Farm Nutritionist

1 mom found this helpful

As long as you aren't giving her cookies, cake, ice cream, sweet juice, etc through out the day a serving of yogurt is not going to hurt her.

Hi I.~ I am very intrigued by your thoughts on YoBaby yogurt, especially since I am an employee of Stonyfield Farm. Please allow me to help put your mind at ease about the sugar content in YoBaby yogurts. As a mother of a 2 year old myself, I too had some of these questions. Rest assured that Stonyfield's all organic product really is the best for your child.

With all the news headlines around sugar, we completely understand your concerns regarding the sugar content of our YoBaby yogurts. I’ve shared your thoughts with the team responsible for YoBaby so they hear your sentiments directly.

The sugar content on the label represents not just added sugar, but also sugar that is found naturally in the milk (milk sugar) and fruit. In developing this product, we considered many issues, including whether or not to add a small amount of sugar to the product. We did decide to add this small amount of sugar in order to meet the taste preferences of the babies and toddlers we tested.

Each YoBaby serving actually provides the same or fewer grams of sugar and total carbohydrates as applesauce or other fruit servings. And, of course, YoBaby also provides an excellent source of protein, calcium, and our unique blend of six live active cultures. So, on balance, we believe that YoBaby offers one of the very best foods you can feed to a baby or toddler.

I hope you'll stick with YoBaby, and that your baby girl continues to enjoy the taste and receive the healthful benefits of our product. Take Care -- S.

Hi I.,

My toddler doesn't like Greek yogurt either, but she loves just regular plain yogurt (she's tried vanilla yogurt, but dislikes it). I buy full fat organic - usually Stonyfield Farms. If she's being picky, I put give her some Cheerios on the side, she likes the crunch and mixing them in herself.

I give my daughter a 50/50 mix of drinkable organic yogurt and organic whole milk as a *shake* in her sippy cup. That would up the calcium and lower the sugar and over time you could probably decrease the amount of the yogurt and up the milk decreaseing the sugar intake that way!

They have Yo Baby Plain in some stores and then you can mix in applesauce or something like that to cut down on sugar. Good luck! My DD loved cottage cheese as an alternative to yogurt as well.

I'd get some plain that is a thinner type than greek and start mixing in a little at a time until after a while you have less of the sugary kind and more of the plain. If you do it gradually she will get used to the taste that way. That's what I did for myself and I really find flavored yogurts too sweet now.

Have you considered making it yourself? I recently started making my own. It is really simple and you can control the ingredients, obviously. You just heat milk, add yogurt and powdered milk and heat it for 8-12 hours in a yogurt maker (which you can get for $40 at amazon). If this is something she is eating daily it may make sense to make it.

It tastes SO much better than the commercial stuff and you can control everything-texture, tanginess and what goes into it. Sweetened with a little honey and some frozen blueberries is so yummy. Something to consider.

regular organic yogurts have up to half the sugar of baby yogurts. I used them instead.

Hi I.,
Stonyfield Farm has a full fat plain yogurt that you could add fruit and or a small amount of sugar or syrup to. It is very tasty even plain. It's a very mild taste to begin with and then you could control what she is getting for sugar.
Good luck!

I thought the same thing. I give V YoBaby and I just figure it is the only sugar she gets all day except in fruit. She also likes Stoneyfield Plain whole milk yogurt mixed with applesauce.

Hi, My 22 month old likes both Stonyfield Farm whole milk plain yogurt and Trader Joes whole milk plain yogurt. Both are organic and synthetic hormone free. They're both more mild tasting than Greek-style yogurt. Best of luck,

I also have had lots of success with whole milk plain yogurt (stonyfield). It is really tangy (I like it better than TJ's) and I mix it with fruit, some pre-sweetened yogurt or add some jelly and voila fruity tasting but less sugar yogurt.
I also make popsicles by mixing plain yogurt with orange juice- tangy, yummy and cold!

Good luck.

Stoneyfield Farm makes a full fat cream on top yogurt that is plain. Yogurt does have sugar, but only the added sugar is something to worry about. My son loved that plain yogurt with cheerios mixed in. Now I add some brown sugar for a special treat. Usually in a big bowl, I add less than a teaspoon and it feels like a treat to him. My sister always added honey to her daughter's yogurt. Make sure to stir in the sugar or your child will probably get in the habit of only eating the sugar OUT of the yogurt! At least that is what ours did.

My non milk drinking daughter always ate the sweetened Yo Baby. I don't think it caused her any harm. SHe is underweight, so I was always looking for calories wherever I could find them. She is 8 now and doesn't have any cavities so far.

Good luck.

My daughter doesn't like to be fed yogurt, so we make her smoothies out of Whole Milk organic vanilla yogurt with a banana and some frozen fruit. We put it in a sippy cup and that works as a good as yogurt for us. You could try that, this way you can whip up different flavors.

If she will drink YoBaby yogurt drinks, you can make your own with FAR less sugar by mixing a yobaby yogurt with some milk to the desired consistency and shaking it up! This is what I do for my son. It's cheaper and has far less sugar.

Good luck!

Yo Baby makes a plain yogurt. Its called "Babys First Yogurt" or something and its just plain whole milk yogurt in the little containers. Or you could just buy the big containers of Stonyfield plain whole milk yogurt.
Compared to most single serving yogurts out there, though, the Yo Baby doesn't actually have tons of sugar (12grams in the 4oz cup, half of which is naturally occurring milk sugar), and the sugar it does have is "better" (naturally milled organic sugar vs. high fructose corn syrup) than what is in most commercially sold yogurts. I buy Yo Baby vanilla and banana 6 packs for my son and feed it to him daily in good conscience.