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The Best Organic Baby Foods of 2022
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends starting solid foods at around 6 months of age.
A baby's first food will be a relatively bland porridge, such as oatmeal or rice cereal. They will then slowly transition to pureed and mashed fruits and vegetables, with increasing complexity in taste and texture.
According to the AAP, here are some clues to help you know when your baby is ready to start solid foods:
✔️ Sits with minimal support.
✔️ Has good head and neck control.
✔️ Has doubled their birth weight.
✔️ Weighs at least 13 pounds.
✔️ Turns head away when full.
✔️ Puts things in mouth.
✔️ Is interested in your food.
These are rough rules of thumb that will not necessarily apply to all babies, so always check with your child's pediatrician first. For example, a premature baby may double their birth weight long before 6 months, and may not show any interest in your food at that point!
In this article we review Oatmeal and Rice Cereals, and then Fruit and Vegetable Purees. Of course, you can complement these ready-made baby foods with homemade options by preparing your favorite fruits and veggies in a baby food maker.
- Table of Contents [show/hide]
- Best Organic Baby Cereals
- 1. Best Cereal: Happy Baby Organic
- 2. Earth's Best Organic
- 3. Gerber Organic Oatmeal
- 4. Holle Organic Oatmeal Cereal
- 5. WutsupBaby Organic Quinoa
- Best Organic Baby Food Purees
- 1. Best Puree: Once Upon a Farm
- 2. Serenity Baby Foods
- 3. Brainiac Apple Purees
- 4. Mama Bear Organic
- 5. Earth's Best
- 6. Happy Baby
- 7. Amara Organic
- 8. Peter Rabbit Organics
- 9. Gerber Organic Baby Food
- 10. Plum Organics
- 11. Sprout Organic
- Conclusions
Full disclosure: Some of these baby foods, including the Brainiac, Holle, Once Upon a Farm, Happy Baby, Amara, and Plum options, were sent to us as free test samples by the manufacturer.
To find the best rice and oatmeal cereals of the year, we've tested 26 different brands.
We checked for certifications from USDA Organic, the Clean Label Project, and Oregon Tilth.
We checked the cereal's consistency, ease of feeding, and taste. With the babies, we tested acceptance and how it affected their gastrointestinal system: reflux, spit-up, diarrhea, and constipation.
Overall, we found some excellent options that are not only certified organic but also accepted by infants and well-tolerated by their guts!
The Best Baby Food: Cereals and Porridges1. Happy Baby: The Best Organic Baby Cereal.The Clean Label Project conducted a comprehensive study to quantify levels of industrial and environmental contaminants in baby cereals and purees. Happy Baby passed their tests with flying colors, showing some of the lowest levels of potentially harmful contaminants out of the 30 different baby cereals tested. The Happy Baby oatmeal and oats and quinoa cereals are USDA certified and CCOF certified, and Happy Baby itself is a Certified B Corporation that balances purposes and profit.
This oatmeal cereal consists of milled organic whole grain oats, vitamin C (5mg/serving), and iron (5mg/serving). The oats add some protein (2g/serving), fiber (1g/serving), calcium (7mg/serving), and potassium (40mg/serving). There is no sodium or cholesterol, and only 1g of sugar per serving.
All of that looks great in terms of nutritional composition; in case you were wondering, research shows that iron-supplemented foods do not cause or worsen constipation in babies. In our testing, the cereal mixed very easily with breastmilk or water, and developed a silky smooth consistency that is perfect as a first food. No issues with acceptance or tolerance, which was nice, and two of our test parents ended up switching to Happy Baby. That's one of the best signs we can see in our tests! Coming in at only about 50 cents per ounce, this organic baby cereal is a fantastic deal, and we like the BPA-free resealable pouch. A bonus is that the company partners with great organizations like Autism Speaks, Allergy Kids Foundation, and Feeding America.
Who else loves Happy Baby cereals? Our friends at Babylist and WhatToExpect call it a top pick! Interested? Check out the Happy Baby Organic Baby Cereal here.
Earth's Best baby cereals come in several varieties including Oatmeal, Brown Rice (what they call "whole grain rice"), Oatmeal with Banana, and Whole Grain. The Oatmeal variety says it may contain traces of wheat/gluten, but the Brown Rice version is gluten-free. The great thing about Earth's Best is that they genuinely take a lot of pride in the foods they produce. They're a smaller company (owned by the Hain Celestial Group) that takes genetically modified ingredients very seriously (check out their mission at Earth's Best). Other than the oatmeal and bananas variety, we found the Earth's Best options a bit blander to the taste than others on this list. It could be because they contain 0 grams of sugar, but our test babies definitely didn't seem to mind once it was mixed with breastmilk!
The Earth's Best oatmeal has a very simple set of ingredients: the main ingredient (whole grain oats or rice) and a bunch of vitamins/minerals, including iron.
Like most other baby cereals, each serving contains 5mg iron content, and 1 gram of fat. Nice and simple, which we like. Our test babies liked it too, and tolerated it very well, without any signs of gastrointestinal distress. Interested? Check out the Earth's Best Organic Baby Cereal here. Note that the Clean Label Project found very high levels of contaminants in the Earth's Best *rice* cereal, which we do not recommend.
The Gerber organic baby cereals come in Oatmeal, Brown Rice, and Oatmeal with Peach and Apple flavors. You'll want to start with the Oatmeal, and then move on to the Oatmeal with Peach and Apple flavor. We found the oatmeal to be the perfect consistency for a first food. It also wasn't quite as sweet tasting as the brown rice, and the oatmeal with peach and apple was the sweetest tasting of the three. We mixed it with breast milk and the babies seemed to like it quite a bit! All varieties have just about the same nutritional composition, with 5mg iron content per serving, 2 grams of sugar, and under 1 gram of fat.
Note that the Oatmeal versions are not gluten-free, but the brown rice version is. Gerber oatmeals contain a pretty simple set of ingredients: oatmeal, two organic sources of choline to support brain and eye development (soy lecithin and choline bitartrate), and vitamins and minerals. We personally don't appreciate the addition of soy lecithin. We also want to point out that while we recommend the Gerber organic oatmeal variety, we do not recommend their rice cereal based on the Clean Label Project findings. Overall, a great first oatmeal that we have found to be well-accepted when mixed with breastmilk or formula, and very well-tolerated by infants. Interested? Check out the Gerber Organic Baby Cereal here.
If you don't know about Holle, you're missing out! Very popular in Europe, Holle is a Swiss company that conforms to the relatively strict European organic and Demeter farming regulations, making some of the best organic baby formulas and foods on the European market.
Parents rave about their products, and for good reason - they are uncompromising in their ingredient sourcing and quality control. Thanks to companies like Formuland that import European baby formulas and foods to the USA, you can get this porridge delivered to your doorstep within a couple days. The Holle oatmeal cereal contains only two ingredients: organic whole grain oats, and vitamin B1 (thiamine). For parents who are certain their baby is getting sufficient iron from other sources, this is the most basic oatmeal cereal you will find (unless you grind it yourself!). We fed Holle oatmeal cereal to our children from about 5 months onward, and all of them accepted it (mixed with breastmilk) and showed very high tolerance. It's as simple as you can get, so this isn't surprising. It is bland and tasteless? Yes! Will your baby love it when mixed with breastmilk or their familiar formula? The odds are in your favor! Expensive? Yes, this baby cereal is about $1.50 per ounce, but for parents seeking an excellent option, we highly recommend it.
Interested? Check out the Happy Baby Organic Baby Cereal here.
Many parents have become so concerned about herbicide, pesticide, and heavy metal run-off into farms that they are turning away from oatmeal and rice cereals. This is at least partly due to a report showing high levels of glyphosate in nearly all tested oatmeals, with organic varieties not necessarily being any better than non-organic. Not to mention the high levels of arsenic that have been found in rice cereals. What about quinoa? In comparison to oatmeal, quinoa provides higher protein and more comprehensive amino acid composition, similar fiber levels, less fat, and less iron. This quinoa first cereal is not fortified with any vitamins or minerals, so the iron content is very low. In fact, the only ingredient here is organic quinoa, making it the simplest baby cereal on our list. But quinoa offers a lot of nutritional value on its own, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 content, protein, and prebiotic fiber.
What doesn't it have? It's non-GMO like all organic products, contains no preservatives (not even ascorbic acid), or anything artificial, and it is allergen free: no milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, gluten, or soy. Taste test? Super bland! Just about as bland as you can imagine with a baby cereal. On the one hand, we think this is a testament to just how simple this baby cereal actually is, but on the other hand we think it's best to mix with a bit of breast milk and/or fruit puree to get a little flavor out of it. The primary negative with this cereal is that quinoa is a relatively complex first food in terms of texture and consistency. You will likely need to dilute it quite a bit to make it acceptable and easily digestible. WutsupBaby also makes several flavored varieties of this organic baby cereal, including Apple and Banana, Beet, Carrot, and Kale and Sweet Potato. Our favorites are the Apple and Banana, and Carrot. Both of those offer a bit of all-natural and organic flavor that we think your baby will love! Coming in at around $3 per ounce, this is one of the most expensive baby cereals you can buy! Interested? Check out the WutsupBaby Organic Baby Cereal here.
Once you move on from breastfeeding or infant formulas and conquer infant cereal eating, you'll be ready to introduce some baby food purees!
To find the best baby foods of the year, we purchased 14 different brands of fruit and vegetable purees, with at least 3 varieties per brand, and put them to the test.
We read the labels, checked organic certifications, read the HBBF and congressional reports, and checked the Clean Label Project for any test results. Yes, we tasted them ourselves (don't judge us!), and fed them to three babies ranging in age from 6 to 10 months.
Judging by their facial expressions, fits of rage, requests for more, and gastrointestinal responses, we narrowed it down to just a small handful of varieties that we thought tasted the best and were most accepted and tolerated.
The Best Baby Food: Purees and Blends1. Once Upon a Farm Baby Foods: Safe and Delicious.This is a new addition for this year and we were lucky enough to get our hands on several varieties of flavors and textures.
This is different from the others on this list, as it requires refrigeration to stay fresh. This is for a few reasons. First, Once Upon a Farm doesn't use any preservatives in their formulation, not even citric acid or any other natural additive. Second, while the others on this list use high heat to pasteurize their purees, Once Upon a Farm uses the Cold Pressure process. Cold Pressure has similar effectiveness for ensuring food safety, but also allows foods to sustain more nutrients and flavor. The upside is that these very well might be the best-tasting, and freshest tasting baby food pouches on the market. The downside is that the pouches require refrigeration. The Once Upon a Farm purees come in a ton of varieties, increasing in the complexity of ingredients and textures. They start simple and smooth for 5+ month babies, for example the Fairest of Pears and Magic Velvet Mango are delicious and simple. They then get a bit more complex in ingredients as you increase in age, for instance going up to 9 months to the Strawberry Patch option which has amazing taste, but also a more complex texture with the inclusion of small bits of shredded coconut and chia seed.
Going even older, they make some truly delicious options for toddlers 18+ months, such as the amazing Chocolate Ever After, which is basically a dessert puree of banana, raspberries, and cacao. There is a lot to love about this company as well. Fruits and veggies are sourced from California and Washington state, ingredients are organic, kosher, gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO (like all organic products). The puree pouches (the packaging) are also recyclable and BPA free. A lot of great things here, and the flavor and quality to back it all up! All of our test babies and toddlers absolutely loved the Once Upon a Farm purees. Yes, they had different preferences, and some were turned off by the more complex textures, but overall they accepted them in very age-appropriate ways. And we're going to be honest, we loved the Chocolate Ever After ourselves! Other than a slighly higher price than most others, the only other drawback is that the pouches need to be refrigerated. We did transport pouches for a few hours in our testing (in 60 deg weather and without an ice pack) and then feed them, which seemed fine.
Any longer than that, and you'll need to keep them in the fridge or bring along an ice pack in your bag. Who else loves the Once Upon a Farm purees? The Clean Label Project gives them their prestigious Purity Award, and they are also recommended by our friends at Babylist. Impressed? Check out the Once Upon a Farm Baby Foods here.
This is new to the organic baby food market and parents are absolutely loving it! Made right here in the USA (Austin, TX) by a family-owned business and certified organic by Oregon Tilth, this is the only Paleo baby food option on our list. That means you can be confident that it doesn't contain any wheat or grains, processed sugars, dairy, or other processed ingredients. It is also free of gluten, nuts, eggs, and any fillers. Instead, it uses a simple set of organic ingredients, with a touch of organic olive or avocado oil to provide some of the fatty acids present in breast milk.
We tried out several awesome 6+ month varieties, highly suitable for developing a sophisticated baby palate! First, their organic squashes (squash, butternut, and pumpkin), organic butternut & spinach (with avocado oil), and organic roots (sweet potato, carrot, beet). All of these early baby foods were delicious and had a high (5 grams) fat content that you want in a baby puree. For the carnivores, we also tried out the wild-caught salmon (squash, salmon, beets), the uncured bacon (squash, kale, and nitrate/nitrite free pork bacon), the free-range chicken (peas, carrot, chicken), and the grass-fed beef (sweet potato, beef, kale). Most of these were delicious and had excellent fat (5-7 grams) and protein (4-5 grams) content. When we tasted everything ourselves, we thought the veggie purees were very good, and our favorite was the organic squashes; we felt good about giving our baby a nice variety of textures, colors, and flavors. The meat-based baby food purees were a slightly different story.
The chicken was pretty good, and the beef was decent, but we thought the salmon and bacon left something to be desired in the taste department. Of course, that's subjective and you should definitely give them a shot! Most varieties contain very low sugar, which is great, but some contain relatively high sodium levels, which is not ideal. For example, the bacon flavor has 110mg of sodium. Outside of that small criticism, we think this is a great addition to the baby food market and worthy of this position on our list! Note that you need to refrigerate these pouches after opening, and they should never be placed in the microwave (like all baby food pouches). Who else loves the Serenity purees? The Clean Label Project awarded them with the prestigious Purity Award for having some of the lowest levels of industrial or environmental contaminants! Impressed? Check out the Serenity Kids Baby Foods here.
Brainiac sent us samples of their new applesauce blends for testing late last year (thanks, Brainiac!), and we loved the taste, texture, ingredients, and nutritional content.
Unlike other purees on this list, Braniac adds Omega-3 in DHA and EPA forms, as well as Choline, all of which are associated with healthy brain development and function. These Brainiac applesauce blends take the fatty acid nutrition found in your favorite baby formula (or breast milk) and put it in the puree in the form of fish oil and choline chloride. In fact, each pouch contains about the same amount of brain-boosting Omega-3s as a kid's serving of salmon (about 130mg DHA, 30mg EPA), and as much Choline as 2 cups of broccoli! The purees also contain some vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. Brainiac purees come in three flavors: apple apple, apple strawberry, and apple cinnamon. Note that these are the only non-organic option on our list, but they are non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, kosher, and free of added sugars and artificial flavors and colors. The pouches are 90g and do not require refrigeration, owing to the inclusion of Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid, which is a natural preservative.
The ingredient and nutritional profiles are excellent, and we were excited to give it a shot!
In our testing, we tried out all three flavors. We tested on ourselves, one toddler (10 months) and one preschooler (3 years). We all loved apple apple and apple cinnamon versions, both of which had a great smooth texture and excellent flavor. Neither child really loved the apple strawberry, but it's important to note that neither really likes strawberry flavor in the first place! The grown-ups throught it tasted perfectly fine, if not a little sweet for our liking. Within about 10 minutes all of the samples were completely gone, and both kids went back for seconds and were interested in trying more! For a first puree, the apple apple is a good choice and the texture is perfect, followed by the blends once they get a bit more adventurous. Some other small points worth nothing are that the packaging is BPA-free, and the pricing is reasonable at about $1.20 each. Brainiac also makes some great energy bars and nut butters, so be sure to check those out.
Overall, we really enjoyed trying out this new brand, and we think it's a great way to sneak some nutritional value into a delicious puree that babies, toddlers, and preschoolers alike are sure to enjoy! Who else loves it? Our friends at Good Housekeeping gave it their Parenting Award! Interested? Check out the Brainiac Baby Purees here.
Available through Amazon and at Whole Foods, this is an excellent option for parents looking for that perfect combination of delicious, nutritious, certified organic, kosher, and non-GMO baby food that is sold at a super reasonable price of around $1.15 per pouch. Like the Plum Organics option, these 4-ounce pouches do not need to be refrigerated and come in several delicious varieties of fruit and veggies. There are stage 1 and stage 2 options, for babies over 4 months and 6 months, respectively. Basically, the distinction is whether your baby can sit with minimal support (stage 1), or sit unsupported (stage 2), but see our basic guide below if you're wondering if your baby is ready to transition to various stages of baby food.
Mama Bear baby food is certified organic by OEFFA, certified Kosher by Orthodox Union, and made right here in the USA. They do not use any added sugars, added salt, or artificial preservatives (this one uses ascorbic acid/vitamin C and organic lemon juice to preserve color and flavor). Also, we called Mama Bear - Amazon Private Brands at (877)485-0385, and after a two-week inquiry process they confirmed that the pouches themselves are BPA-free. There's a lot to love here, but how does it taste!? We tested 5 different flavors: Pear (stage 1), Apple (stage 1), Apple Banana (stage 2), Apple Banana Yogurt Strawberry (stage 2), and Apple Pear Spinach (stage 2). We were really surprised by the fresh taste, the consistency of the purees, and the fact that you can actually taste all of the ingredients - even the spinach! Our favorites were the Apple Banana and the Apple Pear Spinach, and the Apple Banana Yogurt Strawberry was a close runner-up. The stage 1 Pear and Apple varieties were exactly as expected - simple and straight-forward in their taste, and very smooth in texture.
Just what you want from a stage 1 baby food. The pouches themselves were simple to open and reseal (refrigerate after opening), and while the pouch isn't recyclable, the cap is (so that's a good start). The only issue we ran into was that one of our boxes had an expiration date that was only 2 weeks away, which we felt was cutting it a bit too close for comfort. Outside of that, we think this is an awesome new baby food that is worthy of this spot on our list, and definitely worth considering for your baby! Who else loves it? Our friends at Babylist also chose Mama Bear organic baby foods as a top pick! Interested? Check out the Mama Bear Organic Baby Food here.
Earth's Best has put together an awesome lineup of organic baby foods spanning stages 1, 2, and 3. They have a vast range of fruits and vegetables to suit even a very picky baby, with Stage 1 options like sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, apples, bananas, and prunes.
Stage 2 options are even more diverse, including even some exotic fruits and vegetables, fruit and veggie blends, and fruit and grain blends. Finally, at Stage 3 they introduce several new chunky blends of fruits, vegetables, and even some soups. Everything we tasted was quite good, and we were impressed by the consistent quality across the varieties. The older baby really loved the chunky vegetable beef pilaf, and even the adults thought it was a reasonable take on something they all thought would taste disgusting! In stage 2, we really loved the Apple, Peach and Oatmeal flavor, These Earth's Best products are all organic, so that means no additives, no preservatives, and even no added salt or sugar. These are some of the best on the market and we have been consistently impressed with the quality and taste. Nothing fancy, and the new BPA-free pouch containers are a little easier to deal with than the glass jars and lids, though you can still find that type of container on Amazon Fresh.
Highly recommended organic baby food from one of the few baby food brands that have been doing this for a while (since 1985!) and doing it well! Interested? Check out the Earth's Best Baby Food here.
This is just about tied with the Earth's Best for the best baby food of the year. The biggest difference we found between the Earth's Best and Happy Baby is that the Happy Baby comes in some more unique varieties that tend to appeal to some adults, like mangos as a Stage 1 fruit. They also tend to focus more on fruits than vegetables and come in a nice flexible pouch that more readily slips into a diaper bag than a fragile jar. But as a negative we found that some of the Happy Baby varieties were a bit more watery than the Earth's Best, especially the mangos and pears. In some cases, this made it more difficult to keep on the spoon and get into the baby's mouth. Our 3-year-old has taken to drinking the remaining mango pouches with a straw if that gives you some indication! Other than that, we believe the Happy Baby line of baby foods is a great addition to the market, and we highly recommend them for their quality ingredients, rigid manufacturing practices, and great flavors.
Note that while some parents have expressed concern that the packaging might contain BPA, rest assured it does not: we contacted the company and they let us know that the packaging is 100% BPA free. It's one of the best on the market right now, so we suggest giving it a shot! Interested? Check out the Happy Baby Organic Baby Food here.
This is a completely new addition to our list as of a few months ago, and we're really excited about this new option. These baby foods come as a dry powder, which is a great option for parents who want flexibility in selecting whether to add breast milk, formula, water, or any other liquid ingredient of their choice. It's a fantastic way of increasing acceptance of the food by adding a familiar ingredient, and also a great way to ensure baby is getting the nutrients you want at mealtime. To be honest, we were a little put off by the dry powder at first, but were surprised at how truly amazing it was! We tried 3 different varieties, including Oats & Berries, Tropical Mango, and Apple-Maqui Berry.
Just like with baby cereal, you take a measured amount of the powder and mix in the liquid of your choice. The resulting texture is surprisingly similar to the traditional jarred baby foods, and the taste is truly excellent. We were really impressed by the fact that each variety only includes raw ingredients, without any fillers (like water) or additives (like lemon juice as a preservative). For instance, the Oats & Berries version only includes organic oats, apple, banana, and blueberries. Because it's a dry powder, no preservatives are required to maintain freshness; however, we are a bit concerned about the loss of nutritional attributes from the dehydration process. A great way to introduce first fruits and veggies, the varieties are available in stages starting at 6+ months, and going up to 8+ months, slowly introducing more complex flavors. Each pouch makes a good-sized bowl of baby food, though it does end up quite a bit more expensive than jarred baby food. The Amara pouches average about $2.
50 per large serving, and the jars are usually around $1.00 per serving. But for a great-tasting, organic, non-GMO, baby food without additives or preservatives, and allowing you to mix with your preferred liquid... maybe worth the cost! Interested? Check out the Amara Baby Foods here.
The Peter Rabbit line of baby foods is a newcomer to the baby food market and is making a huge splash! They feature some delicious varieties, like strawberry banana, and carrot, squash, and apple puree. The adults raved about how delicious they were, and the babies really enjoyed them as well. One of the babies couldn't get enough of the strawberry and banana puree! My personal favorite was the raspberry, banana, and blueberry organic puree, which I ended up putting in the freezer for 10 minutes to make it taste like a smoothie! Made in Oregon, these are certified organic by Oregon Tilth, and are never diluted and never contain any added salt or sugar.
The packaging is also BPA free, which is comforting given the stories about some other squeeze packages. The only negative is that they do not have staged varieties, so these are best positioned as a Stage 2 option, after your baby has tried a few simpler single-ingredient purees. We didn't have any issues with watery purees, and thought the flavors were true to life. And you can't deny that the packaging is pretty darn cute, which counts for at least a few points! Overall, we believe this is a fantastic option for babies that are ready to move along to Stage 2 eating.
Organic baby food is getting so popular that even the big brands like Gerber are starting to produce organic offerings, driving down prices but also pushing out some of the smaller brands in the process. Gerber is well-known for making reliably high-quality baby foods at fair prices, and their new line of organic purees is no exception! Gerber makes these organic purees available in both 1st and 2nd food varieties, with the first foods being jarred and the second foods being in squeeze pouches (pictured).
For our testing, we purchased a combo pack of 18 pouches with three flavors: apple, blueberry & spinach, carrot, apple & mango, and pear, peach & strawberry. They were packaged in three separate boxes, one for each flavor. The ingredients were simple: just fruits and vitamin C. No added sugars, thickeners, salts, or anything else. The vitamin C is used as a preservative, which is very common for baby purees that don't need refrigeration. The purees are certified organic by Oregon Tilth, are USDA Certified Organic, and are Non-GMO Project verified. And the pouches are BPA-free, which is awesome to see explicitly mentioned. The screw caps were super easy to remove, and we appreciated the smart flow spouts that don't allow too much to be squirted out too quickly, helping to avoid messes on spoons or in mouths. Taste? Delicious. The pear, peach and strawberry was our favorite, followed by the apple, blueberry and spinach. They also make one with avocado for the more adventurous, but we haven't tried that flavor yet.
Gerber deals directly with the farms, harvests at the peak of ripeness, and uses sustainable agriculture practices for their organic products. Cons? Not much! The smart flow spouts are a bit too slow for most toddlers, and the carrot/apple/mango flavor left something to be desired. Overall, a great new addition to our list! Interested? Check out the Gerber Organic Baby Purees here.
This certified organic line of baby foods is making a splash, with delicious flavor options, smooth textures, and responsible & sustainable ingredient sourcing and manufacturing processes. We got our hands on two of their most popular flavors: Pear, Purple Carrot, & Blueberry, and the delicious Banana Pumpkin. Both baby food flavors were excellent, so we went back for more and tried out the Apple & Carrot, and Pear & Mango flavors. We were not disappointed! They all tasted very fresh and high quality, and our baby testers all loved them, especially the Banana Pumpkin and the Apple & Carrot options! The Plum Organics baby foods are certified organic, non-GMO like all organic products, and they use whole and simple organic fruit and vegetable ingredients as much as possible.
There are no added salts or sugars, and there are of course no harmful preservatives, additives, or artificial colors or flavors. The packaging is non-BPA and uses a child-proof and recyclable cap. Though we only are writing here about the Stage 2 blend varieties, Plum Organics also makes an excellent line of first foods, such as the Stage 1 JUST Veggies and JUST Fruits, which are highly recommended for babies just starting to try pureed foods. One of the concerns moms have asked about in the past is: without any artificial preservatives, how does the food stay fresh!? You will notice that most of our organic baby food options contain lemon juice, vitamin C, and/or citric acid, these ingredients add nutrition and taste while also serving as a mild preservative to prevent spoiling (and not requiring refrigeration). Cons? A recent Congressional report revealed that Plum Organics baby foods are among the biggest offenders for heavy metal contents. That's not to say that some others on this list aren't as bad, but of the ones they tested, Plum Organics came out among the worst of the pack.
These Stage 2 Plum Organics baby foods come in 4-ounce pouches. A large variety pack of 12 pouches with varieties of flavors usually comes in at around $13, which means they are just about $1.10 each. Overall, we really like the Plum Organics options, but do not like the recent reports of high heavy metal content. Who else likes Plum Organics? Our friends at Babylist and WhatToExpect also call these a top pick! Interested? Check out the Plum Organics Baby Food here.
This is another line of delicious certified organic baby food, also coming in pouches that do not need to refrigerated, just like the Plum Organics option above. Sprout uses only whole food ingredients, which means that there are no food-based derivatives or concentrated ingredients. They are also certified organic by QAI, and use no preservatives. The pouches are also BPA-free and the twist-off plastic cap is recyclable (the pouch is not). We got our hands on 10 different flavors, ranging from Stage 1 to Toddler (12+ months), and we were pleasantly surprised by how delicious and smooth these baby purees were.
Our tester babies and toddlers kept coming back for certain favorites: the Stage 1 Sweet Potatoes, the Toddler Stage Banana, Buckwheat, and Blackberry (which was really delicious!), and the Stage 3 Pumpkin, Apple, Red Lentil, and Cinnamon. We were really impressed by how fresh and high quality these baby food purees tasted, which in most cases were better than the fresh ones we make at home! One of the things we also loved about this baby food option is that the pouches do not need to be refrigerated, but also don't contain the usual preservatives that others contain, such as lemon juice, vitamin C, and/or citric acid. Just the whole ingredients, nothing added. And most of the ones we tested had expiration dates at least 6-10 months out. Once opened, however, you need to keep the pouch refrigerated and eat within 24 hours, since there are no preservatives in there to keep things fresh after being opened. Like all pouches, never try to heat or microwave; first, empty the pouch into a microwave-safe bowl and then go for it.
Overall, these are truly excellent and definitely one of this year's best options! Cons? A recent Congressional report revealed that Sprout Organic baby foods are among the biggest offenders for heavy metal contents. That's not to say that some others on this list aren't as bad, but of the ones they tested, Sprout came out among the worst of the pack. The only other downfall relative to other options is that they are a bit more expensive, coming in at just over $1.25 per pouch. We also want to point out that Sprout has an awesome and diverse line of baby snacks, such as the delicious Curlz, Quinoa Puffs, and Crispy Chews. Interested? Check out the Sprout Organic Baby Food here.
Note that Pure Spoon baby foods were new to the market back in 2016-2017, but were recently discontinued. At this point, remaining supplies of this excellent baby food are sold out, so we've removed it from our list entirely.
Check out our quick guide on how to start solid foods, which gives an overview of the cues to help you figure out if your baby is ready to try solid foods.
If you're ever uncertain, always consult your pediatrician before starting, and make sure you have one of the best high chairs to achieve a good feeding posture and support!
Baby Cereals are usually the first recommended solid food for babies 4 to 6 months of age. This is for a few reasons. First, it gets your baby used to a unique food texture in the mouth without any new strong flavors and gets them used to coordinating and swallowing something thicker than milk. Second, around 6 months of age your baby's iron needs usually exceed what is available in breast milk or infant formulas, so iron-fortified baby cereal is a great way to supplement.
And no, research shows that iron-fortified baby cereals do not cause or exacerbate constipation.
Third, cereal is unique because you mix it with breast milk or baby formula to make it a more familiar flavor for your baby and reduce the likelihood that your baby outright rejects it - this is especially important if you're dealing with a picky eater.
Speaking of picky eaters, be sure to check out our reviews of the best organic baby formulas.
Fruit and Veggie Purees are the next step after your baby has graduated from baby cereal, usually around 6 to 8 months of age. Experimenting with fruit and veggie purees can be a real adventure! Don't be surprised if your baby spits out everything the first time, or even the second and third time you try it! Sometimes it can take 5-10 times for your baby to get used to a new flavor or texture, and this process is a really great developmental learning experience for your baby. So, don't give up on them! Our advice is to start by slowly mixing some relatively bland fruit and veggie purees into the baby cereal. Maybe some banana puree mixed into the baby cereal and breastmilk (or formula), or some prune puree mixed in to keep things going in the diaper region when the cereal starts to stop things up!
When finding the perfect baby food puree, one of the most important criteria that we realized is when the fruit or vegetable puree tasted more like the real thing to the adults, the babies also tended to like it more.
When it was too tart they tended to shy away, as they did also when it had generally stronger unfamiliar flavors. We also restricted our search to eating organically, so you don't need to worry about herbicide or pesticide residues, or any questionable ingredients. We care a lot about our little ones and want to make sure that at least the first year of life is kept as safe as possible by eating real food made with carefully selected and sourced ingredients. If you're interested in making your own baby food purees, check out our reviews of the best baby food makers.
Note that unlike infant cereal, baby foods typically are labeled with stages. Stage 1 is where you'll start immediately after baby cereal (usually from 6 to 7 months), with only a single ingredient (like peas, sweet potatoes, prunes, or bananas). Stage 2 is where you start to introduce some new textures and two or more ingredients (like apples and cinnamon, or strawberry banana), usually from about 7 to 9 months old. Finally, stage 3 is when you get multiple combined ingredients and also some soft chunks of fruits or vegetables, usually around 9 to 11 months old.
You are about to embark on an amazing journey that can be both fun and nutritious, and we wish you many happy and healthy feedings to come!
Canada, Saturated Fat, Sugar, and Salt Warning Label
20.7.22 New Nutrition Information Rules Introduced Health Canada , front label warnings foods high in saturated fat, sugar and/or salt (sodium).
Il Warning It is displayed with a magnifying glass symbol to draw consumers' attention to the characteristics of foods. And thus help the people of Canada to realize ' more informed food choices" . (1)
1) Front label nutrition information for synthetic products (FOPNL). Scenario
Nutrition labeling on the front of the label as we have seen (2) has been the subject of specific WHO recommendations ( World Health Organization ). In the face of Global Syndemic - an epidemic of severe and non-communicable diseases ( Non-communicable disease , NCD), associated with obesity and overweight, unbalanced nutrition and malnutrition, from which the entire planet suffers.
Seriously affects the duration and quality of life also in Europe and Italy (3,4).
2) FOPNL, the most popular systems
The need to reduce different approaches around the world. Some examples:
- NutriScore . Civil society fights against Lobby di Big food to get the commitment to place this FOPNL system - one of the most effective according to science (5,6) - on the label of most food products in the EU,
– healthy logo . La The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US is working to revise the FOPNL labeling system to better distinguish nutrient-balanced foods (7).
- Mexico, Chile, Peru and Uruguay they introduced high visual impact warning labels white on black to distinguish junk food at a glance. (8)
2)
Health Canada , nutrition policy Canada , like many other countries, is experiencing an endemic and growing prevalence of Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) associated with unbalanced diets.
Health Canada has therefore strengthened its nutrition policy on both fronts:
- to promote nutrition education already offered through the beneficial program Food Guide ,
- Implement a FOPNL system based on the successful experience of Latin America. Referring to the example of Chile, where label warnings had a significant impact on food intake and reformulation towards healthy lifestyles (-37% sodium and -27% sugar).
2.1) Products with label warnings
Health Canada requires the insertion of a warning symbol for prepackaged foods subject to a nutrition declaration that have levels of saturated fat, sugar and/or sodium (salt) listed in ' reference quantity ' - or that part, whichever is greater - exceed certain percentages of the daily intake ( Daily Value ):
- 15% saturated fat, sugar or sodium in most prepackaged foods,
- 10% in foodstuffs packaged in small quantities (≤ 30 g/ml.
snack sweet and tasty) 1 to 4. For example, ready meals, pizza). (9)
' reference amount " is the average amount of food that a person eats at one time. Serving size is the amount of food used to calculate nutritional table numbers and is based on the reference amount.
3) FOL in Canada Exceptions
Canadian nutritional warning symbol primarily targets processed packaged foods and ultra-processed foods Health Canada therefore three categories of exemptions are introduced:
3.1) Health exemptions
Certain products are exempt from warning label warnings (FOPNL) due to their recognized benefits to protect the health of the general population or vulnerable populations:
- whole or chopped vegetables and fruits, fresh, frozen, canned or dried. Whole and semi-skimmed milk (2% fat), eggs,
- foods with a healthy fat profile (e.g. vegetable oils, nuts, oily fish) e
their combinations.
Without prejudice to the hypothesis of preparations with ingredients containing saturated fats, sugars and/or sodium,
are foods that are important sources of ' inadequate amounts of nutrients ' that are not found in other foods and are lacking in most Canadians . For example, many cheeses and yogurts are exempt from mandatory warnings for saturated fats and naturally occurring sugars (such as lactose, even without added sugars). Other cheeses are exempt from the sodium symbol if they contain a certain amount. Exemptions are subject to reassessment after 10 years,
- foods designed to meet the needs of specific populations, eg. nutrition for athletes, individual rations for servicemen.
3.2) Technical exemptions
Other products are exempt because they are not subject to a nutrition declaration. For example:
- whole meats, raw poultry and fish (even minced with one ingredient),
- products sold at farmers' markets,
- food is delivered to food service in very small packages (for example, bread bags and crackers , creams for one portion and chocolates for coffee).
3.3) "Practical" exemptions
The third series of exemptions covers ingredients for home cooking, which the NOVA system places in the second of the four categories (10) used to distinguish foods:
- sugar, honey, maple syrup ,
- table and flavored salt,
- butter and other fats and oils.
Preliminary findings
Food industry until 1.1.2026 adapts its labels for sale in Canada. And so reformulate foods to reduce the impact on sales - and on public health - of the warnings that might otherwise appear on the labels of most of the packaged foods that Canadians eat today. by 60%.
Dario Dongo
Attention
(1) Health Canada. Nutrition label on the front of the package , 6/30/22, 2) Dario Dongo. Codex Alimentarius, NutriScore and WHO guidelines . GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). 9/21/21,
(3) Sabrina Bergamini, Dario Dongo.
Obesity, childhood obesity and marketing. WHO Europe Report 2022. GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). 6/16/22,
(4) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Ultra-processed foods, disease and premature mortality. I am studying in Italy . GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). 12/11/21,
(5) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. How to solve the power problem? News on the label front, review and outlook for . GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). 12/29/20,
(6) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. NutriScore, consumer health prevails over agribusiness lobbies. Petition and findings. GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). May 18, 22,
(7) Dario Dongo. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working on a healthy lifestyle logo to be featured on the front of labels. . GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). May 21, 22,
(8) Dario Dongo.
Mexico, thanks to nutritional warnings on the front of the label. . GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). 2/10/20,
(9) Health Canada. Nutrition label on the front of the package0007 (10) Dario Dongo. NOVA classification, natural and ultra-processed products. Friends and Enemies of Health . GIFT ( Excellent Italian food trade ). 16.9.20 Dario Dongo
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Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Welcome to Canada, what's next? What to do in your first month in Canada
Welcome to Canada! After these words at the airport of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, or wherever fate brought you, the fairy tale ends, as they say, and the true story begins.
I hope you like quests, because in front of you lies a real Escape room on the contrary - in fact, instead of leaving the room, we will set the task for us to enter it, or rather, to rent a house in Canada.
The problem here is that in fact for this you need to complete several tasks and at each stage you will need the results of one or more of the previous ones and some of them can only be completed in a certain sequence.
What are these stages, you ask? The most, at first glance, trivial. Today you will learn how to get a tax number and health insurance, how to get a mobile number and open a bank account, how to get financial assistance from the state (for CUAET) why you need to do all this to be able to rent an apartment and why you still can’t to do this, what is a credit history and how does it work. And finally, we will touch a little on the topic of why you will lose your driver's license.
Official manual from the Government of Canada.
What exactly is the problem?
Let's go backwards - let's say: you are among those 100 thousand people who carefully read my post about the CUAET program (I will refer to it repeatedly) and have already figured out that for the first few weeks you will need to live in an AirBnB or a hotel or , God forbid, with friends or relatives (“God forbid” because in this case you have greenhouse conditions and do anything at all, as it were, not in a hurry, but this is unnecessarily relaxing).
In general, we will assume that the euphoria from the new country began to slowly pass, or maybe it never came, you roughly orientated yourself with the areas of your city and decided where you would like to settle, look for work along the way, maybe even try to talk to people in English (and you find that among those around you, it is not at all as bad or not as good as you thought), leafing through advertisements for long-term rental housing, going to see a tiny apartment in a slightly shabby, but not as expensive as others, cardboard house, take a questionnaire to fill out, and there ...
Please enter : telephone number, social security number ( SIN ), details of your work, your monthly income (verified by pay stubs ( paystab ) or tax return ( notice of assessment )) , details of your current and past custodian, canceled bank check ( void check ), permission to check your (non-existent) credit history.
This is “Welcome to Canada,” you think as you tear up the form on the way back to your room.
Of course, this Belousov warned in his blog that there would be an ass with housing, but just like that, with a capital F ?!
Now I will tell you what it all means, how to get it and where you can get by — prepare your brain.
Proof of address
The first thing you need to do in Canada is to have proof of your current address (preferably two). As you will see, it is required for both social security number and health insurance in most provinces, for mobile, for a bank account, for enrolling children in school. In general, without it, nowhere.
Any letter or document from a private or government organization addressed to you (applies to each adult family member), indicating your current address, will do as proof of address. In the first weeks, this will most likely be either a letter from the immigration service (in the case of regular immigration, these are most often PR cards sent to you at the address indicated when passing through the immigration service at the airport), or a letter from the current landlord or employer - wherever you are lived, ask to send any letter, they say, such and such lives or works for me, that's all.
The content is not so important, the main thing is your name and address, as well as their contact information, date, signature.
Any bills (electricity, internet, telephone) are also great, but you probably won't have any at this stage.
Sometimes two such confirmations may be required, so there are not many of them, especially at first.
Social Security Number (SIN)
Registration :
- mandatory for all adults with income
- optional for minors
Required documents :
- immigration documents / work permit
- your international passport or PR card
- confirmation of address
Social Insurance Number (SIN) is an analogue of the individual taxpayer number. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with insurance.
Don't let the seeming optionality fool you, in fact everyone who wants to live in this country needs a social security number.
For adults, to be able to get a job, to receive any assistance from the state (including $ 3,000 CUAET lifting), and to joyfully fill out a tax return next spring. Children - so that parents can receive child benefits.
Another social security number is used to check credit history - more on that later, but in our quest without this you can’t draw up a single contract - neither mobile, nor the Internet, nor rent an apartment.
You can apply for a SIN online, by mail, or in person at any Service Canada office. The program is federal, therefore the same in any province.
Always keep your SIN secret
Health insurance
Registration : mandatory, for all family members.
Restrictions : comes into effect after a certain period (usually 3 months)Required documents :
- immigration documents / work permit
- proof of address (except CUAET in British Columbia)
You probably know that healthcare is free in Canada, provided you have health insurance, of course, otherwise it is very, very expensive.
Health insurance is provided at the provincial level (not at the federal level), so when moving from one province to another, insurance must be renewed within six months. Its name differs from province to province, as do the terms.
Apply online :
- In British Columbia (MSP + BC Pharmacare)
- In Ontario (OHIP)
- In Quebec (RAMQ/RIMQ)
- In Manitoba
Please note that in some provinces the insurance may consist of several parts, for example, in British Columbia you need to apply for health insurance (MSP) and for drug coverage (BC Pharmacare) - the insurance number and card are still issued one (I even wondered if I have a second one?)
Back in British Columbia, they made special conditions for CUAET (maybe other provinces will follow suit in time):
All applicants must provide a copy of their CUAET Temporary Resident Visa/Visitor Visa and/or Work Permit, Permanent Resident document, or Canadian Citizenship with their MSP application.
If you are waiting for your permanent address in B.C, please use the address of the community member, center or program assisting with your arrival. This is the address that your BC Services Card will be mailed to. Once a more permanent address is established, you will need to update your MSP account online.
If you have arrived with a CUAET Temporary Resident Visa/Visitor Visa and/or Work Permit, a non photo BC Services Card with your Personal Health Number will be mailed to you once your application is processed. A valid BC Services Card must be shown when accessing publicly funded health services. If you leave B.C. permanently before the expiry of your CUAET Permit, you must inform Health Insurance BC.
Best of all, the health insurance card sent to you (like the BC Health Card in British Columbia) will serve as proof of identity (no photo), and the letter itself - don't throw it away - is proof of address. So in British Columbia with CUAET, it is better to get medical insurance as soon as possible, this greatly simplifies the passage of the quest.
Special attention for parents with children : on the forums they say that parents are covered by free insurance, but children, like all holders of a student visa, are not (or rather, you need to pay for it in the amount of $ 75 / month).
State medical insurance and insurance from the employer - what's the difference?
Do not confuse these two concepts - the first one covers mainly hospital bills: if it happens, God forbid, you have an appendicitis, a fracture, an unexpected birth, or there is difficulty in breathing due to loss of tastes and smells, the presence or absence of medical insurance decides the issue of your account — $0 or some very nasty 5-digit amount. Also, your health insurance number is used to access your medical history.
An insurance policy from an employer is usually given as non-monetary compensation, so-called. "benefits" ( benefits ) and covers part of the additional costs (up to a certain amount per year) that are not covered by the main insurance.
For example, the services of a dentist, a masseur, an optometrist, the purchase of glasses, prescription drugs, optional hospital services such as a separate room, lightweight cast, etc. That is, it seems to complement, but does not replace state insurance.
This is an important difference from the US, where due to the lack of free medical care, employer insurance usually covers both.
The volume of such benefits is usually sufficient to use the services of each specialist on average 2-4 times a year, paying only about 20% of the cost of their services out of pocket. This limit is reset every year (sometimes once every two years), so finding a free massage therapist in December, when everyone's benefits start to burn out, is another task.
Service card
Registration : optional, adult.
Required documents :
- Two identification cards, for example:
- immigration documents / work permit
- your international passport or PR card
- health insurance in the same province
- confirmation of address
The main identity card in Canada is not a passport at all (there is no internal passport at all, only a foreign one), but a driver's license.
Let's say you don't drive a car (or didn't get a license because that can be quite a long story) and don't travel abroad doesn't mean you can't have a photo ID. For this, in fact, there is a service card. The name or availability of the service may vary from province to province (in Ontario, it seems, they used to take photographs for medical insurance, I don’t know about now). In British Columbia, this is the BC Service Card. It is issued by the same organization (ICBC) that administers exams and issues driver's licenses.
A service card can be made at will as a convenient identification card (for example, in order not to fuck up your passport in a bar, proving that you can buy alcohol). I mentioned it here mainly because it is another ID card ( photo ID ) and another proof of address for our quest.
How to apply :
- come with documents to the office of the relevant authority (in British Columbia - ICBC)
- take a picture in the same place
Driver's license
Replacing a driver's license with a Canadian one or obtaining a new one is a rather long process, especially due to the fact that there is usually a long queue for the change (sometimes several months), and you can sign up for a retake only after certain time.
In addition, proof of driving experience is required.
The most important thing is that according to moronic rules that won’t change anything, if you want to immediately get full rights based on driving experience, your “foreign rights” can be taken away from you, and new ones will not be issued until you pass everything (this is the main way in British Columbia such a trouble). And, believe me, a rare bird passes everything the first or second or third time.
Therefore, for this post, my advice is not to rush to change your license until you have completed the entire quest, as you will lose both one identity card and the ability to drive a car for quite a long time.
Your foreign driving license is valid for 90 days after entering the country (and then again in case of temporary departure). Read more about how to get a driver's license, I wrote here.
Here we will make a short commercial break, because in terms of paperwork, in general, that's it.
Next, let's deal with services.
Bank account
Required documents :
- Two identification cards, for example:
- immigration documents / work permit
- your international passport or PR card
- Document confirming your status in the country and bearing your UCI number.
At least a letter of decision will do, it is better if there is a Work Permit, Temporary Resident Status or Visitor Status questionnaire (they may or may not be given at the border).Not required documents, but 100% will ask
- SIN - social security number (at least a temporary one, which I give as soon as I apply for it).
- proof of address (if there is none, bring a friend or relative with a driver's license, say that you live with him).
If you don't have them, hit yourself in the chest with your heel and say that Antokha said that they are not required.
If you really plan to stay in Canada and pay taxes here, you will still be asked to provide your SIN later, once you receive it.
Update
For patrons of the blog on Patreon, I described how to open a bank account without any documents other than your country's identity cards.
The time for cash has gone without a trace, but cryptocurrencies have not yet arrived. It will be quite difficult to complete our quest to find an apartment and work without a bank account, since most services in Canada are, of course, non-cash. In addition to the account itself, or rather accounts, you will need some level of financial literacy - an understanding of how the types of accounts differ and how to use them.
So, for example, immigrants from Ukraine will be surprised to find that in terms of technology, Canadian banks are a good five years behind Ukrainian banks, but most of these same immigrants will be far behind in general financial literacy: how credit cards and interest accrue on them, how to invest savings and so on.
But you will also find that in a Canadian bank you are much more protected from fraud or just credit card errors.
Types of accounts
- Current account (chequing account) - you will definitely need it, this is the account to which you will be transferred salaries and assistance from the state from which you will pay for an apartment and some utilities. There are different types of these accounts - from free to ~$20/month, differing in the number of free transactions and the ability to make electronic transfers for free ( eTransfer ). There is usually no monthly fee if there is a certain amount in the account (between $2,000 and $6,000).
- Savings account (savings account) - they will try to sell it to you (strongly), but you really don’t need it. A small percentage drips on the funds in this account, below inflation.
- Current account in USD is a good option if you need to thump the greens brought in cash into the account.
For non-cash, there are many services that offer a significantly better currency conversion rate than even the best of these accounts.
- Credit card (credit card) - you know very well about credit cards: you pay for goods and services on credit, an invoice comes at the end of the month. If you pay it on time, then you don’t owe anything over the price and, moreover, build your credit history. In addition, you get some kind of reward for every purchase, whether it's "points", "air miles" or just a certain percentage of the amount spent ("cash back"). Credits are free and paid, usually up to $120/year. As a rule, the latter have the best rewards and additional perks - it makes sense to take them if you spend a lot, then you get a lot back, any more than the annual fee.
- Credit line (credit line) is a type of account that can be used in the same way as a settlement account, only on credit. Unlike credit cards, the interest rate is much more favorable, but interest is charged from the first day and not at the end of the period.
Unlike a current account, as a rule, it does not have a limit on the number of transactions. For its registration, you need a credit history, but he himself helps to develop it further.
- Tax-free savings account (TFSA) is a government regulated savings account where you don't pay tax on investment gains. The amount you can transfer to it is regulated for each year in the country.
- Pension plan (RRSP) - long story with this account, in short, everything you put into it is deductible from taxes (in practice, you get ~ 1/3 of the amount back), but everything you withdraw from it is also taxed tax. The idea behind it is based on a tiered taxation system: as long as you work and earn a lot (and pay more taxes), it's profitable for you to save money for it and get a refund on taxes paid. When you retire and your income drops, you can withdraw funds from this account as if it were your income. Another reason to have this account is that up to $35,000 can be withdrawn for a deposit on the first home, which then will need to be gradually returned to the account over 15 years.
- Education Plan (RESP) is a savings account for each child, to which the government adds up to $500 per year. Funds can be invested however you like.
What accounts do you need?
From what should be of interest to you now - this is current account and credit card . In a year or two, when you have a fixed income, I advise you to familiarize yourself with TFSA and RRSP, as well as with RESP if you have children and you have decided that you want them to complete their studies in Canada.
Of the several checking account options, from free to the most expensive, I recommend choosing one of the middle ones - the one where free electronic payments appear ( eTransfers/INTERAC ). In my opinion, these are the most balanced accounts both in terms of the number of free transactions and the required amount in the account in order not to pay a monthly fee. Yes, and electronic payments themselves are quite a popular thing - both when you buy something at a flea market, and if you need to share the costs with someone.
They usually cost about $1.50 per payment.
You don't have to have all your accounts in one bank, but it's still quite convenient. Over time, you will probably get a couple more credit cards from other (including smaller) financial institutions - this is normal, since each will have its own favorable conditions for certain types of payments. Almost every supermarket chain issues its own card - often it has its own benefit if you really do a lot of shopping in the same place.
Over time, I recommend taking some expensive credit card (for now, they won't give you one without a credit history and a certain annual income), if you spend a lot. See for yourself, the math is pretty simple:
For example, a free TD credit card returns you up to 1% on all purchases, up to a maximum of $150 per year. A card for $120/g in the same bank returns up to 3% and without a limit, so at the end of the year it comes out quite: ~$500-$120 = $380 > $150. At the same time, it also provides travel medical insurance, lost or damaged luggage insurance, rental car insurance, emergency roadside assistance, etc.
The conditions vary slightly from card to card and from bank to bank, but the meaning is the same.
4 largest Canadian banks:
- Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)
- Bank of Montreal (BMO)
- Royal Bank of Cananda (RBC)
- Scotiabank
Their conditions do not differ much, so one of the main selection criteria (for me, at least) is the opening hours and availability of branches in your region and the convenience of the interface on the website or in the mobile application (sorry, RBC) . The conditions on the accounts of all of them are like a blueprint.
Every major bank I checked has a special offer for new immigrants, usually two peas similar to the competition:
- opening 3 accounts (checking, savings and credit card)
- credit card, usually , so far they will give you only the simplest one, with a loan of no more than $1,000-2,000. Because you, sorry, have no credit history.
- savings account, honestly, you most likely don’t need a word at all, except that you have $100,000+ with you that you don’t know what to do with and just want to put it in a jug, but they will still try very actively to suck it in .
On this occasion, I say that he does not pull a pocket, but he is also not needed at all - if you can, refuse.
- $300 - 350 as a gift if you fulfill two of the three requirements (oh, and here is the miniquest):
- issue a recurring regular deposit ( reoccuring deposit ) - this, for example, is your salary or not a one-time allowance from the state.
- pay any bill of at least $50 - most often it is payment by credit cards in other banks, tax fees or utilities (gas, electricity).
- issue a pre-authorized debit ( pre-authorised debit ) is a more familiar payment for services (Internet, telephone, all sorts of courses, sections, subscriptions, etc., when funds are withdrawn automatically).
Some banks make special offers for CUAET (however, at the time of this writing, these offers began to disappear a little), so, for example, in addition to the above, they can also offer: to say that you do not have diamonds to store in it - put the originals of your documents or copies of translations there).
Oh, and also, don't leave the bank until you take from them, or you don't know exactly where to find a canceled check ( void check ) - you can almost always find it in the web interface. This is just a piece of paper indicating the attributes for payments from your current account.
CUAET New Arrivals Tip: At this stage, with a SIN and a checking account, you can apply for a one-time government assistance of $3,000 for each adult and $1,500 for a minor family member (under 18). Checked, the money comes in a few days - apply here.
You will also need the IMM form number 1442 - you can get it from the Work Permit, or apply (which can take weeks if not months).
Mobile
Required documents :
- SIN - social security number (if you draw up a contract).
- ID card
- Bank account (credit card or debit card and void check)
I tell you honestly, everyone, everyone who arrives, literally from the gangway of the plane says: “I want the latest iPhone”. Why do you need the latest iPhone? Well, I want. Well, if you want, okay, $ 1500 + tax - take it out and put it in. No, it's expensive. Yes, it's expensive. It's like, no matter how much money you have, it's unpleasant to part with almost two grand anyway. Whether business, $50/mo.
How does a person usually do in Canada? He goes to the operator's website, chooses a new iPhone, chooses how much traffic he needs from the mobile Internet - and in a few days he receives them by mail (well, or right away, in the salon).
Often a new SIM card is cheaper online, because the salon may charge an additional $30 for its urgent registration (well, while you're here).
Further, within 2 years, he pays under the contract - for his plan and a share of the cost of the phone. In two years, your body is yours, only it is worth nothing by that time anyway.
What is the problem? And there are two of them: firstly, this is nothing more than a loan, and a loan will not be given without a social security number. Secondly, in Canada, communication services are very expensive - both mobile communications and the Internet, everyone recognizes this. They are quite good (like there, anlim, 1Gbps / 1Gbps fiber or 25GB 5G + anlim 3G), but expensive - no matter what you choose, you still come to the "hundredth" one way or another.
If you have a social security number, you can sign a contract even without a credit history, otherwise, you just have to bring your phone and get a prepaid package.
The prepaid communication system ( pre-paid ) is also here, of course, but it is not well developed, especially if you suddenly want to top up in cash for some reason (well, I don’t know, if you are on the run, perhaps).
Some operators give a bonus when a prepaid connection is linked to a credit card. In fact, then it is not much different from the contract, except that you pay at the beginning of the month and not at the end.
The main advantages of the prepaid package:
- you buy an unlocked phone that you can use with any other card (for example, with an American one when traveling in the States)
- you can change the package at any time - both up and down (and not only up as on the contract)
- the operator is more actively trying to upsell you something, they send more "special offers".
Only one of the shortcomings - you need to buy a phone for the full price. Here I recommend looking at "certified refurbished" devices that look like new but cost a couple of hundred less.
The only caveat with them is the slightly drained battery life, so think for yourself.
Advice for CUAET arrivals: You can pick up a local SIM card from the Red Cross at the airport. I will not say exactly for the conditions on it, if anyone took it, please write.
Mobile operators
What you need to know about operators is that there are main operators:
- Rogers
- Telus
- Bell (junk, for those who still have Blackbury, perhaps. Accidentally remembered)
They have child operators,
- Fido and Chatr (Rogers)
- Koodo and Public Mobile (Telus)
- Virgin Mobile (Bell)
Historically Telus is from British Columbia, Rogers is from Ontario, and Bell is from Quebec, so they had better coverage in their respective provinces, but now they are effectively equal.
The companies themselves now offer only premium contracts, from $85/month for unlimited.
Their subsidiaries have both contracts and prepaid packages and you can find anything starting from $35/mo (3GB) and more - all with unlimited minutes of talk and messages (which are now over the internet anyway). Well, you can certainly hurt yourself like hell and save another $ 10 a month and find something, read without the Internet at all, with limited calls.
Subsidiaries use the same network (sometimes they can even switch to a competitor's network) as the main operator, but the order of their service is deprioritized, which mainly affects the Internet speed where the connection is shaky or at times of high network load. Although there have been cases in the past when Chatr and Public Mobile had no connection at all in certain regions, in particular on Vancouver Island, I don’t know how much this has been eliminated now.
Internet
Required documents :
- SIN - social security number (if you draw up a contract)
- ID card
- Bank account (credit card or debit card and void check)
Here, in fact, everything is the same as with a mobile phone: a contract (then you need a SIN), or an advance payment.
In addition to global providers, including the same Telus, Rogers, Bell + Shaw, there are also many small, local or provincial, often also using the networks of one of the large providers with reduced priority. In Vancouver there is a cool such operator Novus, which, as a rule, offers much more favorable conditions than all the others, but it is only available for a certain list of addresses. For the rest, if none of the big ones suits you, look for small reviews, unsubscribe in the comments about your experience with them.
Why is the SIN needed, you ask? The fact is that the provider, as it were, rents you its own (pre-configured and flashed for a specific network) modem and Wi-Fi router (sometimes with boosters). And if the second one should be abandoned in favor of some Wi-Fi mesh, then it’s not easy to get around the story with the modem, especially since it can be completely different depending on your house - either you have fiber optics going directly to the apartment, or getting divorced via network cable, or via telephone .
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In addition, the provider allocates technicians to connect you to the Internet, they need to pay a salary, these costs are spread over your obligation to pay for the service over a certain period.
Of course, if you rent part of the house from the owner, then most likely he will share his Internet with you and, most likely, for free (don't worry about him, he will happily write off all his Internet costs from taxes).
Language courses
If you or someone in your family needs to improve their language skills, sign up for free courses. Classes were held in classrooms before the pandemic, then online. As it often happens, their quality strongly depends on the teacher, so you can’t guess in advance, but they will definitely prepare you for passing the CLB test, which is necessary for obtaining permanent residence (PR) and citizenship in the future.
To enroll, contact one of the local organizations providing assistance to new immigrants.
Credit history
This is a very strange beast - everyone scares them, I scared you and I at the beginning of the post, but in fact this is your rating (like some application in the AppStore, yeah), which is looked at before than to give (or not give) you anything on credit.
The exact algorithms for compiling the rating are kept secret, and it is believed that they even have some random component that makes it randomly fluctuate, making it impossible to wind up the system. Here's what we know about credit history:
- rating is set in the range from 300 to 900 :
- 300 - 559 - unsatisfactory
- 560 - 659 - satisfactory
- 660 - 724 - good
- 725 - 759 - very good
760 - 900 - excellent
- your rating is updated every six months (and you start without a rating at all)
- it is positively affected by:
- you have loans of various types (read, everything that it is checked for) without debts in excess of your payment plan.
The payment plan may not always be obvious, for example on a line of credit, but in any case it must at least cover the interest rate of - in fact, timely payment of any loans (from service bills to credit cards and mortgages)
- you have loans of various types (read, everything that it is checked for) without debts in excess of your payment plan.
- it has a temporary negative effect:
- opening a new loan or credit account
- closing a credit account or card
- late or insufficient payment of loan obligations
- verification of this same credit history.
Therefore, if it's quite simple, then your credit history serves as a measure of your integrity and financial reliability. If you are asked for a SIN - most likely in order to check your credit history. At the same time, your current rating can become the basis for making a decision - to give or not to give you what you want (for example, a mortgage, loan or housing on rent), moreover, they say, it can determine the amount of the discount that you can be given on mortgage interest rate.
But it also means that after that your rating will temporarily drop - so it may not be a good idea to provide it before buying a house, for example. And in general, ask yourself - is it appropriate to ask for a SIN in a particular situation, should your opponent really have access to your credit history?
Getting a job
In this post, we will omit the job search - everything here is very individual for the region, profession, comfort zone and ambitions of each. But in general, you need to have:
- ✅ local phone number (still at the stage of sending resumes)
- ✅ social security number - SIN (usually at the stage of a conversation with HR, but they may forget to ask, then before the offer)
- ✅ bank account / void check
It's good that you already have all this! Imagine if you immediately attended to work.
Rental housing
So, we finally got to the end point of our quest - how did it all start?
… you take the form to fill out the application for rent, and there - “Please specify”:
- ✅ phone number
- ✅ social security number ( SIN )
- ✅ canceled bank check ( void check )
- ✅ permission to check your (non-existent) credit history.
- data about your work
- your monthly income (confirmed by pay stubs ( paystab ))
The problem with a credit history, in principle, in most cases is solved by having a job or a guarantor with a good credit history - you should not consider it as a hard requirement: the homeowner is just wants to make sure you're really capable and motivated to pay rent. Still, it is not so easy to expel tenants who, even in the most obvious way, have been driven out here in Canada.
But here's what to do when everything is not so smooth (for example, there is no job but there is a money box), what are the options for renting housing and what you need to know, we will analyze next time, in a guest post with a realtor, Tanya Urban.
School
I almost forgot about the children - they need to be sent to school! I am not going to describe all the moves here, because the situation varies from province to province, but in general you will need:
- Child's birth certificate (with translation)
- Your ID
- ✅ Two confirmations of the address (if you were waiting for a long-term lease, then congratulations, now you need to collect them again)
- ✅ Child health insurance
- His vaccination history
The first thing you need to do is find the school that is related to your address ( catchment school ).
