When you love food, every bite of eating it can be fun, but that's not always the case for young children. One mom had a picky eater and got innovative with the challenge of getting her daughter to eat healthy foods — and thus the product FunBites, which will be featured on Shark Tank on Feb. 6, was born. The FunBites website describes the product as "super sturdy and durable curved blade cutter cuts any kids' food into bite-sized fun shapes." It's a plastic mold that you can place over soft foods to chop it up into little pieces. Founder and creator Bobbie Rhoads came up with FunBites because one of her daughters liked her food very organized, while the other would only eat junk food. FunBites cuts food into symmetrical pieces and makes eating all foods — healthy or otherwise — more fun for kids.
This isn't the first time FunBites has tried to be featured on Shark Tank. During an interview with Mom-Spot in April 2014, Rhoads said that this would be the third time FunBites has attempted to get on the ABC show. Shark Tank has featured a lot of parent-friendly products over the years — and FunBites is no exception. The product is certainly geared towards parents of picky eaters. And although I have no firsthand experience with that, I can certainly commiserate.
So, here's what you need to know about FunBites before their Shark Tank appearance.
It Makes Heart-Shaped Food
Are heart emojis your jam? FunBites have the Red Hearts product that cuts food into a heart shape. (They also have square and triangle shapes.) I like to think that child me would have been attracted to the cuteness of heart-shaped food long enough to stop throwing a tantrum and eat a damn snack.
It Is Dishwasher Safe
I'm extremely lazy when it comes to kitchen upkeep. I don't mind hand washing some dishes, but it's quite annoying when a dish requires me to hand wash it. So I appreciate (and I'm sure parents with picky eaters do too) that FunBites can be placed on the top shelf of the dishwasher. It would just make my life easier after I make my perfect heart-shaped, crustless grilled cheese like the adult I am.
And The Plastic Is BPA Free
I have been making an effort to limit the amount of plastic items I use or purchase, but I understand that plastics are an everyday material in our society. Since FunBites are used to cut foods for children, it's at least good that the plastic is BPA free. The item is also made in the U.S. and if you're curious as to how the plastic cuts, Rhoads said the plastic is called delrin, and is sturdy enough to cut through foods.
There's A Method To Avoid Food Waste
A potential issue I saw with the product was that it could produce a lot of food waste — yet something else I try to avoid. Of course, you can always just eat the residual food that FoodBites doesn't cut up neatly for your kids, but one mom found that she could make the most of all the food by just flipping the product around (as seen in the video above). If you can't compost food and hate eating the borders of your children's snacks, this is a great alternative.
It's Available To Purchase In The U.S. & Internationally
The distribution of FunBites is pretty impressive. In addition to being sold directly through the company's website, the most notable store that carries FunBites is Bed Bath & Beyond. The product is available to purchase in almost every state in the U.S. (just check out the "In Stores" section of the website) and it's even sold internationally in countries like China, Nigeria, New Zealand, and Norway.
The fact that the company already seems to be doing so well could make the Sharks want to invest — or wonder why the company even needs them at all. But I'm sure parents with finicky kids everywhere will be rooting for FunBites.
Images: Michael Desmond/ABC; Giphy (4)
