Product Review – Water Buddies

My Children have always loved water. I have never really offered them anything else other than that and we never have soft drinks in the fridge. A special treat is a lemonade when we are out for dinner or a popper juice at Grandma and Grandads house. The only problem is my school aged daughter sees her friends having slushies, soft drinks and of course those dreaded character pop tops bought in food courts that are not only packed with around 18-20 g of sugar but are ridiculously overpriced.

I have grown to accept that my children are children and it’s natural for them to want to pick a “Superman” or “Barbie” bottle of juice instead of a traditional plain water bottle. I have always questioned why no one made a water bottle that appealed to children. Then I came across WaterBuddies. After I contacted them about reviewing their products they sent me a sample pack.

I swear I had not even got the parcel (it was transparent) into the house before the kids were grabbing at the bottles. I had to convince them to let me chill them in the fridge for 1/2 an hour first as it was a really hot day.

So straight away I knew they appealed to kids, but how did they taste?

Each flavor has less than 2% sugar (around 1.8g)

No Artificial Flavors.

No Artificial Colors.

No Artificial Sugars.

My daughters first response was “You can tell it has no sugar”. But she continued to drink it without hesitation.

My son didn’t comment just drank it and then they swapped to taste each others flavors and said nothing more.

I honestly think my kids (who love water) would have been happy with plain water inside (also available in the buddies range). After all it’s all about how COOL the packaging looks.

I would love to see this product in food courts and takeaways all over Australia.

Now available in over 500 Woolworths Australia stores and over 300 Independent Stores across Australia.

Existing stockists $1.99 per bottle.

I challenge you to walk your kids down the aisle and just see if it grabs their attention!

Do your children drink enough water?

Halloween food doesn’t have to be complicated—or require a trip to the gourmet shop. With a little creativity, you can take what’s already in your pantry or fridge and turn it into spooky, crowd-pleasing snacks. These hacks are quick, affordable, and so easy even the kids (or grandkids) can help. Think of it as Halloween magic—no cauldron required.

1. Ghost & Bat Bread Dippers

Got tortillas, pita bread, or even sandwich slices? Grab some cookie cutters and cut out ghosts, bats, or pumpkins. Toast them in the oven for a crisp bite and serve with any dip you have on hand—hummus, guacamole, or even a simple sour cream and salsa mix. Suddenly, your everyday chips and dip look party-perfect.

Pro tip: Dust them with garlic salt or paprika before baking for extra flavor.

2. Spooky Slime Punch

That punch bowl sitting in the back of your cupboard? It’s about to become a cauldron. Add a few drops of green, red, or orange food coloring to lemonade, soda, or fruit juice. Red = blood, green = slime, orange = potion. For a finishing touch, float in gummy worms, plastic eyeballs, or even frozen grapes for a creepy surprise.

3. Bat Wing Chicken

No need to reinvent dinner—wings are already spooky if you think about it. Arrange chicken wings tip-to-tip so they resemble bats resting on your platter. For extra drama, glaze them with a sticky BBQ sauce or teriyaki glaze so they glisten like midnight wings.

4. Coffin Bread Loaf

That humble loaf of bread from the bakery? Hollow it out and you’ve got yourself a coffin. Fill it with spinach dip, chili, or spaghetti “worms.” Use the bread you scooped out for dipping, or set the “lid” at an angle for a coffin reveal moment. It’s eerie and edible all at once.

5. Vampire Donuts

Store-bought donuts are instantly transformed with a splash of red icing and a cheap pair of plastic vampire teeth. Stick the teeth in the center hole, add some candy eyes, and you’ve got a tray of vampire treats that look straight out of Dracula’s kitchen.

6. Eyeball Meatballs

Cook up some meatballs (store-bought or homemade). Pop an olive slice into the top of each one and add a dab of cream cheese or mozzarella for the white of the eye. Set them in marinara sauce, and suddenly you’ve got eyeballs staring back at you. Kids love these… adults usually laugh before they eat them.

7. Bloody Bandage Cheese Sticks

This is as easy as it sounds—string cheese or mozzarella sticks drizzled with marinara sauce. Arrange them on a tray and you’ve got instant “bloody bandages.” No one will look at a cheese stick the same way again.

8. Spider Crackers

Crackers, cream cheese, and pretzels come together for the creepiest little snack. Spread cream cheese on a cracker, add pretzel sticks sticking out the sides for legs, and top with raisins or candy eyes. These edible spiders are simple enough to make on the fly and cute enough to double as table décor.

9. Witch’s Broomsticks

Slice string cheese in half, then snip the bottoms into little fringes to look like broom bristles. Poke a pretzel stick into the top as the broom handle. They’re snack-sized, adorable, and a guaranteed conversation starter.

Bonus Ideas (Because Once You Start, It’s Hard to Stop)

Monster Popcorn: Make plain popcorn, drizzle it with melted green or orange candy melts, and toss in candy eyes.
Pumpkin Clementines: Draw jack-o-lantern faces on clementines with a food-safe marker for a healthy treat.
Witch’s Cauldron Pudding Cups: Fill plastic cups with chocolate pudding, top with crushed cookies for “dirt,” and finish with a gummy worm or candy bones.

Keep It Simple & Spooky

The beauty of these hacks is that they’re all about presentation. You don’t need fancy ingredients or professional baking skills. Just a little creativity, a splash of food coloring, and maybe a few plastic Halloween props. With these ideas, you’ll have a table full of spooky snacks in minutes—and your guests will think you planned it for weeks.

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