What you feed your baby matters from day one. But at first, it’s a simple diet: milk. Then around 5-6 months of age, babies get the go-ahead from their pediatricians to introduce solid foods, and that’s a whole other ball game.
Each child is different, so the most challenging part about feeding your baby is finding nutritious, convenient, and – ultimately tasty – meals. We’ve seen an emergence in baby food subscriptions and wanted to investigate which one should be a parent’s go-to. Right off the bat, we noticed that the biggest names are Yumi and Little Spoon.
We put both brands to the test, comparing price, quality, selection, and – most importantly – convenience (a parent must-have).
Here’s what we found out:
Key Similarities:
- Both have pureed baby food
- Neither contain preservatives, added sugars, GMOs and are never fortified or go through extreme heat processing
- Both have plans that let you receive 1, 2, or 3 meals per day and choose the flavors in your order
- Both have additional vitamin options
Key Differences:
- Yumi’s food is gluten-free
- Yumi’s food is certified organic
- Yumi’s menu goes through seven stages: blended (6+ months) to finger foods (11+ months). They also offer whole food snacks like Fruit Leathers
- Little Spoon has a Babyblends menu and separate Plates menu for toddlers and kids (10+ years)
- All of Yumi’s food is vegan
- Yumi is free of the Big 9 Allergens (no milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, sesame or soybeans)
- Little Spoon is only free of Big 8 Allergens (they still include sesame)
- Little Spoon delivers every two weeks while Yumi delivers weekly
- Yumi costs $3.75 per meal with free shipping. Little Spoon costs $2.74 per meal, but there is a $5 flat rate on shipping Babyblends
Yumi
Their blended baby foods are top-notch, packing in everything your baby needs nutritionally and leaving out everything they don’t. We love how their unique menu is divided into 7 stages providing an easy guide to feeding your baby. Start with thin single-ingredient purees at six months and continue all the way to nutrient-dense bites for your little one. Yumi is designed to help your baby start on solid foods in the best way possible while taking the stress out of it for parents.
Their mission, ingredients, and process are all great, but what matters most on the day-to-day are taste and convenience. Yumi delivers blends that babies adore, including Butternut Squash, Broccoli & Pear, Sweet Potato Cheesecake, and Bell Pepper Apple Bowl. Your baby won’t get bored thanks to new recipes released each quarter and a unique Chef Series (yes, a Michelin-star chef can design your baby’s food!).
Yumi ships fresh purees weekly, packed to stay cool as it makes its way right to your door. You can’t find this level of service anywhere else, and it really does make a difference. No running to the store last minute, and every busy parent needs an excellent grab-and-go option. We were impressed by Yumi.
YumiBaby Food Subscription Certified Organic + Freshly Made Order Now
Little Spoon
Like Yumi, Little Spoon puts your baby’s nutrition first with Babyblends. Their rotating menu features single-ingredient to complex blends like Beet Banana Mango, Quinoa Butternut Squash Kale Apple, and Carrot Apple Buckwheat Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Flax Oil. However, they deliver every 2 weeks which makes finding space in the fridge tough.
Their menu features seasonal and picky-eater favorites, and can be sorted by texture and dietary benefits. Although we appreciated the filtering ability, we needed more guidance on which meals to choose for your baby. Let’s face it, being a parent is exhausting, so we wished Little Spoon could take a little more off our plate. Despite this, the Babyblends are a healthy choice for any baby.
With their Plates menu for kids and toddlers, Little Spoon has got kids covered beyond finger foods. While we liked the extra service, our focus is on pureed baby food. Their bi-weekly deliveries, cost of shipping, and less-interesting flavors just don’t compete when compared to Yumi. Lastly, unlike Yumi, some of Little Spoon’s products are not certified organic.
Final Note:
It was a close call but at the end of the day, Yumi won us over. Little Spoon is great but just can’t quite keep up with Yumi’s amazing menu, mission, and speedy delivery time.
Yumi immediately caught our eye with their emphasis on The First 1000 Days. Health and medical professionals have agreed that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life are essential to the development of their brain, body, metabolism, and immune system. That means what you’re feeding your little one is more important in those days too.
In terms of our baby’s food, we trust Yumi. If you’re a parent trying to navigate a hectic schedule, solid foods, and are determined to find the healthiest meals out there, then Yumi is for you, too.