Starting your child on solids is such an exciting time! You can finally start creating little meals for them in their cute silicone bowls with their tiny cutlery.
Most parents can’t wait to get started on the weaning process – until they remember that they are in charge of creating a balanced diet with everything that their baby requires.
Once this realization sets in, so does the stress. Most parents worry about which baby food brand is the best for their little one, especially as there are so many to consider.
Today we will be considering both Little Spoon and Yumi, which are two market leaders in the world of baby food. These two companies both offer organic baby food made with fresh ingredients, and they both deliver straight to your home!
Why Do You Need Organic Baby Food?
Both Little Spoon and Yumi make sure to use a great variety of ingredients to keep your baby’s taste buds tingling with new flavors. There’s also the option to add spicier foods to your order to introduce them safely to your child.
Baby food tends to get a bad reputation as most store-bought brands are full of artificial ingredients, preservatives, additives, and more.
They also tend to be higher in sugar and salt, which should be avoided as much as possible in baby food.
These traditional baby foods tend to lack proper nutrition in the way of the added bad ingredients.
Considering that 65% of nutrition goes directly to a baby’s brain, there’s no doubt that the correct nutrition is incredibly important within these early years.
Both Little Spoon and Yumi do not contain these unhealthy ingredients and therefore are healthier for your little one. Their organic ingredients will give your child the best start in life and ensure that their brain develops well considering their balanced diets.
Let’s get started on our comparison to see which is the best one for your child, shall we?
How To Distinguish Between Little Spoon And Yumi
While both of these baby food delivery services are similar, there are some differences between them that should help you to determine which is going to be the best for your family.
The first big difference is that Little Spoon delivers every two weeks, while Yumi delivers every single week. You might prefer fewer deliveries from Little Spoon, or you might want Yumi to deliver the freshest foods every week.
Next up is the fact that Yumi offers finger foods to pair with pureed food, which is great for parents who want to combine traditional weaning with baby-led weaning.
Little Spoon offers only purees, which is only good for families using traditional weaning methods.
Finally, you get more freedom with Yumi as you can have a say in what you get in your weekly delivery. Little Spoon picks the foods for you, so you have less flexibility.
However, some people prefer this as they don’t need to worry about the correct nutrition each day.
Key Features Of Little Spoon And Yumi
Both Little Spoon and Yumi are healthy options for your baby’s diet, considering the fact that they use fresh and organic ingredients.
They also contain the best nutrition for babies, so they’re both better than most store-bought foods that contain sugars and artificial flavors.
Below we have compiled all of the key features for both of these baby food brands. Hopefully, this should give you a better understanding of each of them, and which might fit into your lifestyle better.
Little Spoon Key Features
At Little Spoon, they believe that the first foods of a child’s life matter. They offer meals made from over 80 organic ingredients, tailored to give your baby everything they need to thrive as they get older.
Little Spoon uses zero preservatives within their products. They also don’t use extreme cooking temperatures or methods, which is an incredible benefit.
Not many people know this, but boiling vegetables on high heat actually get rid of some of the vitamins and minerals, meaning that the consumer doesn’t benefit from them!
Their ingredients are also completely fresh. They aim to introduce as many flavors to your baby as possible so that they can expand their palette and prevent them from becoming picky eaters as they grow up.
A large number of flavors can also ensure that your child is getting everything they need to thrive.
How Does Little Spoon Work?
To start your Little Spoon journey, all you have to do is head to their website and input a few pieces of information about yourself and your child. This information will be about their age, allergies, current experience with food, etc.
Now you will get a tailored plan set up for you to choose from – depending on how many meals they eat every day.
Once you have purchased your plan, all you have to do is wait for the delivery! The food will come in insulated packaging to help the food remain fresh throughout the delivery process.
While you’re waiting for your delivery, pediatricians and nutritionists will be tailoring each food to your baby and their developmental needs.
They will also use top-of-the-line technology and nutritional science to determine which meals your baby should be sent.
Your baby will now have their own personalized feeding plan, which will change as and when it is needed as they grow. Little Spoon will also send you recommendations to follow that will help your baby develop and remain healthy.
Little Spoon does not offer refunds for meals that your little one doesn’t like. This is because their research has shown that it takes an average of 15 to 20 spoonfuls of a certain food before a baby can recognize the taste.
This means that you will need to push on with the food that you have been given to help them learn to enjoy it.
Yumi Key Features
Yumi considers itself a service to deliver superfoods to superbabes.
Their website makes a big deal about the fact that a baby’s brain is growing quicker than it ever will in the future, so it is incredibly important that they get the proper nutrition from the get-go.
Every meal from Yumi has a minimum of five micronutrients within it, which are all essential for a baby’s growth and development. You can be sure that they are getting the best start in life with Yumi baby food!
All of the ingredients used for Yumi food come from farms, and they are cooked in kitchens to preserve the home-cooked style.
The Yumi team consists of doctors, nutritionists, and cooks to ensure that each meal is as healthy and beneficial as it is delicious. Each meal is high in nutritional value, with ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, grains, spices, and healthy fats being used.
You will notice that Yumi doesn’t integrate any apple or rice ingredients, though, as these foods have a high level of arsenic found within them.
Every meal is prepared at the start of your week and can be kept in the fridge for up to seven days so that no food is wasted.
You can also freeze Yumi food for two months, or keep it open in the fridge for 24 hours. Not only that, but each delivery will be color-coded to ensure that you can use the older food first.
How Does Yumi Work?
A big benefit of Yumi is that you have a little more freedom when it comes to deciding which food you want to order. Each order comes in a box and you can choose the box that you want.
So, if there is something in one box that you know your baby won’t enjoy, you can choose another to prevent being delivered the food that will go uneaten.
There is also an option of a Tot Box which is for babies older than 10 months. This helps with the transition from purees to finger foods, helping to prevent fussy eaters in the future.
Is One Healthier Than The Other?
Now we’re going to look at the nutritional facts and ingredients of both Little Spoon and Yumi baby foods.
Both of these options are healthy for your baby in the sense that they offer a complete and balanced diet, meaning that your baby is getting everything they need in these foods.
Little Spoon Nutritional Facts And Features
All of the food that Little Spoon sends out has been USDA-certified to ensure that it is organic baby food. It is also tolerant of allergies and doesn’t contain meat, so it is vegetarian-friendly.
There are three options to choose from when picking your plan, depending on how many meals your baby eats in a day. Little Spoon delivers to 48 countries, so it is very accessible.
Your delivery will be sent out on the following Tuesday after you have placed the order, and subsequent orders will be sent out every two weeks. You will also receive a tracking link to ensure that you always know where your delivery is.
Yumi Nutritional Facts
Yumi also only uses ingredients that have been certified organic, and every meal is prepared weekly in the kitchen. There are no added preservatives or sugar to the food, and every meal is friendly to those with allergies.
In fact, each jar of baby food comes with a 3:1 ratio of fiber to sugar, assuring you that there is very little sugar within your baby’s diet.
There are also three plan sizes available to you, depending on the age of your baby and their food needs. You can adjust your plan right up until the last moment before Wednesday at 12am, so there is plenty of time for you to change your mind!
Weighing Up The Pros And Cons
We have looked at all of the key features for both Little Spoon and Yumi, but this doesn’t always give you an accurate picture of which will be best for you.
Now we are going to look into the pros and cons of both delivery services to give you a better idea of what you can expect from choosing either option.
Little Spoon
Pros
Lots of flavors for your child to enjoy and expand their palette.
There are three different size options to choose from.
Little Spoon offers a military discount.
Get your order delivered to most addresses within the United States.
The packaging is recyclable.
Organically certified ingredients are used.
Cons
Little Spoon does not currently deliver to Hawaii or Alaska, as well as anywhere else in the world except the US.
Not suitable for baby-led weaning as only purees are on offer.
High price point.
Little Spoon does not offer refunds if your baby doesn’t like the food.
Yumi
Pros
Yumi offers a military discount.
Choose when you want deliveries – skip them if you would like.
It’s very easy to change your shipping address or cancel your account at any time.
All of the food is created by professionals to give your baby the best diet possible.
The packaging used is BPA and BPS-free, which you can recycle curbside.
Cons
Does not currently deliver to Hawaii or Alaska.
More limited in terms of where Yumi delivers, so there’s no guarantee that they’ll deliver to you.
High price point.
The Difference Between Traditional And Baby-Led Weaning
Little Spoon is best for traditional weaning while Yumi can be more utilized for parents following a baby-led weaning diet. So, we thought that we would quickly look at how both of these weaning techniques work and which is best for babies.
Traditional Weaning
Otherwise known as spoon-fed weaning, traditional weaning utilizes purees and smooth consistencies to feed babies and wean them off of milk. Babies learn how to enjoy flavors from puree first and how to chew food later.
Some babies have a gag reflex which can be amplified by lumpy food that is used within baby-led weaning. This can worry parents into thinking that their babies are choking on food when it’s really just their gag reflex working.
So, to avoid the worry of a choking baby, some parents prefer traditional weaning techniques to baby-led weaning.
They are predominantly fed with purees – both sweet and savory – and other foods that have been mashed or blended into a smooth consistency.
Baby-Led Weaning
Baby-led weaning is a newer form of weaning that allows the baby to eat the same foods as the rest of the family, just modified. For example, if the family was having pie for dinner, the baby would also have pie for dinner.
There are some rules that you have to follow when you decide to do baby-led weaning, such as cutting the food to prevent it from being a choking hazard. There is a slightly higher chance of gagging while baby-led weaning, which is why some parents avoid it.
Another reason why some people opt out of baby-led weaning is that it is messier and more food gets wasted than if you were to use traditional weaning methods.
However, baby-led weaning has been shown to prevent fussy eaters and helps babies learn how to chew food earlier on, which allows the gagging reflex to disappear more quicker. It is also cheaper as you’re not having to buy different foods for your baby.
Combination Weaning
There is another option for you to choose – combination weaning. This is the process of using both finger foods and purees together to give your baby a balanced diet. This tends to be the most popular method of weaning as it gives the best of both worlds.
On one hand, you can be assured that your baby is getting enough food in their tiny tummies thanks to spoon-feeding purees.
On the other hand, they will be learning how to chew and hold their food properly thanks to you letting them feed themselves.
Combination feeding allows you to ensure that your baby is getting enough nutrients while also giving them the independence to feed themselves. There is no right or wrong method to weaning, so this option allows you to try both.
What Does This Mean For The Delivery Services?
Both Little Spoon and Yumi offer pureed baby food in their subscription, so they are both suitable for traditional spoon-feeding weaning.
However, only Yumi offers finger foods for young babies at this time, making the latter the only option if you’re wanting to try baby-led weaning.
Still, Yumi will give you purees as well as finger food. In fact, they will give you more pureed food than finger foods, making the balance between baby-led weaning and traditional weaning lean much more towards the latter.
So, Yumi is a good choice for combination weaning with a preference for purees. Little Spoon is suitable for traditional weaning.
It is worth noting, though, that you can add your own finger foods to your baby’s diet to turn your weaning journey into a combination at any point.
Neither Little Spoon nor Yumi offer completely baby-led weaning meal plans, which could be an issue if you’re wanting to try this method only. If this were the case, then neither of these delivery services would be the best choice for your family.
Which Brand Comes Out On Top?
Comparing both Little Spoon and Yumi is a difficult decision to make when you’re trying to find which is the best. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, and the final decision will come down to which suits your family and lifestyle the best.
Both Little Spoon and Yumi offer fresh, organic foods that are home-cooked and delicious. They are both delivered right to your home with very little effort from you.
As they both use zero preservatives, additives, or sugar – both are good choices and you cannot go wrong with either!
They both also give you the option to buy enough to cover one, two, or three meals for your baby every day.
However, Little Spoon delivers the meals every two weeks whereas Yumi delivers the food every week. Whichever you choose will depend on your lifestyle and whether you are around to collect a delivery every single week or not.
Some people prefer to stock up on baby food for two weeks, while others might prefer the freshness of getting it every week.
One big benefit of Little Spoon is that they use nutritionists and pediatricians to ensure that your baby is getting the best nutrition for their growing body and brain.
They will tailor the food to your baby as they grow, ensuring that their needs are always met no matter what stage of life they are in.
This means that you don’t have to worry about counting calories and macronutrients – it is all done for you behind the scenes.
However, Little Spoon does not offer the freedom to choose the flavors of the food, which Yumi does. You can tailor your delivery to your baby’s taste buds with Yumi, whereas with Little Spoon you get what you are given (and there are no refunds!).
Yumi is the more flexible delivery option of the two, as you get a list of meals you’re receiving in your box every week, and you’re able to change to a different box if it is not up to your standards or your baby’s preferences.
We would still like to see a little more flexibility – perhaps being able to make your own box and choose all of the foods that go into it – but Yumi still definitely offers better flexibility than Little Spoon.
Yumi does involve nutritionists and doctors within their formulation for their baby food, but it won’t be tailored to your baby as much as you can choose what foods you’re getting.
So, Little Spoon offers no flexibility but the food is all tailored specifically to your child. Yumi, on the other hand, offers more flexibility but isn’t tailored to your baby and its needs.
You will need to determine which of these benefits is more important to you and opt for the corresponding company.
Again, there is no right or wrong delivery service to go with – both offer premium quality baby food that is sure to support your baby’s health and development in this crucial stage of life. There are just a few factors to consider before choosing the company that is right for your lifestyle.
Our Verdict
As we have mentioned above, both of these companies are excellent in their field. However, our decision on which is best has to go to Yumi.
It offers both purees and finger foods for combination weaning, it allows you to tailor your order somewhat so that you can only order foods that you know your child is going to like.
Yumi also delivers every week to ensure that the ingredients are kept fresh, and they color code each bottle so that you never get mixed up between this week’s and last week’s food.
While the price point is a little high, you’re paying for premium baby food and we think that it is worth the cost.
Summary
We hope that you have learned something valuable from our article and are one step closer to choosing the food that your baby is going to grow with!
Both Little Spoon and Yumi have excellent products on the market and will aid your child in their development well. They both come with excellent features and unique properties that are going to enhance your child’s early stages.
Hopefully, our article has helped you determine which is the best for your family and lifestyle, and whether you want to try combination feeding or traditional weaning. Remember that there is no wrong option here!
Good luck in your weaning journey – now that you have found the best delivery service for you, you can enjoy the process of weaning rather than constantly stressing about it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Freeze These Baby Foods?
Yes, you can freeze both Little Spoon's and Yumi’s baby foods! Just make sure that you freeze them before the "best before" date on the jar.
You can keep them in the freezer for up to six months, and to defrost them just leave them in the fridge. Bear in mind that once they’re defrosted, they will need to be eaten within 24 hours.
It’s also worth noting that freezing baby foods might take away some of the nutrients within them, so your baby might not be benefitting from them as much as it should.
We think that eating them fresh is always best - in terms of both taste and goodness!
Why Does Little Spoon Not Put Meat In Their Baby Food?
Little Spoon prides itself on being an allergy-friendly company, and meat is one of the eight major allergens that babies can react to. So, to make sure that no consumer has a reaction to Little Spoon’s food, they steer away from adding meat.
They also do not add meat to keep their meals in line with vegetarian family values. If you want to add meat to your baby’s diet, you can simply cook up some fish or meat and shred it before adding it to the puree.
How Can You Make Yumi Meals Last Longer?
Yumi baby food is organic and fresh, so there are no preservatives within the recipe. This means that they won’t last as long as other store-bought baby food.
To make them last longer, freeze them before the "best before" date and thaw them completely before when you want to serve them.
Carly Link, a 33-year old mother of two toddlers. She is a parent and goes through a lot of the usual parenting difficulties herself. Carly shares all her experiences and knowledge about the best baby products through this blog.
