As a mom to three busy and very picky toddlers, I’m always looking for ways to save time and money and to get my kids to eat nutritiously. Let’s just say there are far too many hot dogs and bowls of mac and cheese going around for my liking!
When my oldest son was around 2, I started researching toddler meal delivery services that would allow me to stop spinning my wheels in the kitchen. I was planning, prepping, and preparing all kinds of meals and my little guy just wasn’t biting (literally).
For first time moms especially, this can feel so frustrating and defeating. I mean, our number one job is to keep this kid alive, but how are we supposed to do that when they won’t eat? It can feel even more overwhelming when you start down the rabbit hole of kid’s nutrition and read studies that tout the importance of nutrition in your child’s first 1,000 days.
Luckily for all of us parents out there, we can take some of the stress, pressure, and anxiety around mealtimes off of our plates, outsourcing it to the experts. In this article, I’m going to compare three of the best toddler meal delivery services available; Yumble, Little Spoon, and Nurture Life giving you my honest opinion of each so that you can choose one that best suits your family’s needs.
Ready to help your little ones get the nutrients they need without all the headaches? Let’s find a solution!
Comparing Nurture Life Vs. Yumble Vs. Little Spoon: The need-to-know facts and stats
| Versus Comparison | Nurture Life | Yumble | Little Spoon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $6.89-$12.49 per meal | $7.99 per meal | Less than $5 per meal |
| Delivery schedule | Weekly | Weekly | Weekly |
| Rotating menu? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Delivered fresh or frozen? | Fresh | Fresh | Fresh |
| Age-appropriate for | 10 months to adults | 12 months to 12 years | 4 months to age 10+ |
| Responsible packaging? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shipping cost | Free for orders of $39+ | Free | $5 Flat Rate For All Babyblends And $6 For All Plates |
| Official Website | nuturelife.com | yumblekids.com | littlespoon.com |
Breaking Down Nurture Life
I was first introduced to Nurture Life when I saw one of my favorite Instagrammers posting about how she used the meals for her kids of various ages. In fact, that was one of the biggest pulls for me; the fact that they offer such a wide range of foods for your child as he or she grows.
The brand’s goal is to help make nutrition a priority for children when we live in a world that tends to blatantly ignore the specific needs of children at various stages of development. Living in a world where the food industry is dominated by added sugars, refined grains, and empty calories, Nurture Life set out to create a better, more nutritious way to feed our children.
How it works
Getting started with Nurture Life is easy:
Features and Benefits
- Balanced nutrition designed by dieticians
- Only real, clean ingredients
- Tons of variety
- Made fresh and delivered fresh
- Simple to warm up in 2 minutes or less
Taking a Closer Look at Yumble
Yumble specializes in getting picky eaters to eat – can I get an amen! As a momma of a couple of very picky eaters, this is music to my ears. Yumble was founded by a fellow mom who wanted to create a way for families to spend more time together and less time stressing about mealtime.
The meals are ideal for toddlers all the way through childhood, offering carefully sourced fruits and vegetables and nutritionist-approved lunches and dinners that your child will actually like. One thing that I adore about this brand is that they recognize that never every kid is an adventurous eater, so they cater to those families by offering their picky eater meals which keep mealtimes as simple and straightforward as possible while still making sure your little one gets the nutrients they need.
How it works
Features and Benefits
- Nutritionist-approved meals
- Picky eater meals available
- Whole, natural foods, and organic fruits and vegetables
- Several meal plan options to choose from
- Meals are delivered fresh weekly
- Each box comes with new activities to make mealtime a joy for the whole family
- All meals are ready to eat in less than 2 minutes
Checking Out Little Spoon
Little Spoon started off as a company that provided healthy, nutritious baby food purees, however, they recently added their Plates meals which cater to toddlers and kids, too. Personally, I was very excited to see the addition of kids’ meals as my kiddos have officially grown out of the baby food stage.
The brand was started when the founders got fed up with the lack of fresh, organic baby food options. They recognized that parents were struggling to find the balance between wanting to give their child the best, most nutritious foods but not having the time to make it all themselves. Their baby food blends introduce 100+ ingredients to your child over time, which is amazing and something that I’m confident I wouldn’t be able to do when left to my own devices.
Little Spoon’s addition of Plates, their toddler and big kid meals, has been a game-changer. Parents can now start their child on the baby blends and then progress through all their stages and needs with the same company, which I think is so valuable. Their toddler and big kid meals are designed to be simple, nutritious, and delicious. There are hidden veggies in every bite!
How it works
Narrowing Down Your Choice: Which kid’s meal delivery service is right for your family?
As you’ve seen, these three toddler and baby meal delivery services are very similar. So much so, in fact, that it can be difficult to decide which one is going to be the best option for your child(ren). If that’s the case, don’t despair because I’m going to give you a few recommendations.
If you…
Have a baby that’s just beginning to eat solids and you want to start him or her out with wholesome, age-appropriate purees, then Little Spoon is the way to go as they’re the only company on this list that offers baby food purees.
Have a really picky eater, go with Yumble. Their meals designed for picky eaters are the perfect way to get your stubborn toddler to take in some nutrients. These meals are plain and simple but packed with the good stuff.
Have multiple kids at home that are at different ages/stages, go with Nurture Life. I love how Nurture Life caters to toddlers and kids of all ages, making it simple for parents of multiple children to get what their kids need all in one place. Heck, you can even get meals for yourself, too!
Are on a budget, go with Little Spoon. Their Plates options are the least expensive of the three brands.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has helped you to determine which meal delivery service is going to be the best choice for your kiddos and family. All three brands offer exceptional quality and convenience that I imagine our parents would have loved had they been available to them, you know, way back in the day.
If you’re looking to save time, money, stress, and frustration around mealtime, then subscribing to any one of these three is going to help you do just that. If you aren’t sold on which company to try, I recommend that you try them all! Just not at once.
Each one of these meal delivery companies is subscription-based, however, you can pause or cancel them anytime you want. Give them a try and see for yourself which one suits your family best. Sometimes, the best judge is to see how your child reacts to the meals on the menu.