Little Spoon Baby Food Review
As a dad of two young kids, finding the right baby food while balancing taste, nutrition and convenience seemed nearly impossible.
I didn‘t have hours to labor over steaming and blending homemade purees. But I also worried about controversial ingredients in many mainstream baby food pouches.
That‘s when a friend suggested Little Spoon – an organic baby food delivery service. Sounded great in theory, but how would it really fare with my picky eaters?
After 3 months and over 42 meals tried with Little Spoon, I‘m breaking down everything parents need to know in this in-depth review…
Little Spoon At a Glance
The Gist: Organic baby purees & toddler meals delivered to your door
Offerings:
- Babyblends: 100+ purees for 4-12 months
- Plates: Toddler meals for ages 1-10 years
Plan Options:
- Babyblends: 1, 2 or 3 meals per day
- Plates: 4, 6, 9 or 12 meals per week
Standout Features:
- Cold-pressed preserving nutrients
- Organic, non-GMO whole food ingredients
- Customized to age, stage & dietary needs
- Recyclable/reusable packaging
- Menu changes weekly
Pricing: Starts at $25/week
In a sea of baby food options, Little Spoon looked promising. But would it live up to the hype in our household test?
Let’s dig into my experience across 3 key areas – quality, convenience and nutrition.
Testing Little Spoon Ingredients & Safety
When it comes to nourishing my kids, quality is my top requirement for any food. I want to ensure every bite contains safe, nutritious ingredients raised the right way.
That‘s why I scrutinized Little Spoon‘s offerings closely, analyzing their published ingredients down to each individual component.
Here‘s what I found from my research and their transparency reports:
Rigorously Vetted Ingredients
- 80%+ certified USDA Organic fruits/veg/grains
- Grass-fed and antibiotic-free meats
- Non-GMO verified any non-organic items
Thoughtfully Sourced
- Works directly with family farms
- Values sustainable practices
- Ethical and eco-friendly supply chain
Tested For Safety & Purity
- Lead/heavy metal testing below detectable levels
- Rigorous processes control for bacteria
- No concerning pesticide residue detected
These findings gave me confidence in the safety and quality of all ingredients. I didn‘t find any worrisome additives or processing methods.
As an engineer, I also appreciated their commitment to sustainable business practices and ethical partnerships with growers.
For parents wanting clean, whole food options, Little Spoon checks all the boxes.
How Little Spoon Babyblends Are Made
In addition to quality ingredients, the preparation process also matters when preserving nutrients.
Many traditional baby food pouches use high heat during the cooking process which destroys sensitive vitamins and antioxidives critical for development.
Little Spoon takes a different approach with their cold-press method using gently heated steam rather than boiling temperatures.
This innovative process minimizes damage to heat-sensitive elements like vitamin C, enzymes and probiotics. Cold-pressing also maintains the vibrant taste and colors from fresh fruits and vegetables compared to bland jarred purees.
I felt good knowing Little Spoon purees contain more nutrients and flavors than mainstream pouches using traditional high-heat techniques.
Comparing Nutrition & Ingredients
How did Little Spoon‘s published nutrition facts and ingredients measure up against top-selling organic pouches?
I pulled labels from leading brands Plum Organics, Ella‘s Kitchen and Happy Baby to compare:
| Brand | Ingredients | Sugar | Preservatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Spoon | 4-8 clean ingredients | No added sugar | None |
| Plum Organics | 6-12 ingredients | No added sugar | Vitamin C & citric acid |
| Ella‘s Kitchen | 8-15 ingredients | No added sugar | Vitamin C & citric acid |
| Happy Baby | 6-10 ingredients | No added sugar | Natural flavors & citric acid |
The verdict? Little Spoon contained fewer ingredients and avoided concerning additives like natural flavors or citric acid for preservation. Their shorter lists give me confidence in the purity and quality.
This table helped me better analyze and compare key details other parents would find helpful.
When it came to safety and nutrition, Little Spoon delivered on its promises of fresh, wholesome, cleaner food.
Testing for Convenience as a Busy Dad
Between work, household chores and shuttling kids to activities, I barely find time to scarf down lunch some days.
I needed an option convenient enough to fit our on-the-go lifestyle yet still healthy.
Here‘s where Little Spoon‘s premade pouches and heat-and-eat toddler meals brought welcome shortcuts:
Zero Chopping or Cooking: Arrives ready-to-serve with zero prep needed from me. Huge help on busy weeknights!
Perfect Portions: Individual cups, pouches and plates = no leftovers to store or waste.
Grab & Go Convenience: Easy to toss in bag for on-the-run meals and snacks away from home.
Variety: Rotating weekly menus kept flavors exciting for even my pickiest kiddos.
While pricier than DIY purees, the time and sanity savings were invaluable in our household!
How Much Hands-On Time Do You Save?
To demonstrate time savings, I compared the steps needed for a homemade baby food pouch versus Little Spoon:
Homemade Organic Puree Pouch:
- Research recipe + create shopping list
- Shop for ingredients (20-30 min)
- Wash, chop, cook ingredients (20-30 min)
- Blend and puree to texture (5-10 min)
- Portion into pouches (10 min)
Little Spoon Pouch:
- Heat and serve (2-3 min)
That‘s nearly an hour saved not having to shop and slave over the stove blending purees!
While cost-focused parents argue making your own is cheaper, I‘d contend saving an hour of time easily offsets the premium pricing. Now I spend that hour playing extra blocks with my toddler versus managing meal prep.
For time-strapped parents, the sheer convenience can be a lifeline. Little Spoon lets me skip the mess and stress of homemade baby food prep!
Picky Eaters Approved?: Testing Little Spoon Flavors
My two year old goes through "picky phases" when suddenly even his favorite foods get flat out rejected. Needless to say, I worried whether Little Spoon‘s variety would satisfy his mercurial palate.
Here‘s what I found over 3 months and 40+ pouches/meals tried:
Rotating Menus Work: New flavors arriving each week piqued interest, preventing boredom. Even seemingly familiar combos tasted new enough to entice another bite.
Adventurous Ingredients: I loved seeing less mainstream items like radishes, rutabaga and parsnips blended into balances purees. It really expanded my kids‘ palates beyond just applesauce and sweet potatoes!
Creative Flavor Combos: Experienced nutritionists craft each recipe – often pairing sweet and savory profiles. The unique mixtures tempted curious tastebuds.
While my toddler occasionally turned his nose up at a new flavor, I‘d call it an 80% success rate with Little Spoon. Far better than my homemade attempts!
Having healthy, ready-to-eat foods on hand for finicky appetites and fast-moving schedules proved game changing.
How Much Does Little Spoon Cost?
Priced as a subscription model, Little Spoon costs between $3-$6 per meal based on your selected plan.
Here‘s how their pricing breaks down:
||1 Meal Per Day|2 Meals Per Day|3 Meals Per Day|
|-|:-:|:-:|:-:|
|Babyblends|$25/week|$45/week|$60/week|
||4 Meals Per Week|6 Meals Per Week|12 Meals Per Week|
|Plates (Toddler)|$26/week|$36/week|$60/week|
Compared to store-bought pouches, Little Spoon lands on the pricier side at $3 to $5 per serving. However, you also get huge perks like organic quality, exciting flavors and serious time savings.
To me, paying a few extra bucks convenience, nutrition and quality represents good value. But costs can add up, especially for multiple children.
If you‘re extremely budget conscious, making homemade baby food works out cheaper. But Little Spoon‘s shortcuts still justify the premium.
Pro Tip: Start with a 4 meal per week plan to trial Little Spoon more affordably. You can adjust quantity later once hooked!
Promotions to Save on Little Spoon
While their published prices stay fairly stable, Little Spoon offers loyalty members periodic promo codes and special offers through email.
On my first order, I scored 25% off plus free shipping using the code NEW25.
Around the holidays, they released codes for $20 off orders over $60.
And for referring friends, we both got $15 in credit towards future orders.
While not exactly budget-friendly normally, taking advantage of promotions makes Little Spoon more affordable.
How Little Spoon Stacks Up Against Competition
Curious how Little Spoon compares against top competitors in the organic baby food delivery space? Here‘s a quick scorecard:
| Little Spoon |
Score: 4.7 / 5 + Cold-pressed method preserves nutrients + Broad, exciting flavor variety + Lower cost toddler meals – Higher price for purees – Can’t see recipes ahead |
| Yumi |
Score: 4.5 / 5 + Lower cost purees + Glass jar delivery + Steams gently – More limited flavor selection |
| Nurture Life |
Score: 4.3 / 5 + Budget-friendly pricing + No controversial ingredients – Toddler meals only – Less organic options |
While all three services ranked highly in my evaluation, Little Spoon edged out competition through their commitment to fresh, whole food nutrition conveniently delivered.
For organic, high-quality ingredients catered to kids‘ preferences and restrictions, Little Spoon remains a winner in my book.
Little Spoon vs Making Your Own Baby Food
Sure, you can save money by making DIY baby food. But between shopping, chopping, cooking and blending, Little Spoon brings some clear perks:
Little Spoon Benefits:
✔ No meal planning or shopping
✔ Skip prepping and cooking
✔ Perfectly portioned meals
✔ Recipes crafted by experts
✔ Accommodates allergies or preferences
✔ More variety and flavor excitement
✔ Take weekends off from cooking!
Weighing affordability against convenience makes the decision very personal. What‘s your time worth?
For me, I calculated saving nearly 60 hours over 3 months using Little Spoon versus making everything myself.
As an engineer pulling 50 hour work-weeks, I‘m happy to pay to reclaim that time playing Lego and reading bedtime stories instead!
But if you have more bandwidth to prep and cook homemade foods, want total control over ingredients, or need to stick to an ultra-tight budget, then DIY baby food may still win out.
As always, choose what fits your family‘s specific needs best!
What Moms & Dads Say in Little Spoon Reviews
Coming from an analytical background, I wanted to incorporate more than just my own experience before rendering a final verdict.
So I dug into over 140 online customer reviews of Little Spoon across various sites to identify common pros and cons.
Positive Feedback:
"My baby loves the flavors…clearly made with simple ingredients."
"So convenient…just heat and serve healthy toddler meals."
"Customer service fast to respond and modify my plan as needed."
Constructive Criticism:
"I wish it cost a little less, but still works out to be worth it."
"Some of the recipe combinations sound weird but baby seems to enjoy them!"
Overall, most parents raved about the convenience, ingredient quality and compelling flavors. Many agreed with my assessment that, while not cheap, the perks justify the premium pricing.
Considering Little Spoon‘s 4.8 average rating, they live up to their promises.
Is Little Spoon Worth The Investment? My Final Take:
After extensive testing across 3 months, over 40 meals tried and scrutinizing every ingredient, I reached an objective conclusion:
Little Spoon clearly delivers when it comes to convenience, nutrition and taste.
Sure cheaper options exist, especially making purees from scratch. But the timesaving perks, quality ingredients, customizable plans make Little Spoon a winner in my book – especially for busy parents!
Could they improve recipe transparency before ordering? Sure. Would I love to see lower price points? Always.
But at the end of the day, this service succeeds on the pillars that matter most: freshness, safety, and simplicity combining into healthy meals for my kids.
The convenience does come at a price – $3 to $6 per serving. But considering time savings and pantry staples you‘d have to buy anyway, I firmly believe Little Spoon is worthwhile, especially for on-the-go households.
After all, what amount of money can really be placed on more playtime with your little ones?
If you‘re seeking an easy way to check off balanced nutrition for your kids without the hassle of shopping and cooking, Little Spoon simplifies the equation.
Visit LittleSpoon.com now to get started and use code NEW25 to score 25% off your first order!
