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Little Spoon offers an organic meal delivery service for infants and young children. It is a convenient service that caters to a wide range of ages. However, it has a poor reputation online, and its menu does not rotate regularly.
Babies and young children require a nutritious and balanced diet, but it can be challenging to encourage them to eat a variety of foods.
Nutrition
Little Spoon specializes in delivering healthy foods for infants and children, providing convenient meals that are nutritionally balanced and free from harmful additives.
This article takes an in-depth look at Little Spoon, the meals’ health benefits, the benefits and drawbacks of the service, and more.
Please note that the writer of this article has not tried these products. All information presented is purely research-based and correct at the time of publication.
Medical News Today follows a strict product selection and vetting process. Learn more here.
Little Spoon provides fresh, organic meal options for babies, toddlers, and children. It started business in 2016.
It aims to ensure that its food contains as many vitamins and minerals as possible.
Little Spoon also hosts an online parenting platform called Is This Normal. This website helps users find answers to parenting-related questions. It also includes nutritional guidance for babies, toddlers, and children.
Little Spoon is for parents and caregivers who want to provide healthy and organic meals for the baby, toddler, or child.
The brand’s blended food is suitable for babies aged 6–9 months.
Little Spoon states that its Plate meals are suitable for toddlers as well as older children. It does not specify an upper age limit for these meals.
Little Spoon has no reviews on its Trustpilot page.
However, its Better Business Bureau (BBB) page has an F rating. Little Spoon does not have accreditation from the BBB.
Little Spoon has four customer reviews, which all awarded the company 1 star out of a possible 5. These reviews mention difficulties with delivery and cancellation and incorrect orders.
At the time of publishing, Little Spoon has closed three complaints in the last year.
The Little Spoon website displays only five-star reviews. These mention fresh, high quality, healthy meals, a wide range of flavors, and good customer service.
To remove harmful bacteria from its plant-based baby food products, Little Spoon uses cold pressure instead of heat pasteurization. It claims that cold pressure does not damage or remove the vitamins and nutrients in its foods, unlike heat pasteurization.
Experts usually recommend pasteurization to ensure food safety, especially for infants and young children. However, no scientific research supports Little Spoon’s claim about the benefits of cold pressure.
The company states it does not use any additives, preservatives, colors, or stabilizers. California Certified Organic Farmers have given the brand United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certification. Little Spoon also writes it is Non-GMO Project verified.
A
Although not exclusively plant-based, Little Spoon’s meals for toddlers and young children use hormone- and antibiotic-free eggs and meat from humanely-raised animals.
Little Spoon lets its customers pick a meal plan. The meals are pre-prepared and arrive ready to eat.
The company charges a flat rate of $2.99 for Babyblends orders and $5.99 for Plates orders.
Babyblends is Little Spoon’s solid food product range, in which all meals are plant-based. They contain proteins from legumes, seeds, and grains.
The Plates range of food products is for toddlers and young children. These meals are not exclusively plant-based.
People can order Babyblends and Plates together. The meals then ship to an address of the customer’s choice. Little Spoon can deliver anywhere in the contiguous United States.
People can pause, skip, cancel, or adjust meal plans at their convenience.
When a BabyBlends or Plates product arrives, Little Spoons claims it will stay fresh in a refrigerator for 14 days. Once opened, a person must consume it within 48 hours. The Babyblends and Plates products are also freezable.
Below are the advantages and disadvantages of the Little Spoon service.
Pros
- Meals come in recyclable and toxin-free packaging.
- The plates are reusable and dishwasher-safe.
- The company uses a food safety cold pressure technique that locks in nutrients, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Meals are often plant-based, making them suitable for vegetarians.
- Meals stay fresh for up to 14 days in the refrigerator.
- The ingredients are USDA-certified organic.
- The meals are Non-GMO Project certified.
- The company also offers a parent advice website.
Little Spoon uses over 100 different ingredients, which makes for diverse menus. However, the company states it changes its menu every few months to provide seasonal food. Some customers may prefer more regular changes to keep the child interested in the meals.
Little Spoon product ranges include Babyblends for babies and Plates for toddlers and young children. Additionally, customers have the option of ordering Boosters with their Babyblends delivery.
People can choose their plans on the Little Spoons website.
Babyblends
Babyblends are organic solid foods blended into a smooth puree. Little Spoon states they are USDA-certified organic and do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Little Spoon provides six stages of Babyblend foods:
- Stage 1: Single ingredient blends, including purple carrot, banana, or pear.
- Stage 2: Two-ingredient blends, including purple sweet potato and pear, golden beet and broccoli, or sweet potato and carrot.
- Stage 3: Three-ingredient blends and a texture to expand the palate. Examples include:
- beet, banana, and mango
- kale, carrot, and pear
- pea, pear, and mint
- Stage 4: Four-ingredient blend with a thicker texture. Example dishes include:
- gingerbread cookie
- avocado, green apple, broccoli, and spirulina
- carrot, mango, banana, and chia
- Stage 5: A blend including five or more ingredients. One recipe is quinoa, raspberry, pear, coconut milk, vanilla, date, and wheat germ oil.
- Stage 6: These are transition meals that are thicker and textured to help a child move onto table foods. One example is red lentil and chickpea curry.
Babyblends start at $2.99 per blend.
Plates
Little Spoon’s Plates include finger foods and kids’ meals. The company claims they are suitable for picky eaters and contain hidden vegetables. There are no preservatives or artificial ingredients, and they are low in sodium.
Little Spoon breaks its Plates down into three categories:
- Early: For children new to table foods. Meal examples include mini kale turkey meatballs, cauliflower croquettes, and red lentil pasta with veggie marinara sauce.
- Intermediate: For children that are more used to table foods. Examples include chicken super nuggets, three cheese egg bites, and turkey tacos.
- Advanced: This category is for older children. Example meals include turkey rice balls, cheesy black bean pupusas, and chicken tikka masala.
Prices start at $5.99 per plate.
Smoothies
Smoothers are snacks designed for children to eat on the go. Little Spoon writes that its smoothies contain hidden vegetables and superfoods, are certified organic, and have no added sugar or artificial ingredients.
Examples of smoothie flavors include:
- mango coconut chia pudding with coconut milk
- golden apple pie with golden beets and oats
- sweet potato carrot cake with flaxseed
- banana split with Greek yogurt
Prices start at $2.79 per smoothie.
Boosters
Boosters are Little Spoon’s range of all-natural supplements for customers to mix in food and bottles. Little Spoon writes that each Booster contains 100% of the recommended Daily Values of certain important vitamins for babies under 12 months old.
Parents and caregivers should check with a pediatrician before starting children on supplements, especially if they are already taking prescription vitamins.
As with many other Little Spoon products, Boosters are plant-based and free from GMOs, additives, and preservatives. They also have no added sugars and are free of the eight major allergens.
Prices start at $5.99 per pack of 5 sticks.
Little Spoon is not the only company focusing on healthy, natural, organic children’s and baby foods. Some alternatives to Little Spoon include:
- NurturMe: This company offers foods for infants and children free from gluten, dairy, soy, and egg. Prices start at $4.99 per serving.
- Yumi: This brand sells purees, finger food, snacks, and vitamins. They are free from major allergens and organized into stages, from single-ingredient purees to solid snacks. Plans start at $5 a day.
- Nurture Life: This company offers meals, smoothies, and snacks. However, its kitchen processes ingredients that are common allergens. Items start at $5.99 per serving.
A person can also combine delivery meals with nutritious baby foods they make at home.
The table below compares Little Spoon to its competitors.
Price range | Ages suitable for | Products | Shipping locations | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Little Spoon | $2.99–5.99 per meal | 6 months to older children | • Babyblends for babies • Plates for toddlers and older children | contiguous U.S. |
NurturMe | $4.99–32.99 | infants, toddlers, and children | • quinoa cereals • dairy-free yogurt alternative • power blends | • U.S. • international through iHerb |
Yumi | from $5 per day | 6–12 months | • baby food blends • baby “pinchable” foods • snacks • bites • vitamins | contiguous U.S. |
Nurture Life | $5.99–7.49 per item | infants to teenagers | • kids meals • finger foods • smoothies • snacks | contiguous U.S. |
Below, we answer some common questions about Little Spoon.
How do you use Little Spoon?
To use Little Spoon, a person first picks their plan based on the desired products. Little Spoon then delivers these products to the customer. People can pause, skip, or cancel their subscriptions at any time.
A person can refrigerate products for up to 14 days and freeze certain items for up to 3 months.
How long is Little Spoon good for after opening?
After a person opens a Little Spoon product, they should store these in the refrigerator and ensure the child consumes them within 2 days.
Do you heat Little Spoon food?
It is not essential to heat Little Spoon Babyblends. However, a person can do this if they wish by placing the container in a bowl of warm water or by using a microwavable dish in the microwave. A person should make sure it is not too hot for the child to eat after warming it.
Little Spoon recommends people heat up Plate meals. They can do this in the microwave or oven. Each Plate comes with heating instructions.
Is Little Spoon free of heavy metals?
An article on Little Spoon’s online parenting platform, Is This Normal, says that it partners with the Clean Label Project. This means its Babyblends products undergo testing for contaminants, including heavy metals.
Little Spoon does not claim its products are completely free from heavy metals. However, it does state that it uses ingredients rich in calcium and iron to help reduce the body’s absorption of heavy metals.
Little Spoon offers a meal delivery service that provides organic and nutritionally balanced foods and meals for babies, toddlers, and young children.
When looking for convenient foods for infants and children, it can help to stick with well-established, reputable brands.
Comparing online reviews from multiple sources may help a person establish the benefits and drawbacks of different brands and products.