I attempt to feed my son organic fruits and veggies (at least when it comes to the EWG dirty dozen), and some days I even succeed. Other days, I spend hours peeling, chopping, and steaming only to discover that — surprise! — he hates cauliflower. So I’m always on the lookout for new store-bought options that help do the work for me.
Luckily, there are a slew of new organic baby food brands on the market that I put my 6-month-old to work sampling (he didn’t mind, trust me), and we found three that he loved. I love them, too, because, get this: They all deliver directly to your door, just like the family meal kit delivery services out there.
Which is something we can both agree on. Unlike cauliflower.
Related: 9 healthy, frozen teething snacks to cut down on sugar.
Pure Spoon
When I make baby food from scratch, almost all of the fruits and veggies require some form of heat to make them blendable (lest I serve my son a 100% mashed banana diet). So I was intrigued to hear about Pure Spoon, a new cold pressed baby food option. Cold pressed means that they use a hydraulic press to purée the produce without any heat, which some say helps preserve nutrients that are typically lost during the boiling or steaming process. Pure Spoon purées keep it simple in their combinations — think sweet potato and apples — but my son gave them two very sticky thumbs up.
Price: $2.90/meal
Subscription: You make a one-time purchase or subscribe to save 10% on each delivery box.
Choice: You can create your own pack of 10 or 20, or choose one of their pre-selected sampler boxes.
Shipping: Purées arrive ready-to-eat in plastic containers kept cool in an insulated delivery box.
Related: Superfoods for babies and toddlers: The 10 best foods for your beginner eater.
Raised Real
My son has a serious sweet tooth (no idea where he got that), so I’m always getting creative to persuade him to eat more veggies. For example, I end up mixing apple sauce into most of the savory stuff. So imagine how shocked I was when he happily ate a serving of cauliflower, quinoa, and green bean blend from Raised Real. Whoa.
Of all the brands that we tried, Raised Real offered the healthiest and most balanced options, although depending on your kids’ preferences and what you’ve been feeding them so far, you might have to introduce the foods a few times to get your little one used to these super healthy flavors. A Raised Real subscription comes with its own steamer-blender and two weeks’ worth of food packets; just know that you’ll have to allow 20-30 minutes of steaming time and 10-20 minutes of cooling before it’s ready to serve.
Price: $4.75/meal
Subscription: Yes, these meals are only available through membership, but you can cancel or pause at any time.
Choice: 20 meals chosen by Raised Real dietician show up at your door every two weeks.
Shipping: Meals arrive diced and frozen in an insulated delivery box. You just need to steam and puree.
Related: Storing baby food just got way easier.
Little Spoon
I couldn’t resist sampling a spoonful of each of the eclectic Little Spoon blends myslef and, wow, was I tempted to stash a couple in my purse for my own snack time. Their flavor combinations were interesting and delicious, like the chia, mango, and banana blend that my son (and I) couldn’t get enough of. Plus, most of the several-ingredient blends were beyond what I could make at home, helping justify the splurge.
Little Spoon foods are packed in traditional, ready-to-eat plastic containers that you store in your fridge; my only qualm was that each container comes with a small, disposable plastic spoon that I never used and felt bad tossing. But hey, if you’re always on the go, that might be a bonus for you. You do you, mamas!
Price: $3.92/meal
Subscription: Yes, but you’ll have to jump on the wait list. Once you land a membership, though, you can skip or cancel at any time.
Shipping: Purées come ready-to-eat in plastic containers delivered in an insulated delivery box.
Choice: They’ll create a meal plan based on your kid’s preferences and food sensitivities, but parents can modify the plan too.
Thanks to Pure Spoon, Raised Real, and Little Spoon for providing free samples for review.
