Grocery Baby Food Recalls Pushed Me to This Awesome Brand

By Ashley Graef

Since my most recent child arrived in 2020, I’ve been feeding her grocery store baby foods –– as I did with my other children and as many other moms have for years. I mainly stick to organic baby food, since I’m a bit of a health nut. But early this year, the U.S. House of Representatives released a report naming seven commercial baby foods whose food contains dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.

I can’t begin to tell you how much my anxiety and anger spiked after reading this report. Parents, and most importantly, our babies, deserve better. After learning about the dangerous levels of heavy metals in most grocery store brands, I started to make my own baby food to try to ensure my baby was getting the best. Having two other kids, making my own baby food and working full time was, needless to say, a near impossible task. I realized that there had to be a company that made high-quality, healthy, and honest baby food for moms like me, so I took to the internet.

After my web browser crashed (due to the 50 tabs I had open at one time) I hit Google. At first I almost ordered a subscription from a brand called Yumi. They had an offer for 50% off my first order that was appealing, but then I compared their normal prices and found their cost per meal was almost double that of similar options. Then my research led me to Little Spoon.

Little Spoon offers baby, toddler and big kid meals with a variety of organic ingredients. Their baby food line features over 100 ingredients with a focus on recipes that are rich in calcium, fiber, protein, iron, beta-carotene, and vitamins C and D. I learned from them that 65% of the nutrients babies consume in the first two years go straight to their growth. You really are what you eat! Little Spoon’s mission is to make parents’ lives easier, while still providing healthy and affordable meals for your baby.

Little Spoon offers two lines called Babyblends and Plates. Babyblends are USDA-organic, fresh, non-GMO, and cold-pressed purées for infants 0-11 months old. They have every stage available and use only real ingredients, with no preservatives, fortifiers, fillers, or artificial sugars. They ship fresh and can be kept in the fridge for 14 days or up to three months in the freezer. Purées include over a dozen Stage 1 starting solid options, plus more interesting blends as your child ages, like strawberry basil beet pear chia; kale white bean pear basil quinoa avocado oil; and spinach mango banana hemp.

Plates are for toddlers and bigger kids. They’re fresh, healthy meals chock-full of hidden vegetables and superfoods, so that your child is having a balanced meal no matter what’s on their plate. These meals are free of preservatives, additives, dyes, and artificial sugars. These meals also ship fresh and last in the fridge for 14 days, or up to three months in the freezer. I love knowing that I can use Little Spoon for years to come and to help my baby build healthy habits at every turn. Meals include mac and three cheese, with invisible butternut squash and carrots; chickpea spinach dippers with roasted sweet potatoes and marinara dip; and chicken pot stickers with quinoa veggie stir fry and edamame.

Little Spoon is a subscription with maximum flexibility, and it couldn’t be any easier to sign up. You’ll choose whether you want Babyblends or Plates, and answer some questions about your child to help personalize your plan and simply check out. After, you’ll choose from a menu of seasonal options to pick what you want in your first. And that’s it! You can pause or cancel anytime and customize your menu for each delivery.

Little Spoon has been my saving grace when it comes to feeding my kids. I was looking for my baby, and ended up finding an option for all my kids. I love knowing exactly what ingredients I’m getting in my children’s food, and I know they’re getting the proper vitamins needed. On top of that, it’s convenient and my kids love the food. Switching to Little Spoon was the best decision I could have made for my kids.

It’s time to stop worrying about what’s in your child’s food. Sign up for Little Spoon here.