Listen Up, New Parents: Yumi’s Fresh Baby Food Lives Up to the Hype
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Some products show up everywhere — subway ads, Instagram, celeb endorsements. With this series, we're testing such products to conclude one thing: Does it live up to the hype?
Yumi: the only baby food subscription service that delivers fresh — never frozen — organic baby food every week.
Baby food is polarizing. And the "best way" to do something seems to change every decade. Currently, there is the breastmilk-versus-formula debate. And then there is the jar-versus-pouch-versus-fresh-food debate. Should you practice baby-led weaning? Should you try the pouches because you can guarantee that your baby will get some nutrition?
As a parent, you can feel like you’re failing unless you feed your baby homemade, organic food. Here’s the truth: What you feed your baby is important. And turns out, it is extremely important to feed them to a variety of colorful, texture-rich, and fresh foods. And that is why we are serving Yumi in our house.
I’m a major nerd, and so are the founders of Yumi. They say so themselves! When companies can claim reputable clinical studies as the basis for their product, I get really excited. Yumi formulates meals for your kid that are completely based on their needs. Science, y’all — it’s amazing.
Why is Yumi so good for babies?
Traditional baby food is shelf-stable and comes in a jar. You know the aisle in the grocery store. Nothing is refrigerated, and most items contain preservatives to maintain that 2-year shelf stability. If you were given the option of applesauce that’s been on a shelf for two years or an apple, which would you choose?
Yumi’s founder, Evelyn Rusli, walked me through two different metrics that hit me hard as a new mom. The first one was the first 1,000 days. Basically, conception to age 2. Nutrition is insanely important. As I watch my kid learn new things each and every day, I realize this: The things that he eats are essentially the building blocks for his brain. Not figuratively. Literally. According to a study from The Lancet, a notable medical journal on child and adolescent health, 1 in 5 babies have an iron deficiency during the first 1,000 days. And 14 years later, issues in development were present for the iron-deficient kids. That’s just one element.
The second number that struck a chord with me was this: Your baby’s belly is a finite tank. If you’re filling it with applesauce, think of all the nutritional building blocks you’re not supporting. By age 2, nearly 80% of the adult brain is formed. Yes, 80%. If your baby is only eating applesauce and preservative-heavy purees, how do you expect them to reach their full potential?
Yumi’s “Milestones” plan selects meals that are specially formulated for your kiddo's age and development. For instance, James is 9 months old. The Milestones plan is set up to support the fact that he may be crawling (he is) with calcium-, magnesium-, and potassium-rich foods to support muscle and bone development. Neat!
What are the Yumi recipes?
Yumi's recipes start with single-ingredient purees for 5-month-olds, then they quickly increase the texture of each level of puree up to chunky mixes (for 10-month-olds) and bites (for 11 months and up). We started James with purple sweet potato puree. I mean just look at the sheer delight. This was his second day on solids.
At 7 months, the multi-ingredient purees are concoctions like an Adzuki Mushroom Soup (mushrooms, adzuki beans, onions, carrots, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, tarragon powder) and Strawberry Basil Pie (strawberry, Japanese sweet potatoes, white beans, coconut milk, basil). You can explore their menu to check out all of their meal options.
All of the Yumi blends contain at least 20% of the recommended daily amount in five (or more) key nutrients. Any parent will agree that knowledge makes baby-meal planning way less stressful.
How much does it cost?
Yumi’s plans allow you to order meals weekly or monthly, and they cost $3.75 to $4.35 per meal, depending on the amount you choose to receive per week. We’re currently on their “1 meal per day” plan since James eats breakfast, lunch, and snacks at daycare. Having his dinner planned allows me to enjoy the 2 hours I have with him each night before he goes to bed, instead of cooking or fretting over what's in the fridge.
As the Yumi ads say, if you feed your baby Yumi meals, your baby will be eating more adventurously than you do! Choosing Yumi is a no-brainer parenting decision that supports my baby's growing brain and body.
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