My Yumi Baby Food Review
Is fresh, organic baby food worth it? (And does it pass the taste test?)
Yumi is a prepared meal delivery service for babies, toddlers, and busy moms. They offer new seasonal recipes every week as well as classic favorites, with your choice of a pre-made assortment or your own handpicked menu of meals. Each meal is low in sugar, preservative-free, nutrient-dense and crafted from certified organic ingredients made fresh in California.
There are three stages available that cater to your child's age and preparedness for varying textures at different times, ranging from smooth purees to finger foods. Yumi meals are also thoughtfully designed to maximize nutrient absorption through clever pairings, to balance sugar intake with fibrous veggies, and to help little ones adjust to new tastes and textures with familiar and unique ingredients.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your first purchase!
CODE: MSA50
Why I Tried Yumi
My 4-month-old baby, Ronan, has been struggling with reflux since he was about a month old. After 2 months of continued digestive issues that largely didn't phase him (though the laundry has taken a toll on this mom!), he recently returned to the pediatrician for his four-month appointment. She suggested Ronan might be ready to start on foods. I was really shocked to hear not only that he could start on food already, but her recommendation was to start him on foods that I was also eating.
She explained that there are three behaviors babies do to let you know they are ready to start solids. The first behavior is to simply act interested. Ronan was watching every move I made during mealtime, so I knew he was at least curious. Another cue is when you are taking a bite, the baby will start to mimic that action. The third behavior to look for is if the baby is actually reaching for your food. Ro wasn’t quite reaching for food yet, but he did check the other boxes, so that had me feeling excited to try Yumi's pureed baby foods.
About Yumi
The Box: Yumi
The Cost: Each meal is $5 for the 1 meal per day shipment, $4.64/2 meals per day, $4.29/3 meals per day. Buy 7 meals and get 1 free as a part of the 1 meal per day plan. Save 20% by paying monthly.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your first purchase!
CODE: MSA50
The Products: Fresh, certified organic 4 oz meals for babies starting at 4 months old.
Ships to: The contiguous United States
This package was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Yumi Menu
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When you sign up for Yumi, they walk you through building your baby's meal plan. You'll first select how many meals you'd like to order per day (your choice of 1, 2, or 3 meals per day) and then you'll take a look at what's on the menu. Yumi does not automatically set your menu according to your baby's age, but they do walk you through their different food stages and food options. The menu changes every week and they offer over 70 flavors.
Yumi Blends and Purees
Yumi organizes their blends and purees into stages:
- Stage 1 - Smooth Singles: single-ingredient purees for 4+ months. Example flavors: Spinach, pumpkin, purple sweet potato, peach, and dragon fruit.
- Stage 2 - Smooth Soups & Pies: multi-ingredient smooth purees for 7+ months. Example flavors: Mulligatawny soup, pumpkin pie, split pea soup.
- Stage 3 - Chunky Puddings & Bowls: multi-ingredient chunky purees for 9+ months. Example flavors: Coconut amaranth pudding, peaches & blackberry chia pudding, kabocha buckwheat bowl.
Yumi Finger Foods
Yumi also offers solid foods for tots and independent eaters:
- Stage 4 - Bites and Puffs: nutrient-dense meals and munchies for 10+ months. Example flavors: Cubano bites, beet puffs, broccoli lentil bite, cauliflower puffs, pizza bites.
Meal Plan Options
You'll be able to customize your baby's meal plan by choosing to receive flavors from a single stage or a mix.
- Variety Pack - A mix of stage 2 and 3 blends.
- Starters Only - One jar each of Stage 1 puree.
- Finger Foods Only - Bites and puffs for kids who are ready for solids.
- Bites and Blends - Special chef collaborations featuring a mix of bites and blends.
If you're not sure what's right for your little one, Yumi has nutritionists you can consult if you are unsure of what types of meals to choose, how much to feed, or have any other questions.
When you checkout, they provide you with a delivery estimate and a date up to when you're able to edit your order. If you have a change of heart after you checkout, you are able to swap out any flavor or completely start over, which is such an awesome feature.
Yumi Baby Food Packaging
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My Yumi package arrived in an insulated box with two big ice packs to keep my order fresh.
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This shipment came with a poster to check off each meal you try, a sheet of stickers and a sheet with nutrition facts for each of my meals.
Each jar came dated with the same expiration which was a week from when my shipment arrived. Yumi meals keep fresh in the fridge within 24 hours of opening and up to 2 months in the freezer.
Yumi Baby Food Taste Test
I chose the Stage One Starters Plan purees for my four-month-old. Ronan is just starting out on foods, so right now we are just testing the waters to see what he may like. We divided our taste test into savory vegetable flavors and sweet fruit flavors.
Here's my taste tester, ready to go!
Vegetable & Legume Purees
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First, Ronan tried the kabocha squash, carrot, kale, and black bean single-ingredient purees.
Kabocha Squash
This reminded me of a mix of pumpkin and sweet potato. We don’t eat a lot of squash in this house, which you can probably tell from my description, but it was actually pretty tasty! You can tell Yumi makes their meals from very fresh produce, because this tastes like something straight from the kitchen. I enjoyed the texture, and it inspired me to check out the squash selection at my local grocery store. Ronan had mixed feelings on this one; I think, judging from watching his reactions to these 8 meals, he prefers the meals that hang on to their natural, less “gooey” textures.
Carrot
The freshness of the carrot puree was unreal. I know I’ve tried carrot baby food in the past, and it was bland and utterly unappetizing. Yumi didn’t blend these carrots into an unrecognizable goo; I like that and so does Ronan! The bold carrot taste was not watered down, and there was still a nice texture to it. Ronan kept his mouth wide open for the carrots, even though he did end up pushing most of them out of his mouth. We will just have to try these again, I think, when he is feeling hungrier.
Kale
This is the only puree I didn’t end up feeding to Ronan; I thought this stringy meal would be a little difficult for my beginner to swallow. It didn’t smell like something I would enjoy, but I tried it for this review’s sake. The taste was not bad, but it was the texture that I didn’t vibe with. I am going to freeze this meal and try to feed it to him when he is a little more experienced.
Black Beans
When I saw that black beans were an option, I had to check it out for the high protein and fiber content. I was expecting a thicker, pastier meal, but the consistency was very smooth and wet, and the black bean flavor was fresh and delicious. I was surprised that Ronan really enjoyed this flavor, too! It was a shocker because he seemed to really like the sweeter meals, but this kid is loving his beans... which is good and bad... haha!
Fruit Purees
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On the fruit puree menu for Ronan: pear, dragon fruit, apple, and Japanese sweet potato.
Pear Puree
The pear puree is exactly what it sounds like: mashed up pears. It had that nice gritty texture pears are known for, but it wasn’t overly sweet like a ripe pear can be. Ronan was enthusiastic from the get-go with the pear puree. There were a few flavors we had to introduce a few times for him to get a feel for them, but as soon as he tried a spoonful of pear, he gave me a gummy smile and most of it stayed inside of his mouth!
Dragon Fruit
I was most excited to try this meal out, and it tasted exactly as I imagined. There are really fine seeds in the mix, which I liked, and the bright red/purple color seemed more appetizing than the beige and yellow blends. It was a little tart, which I could tell from Ronan’s pursed lips. Yumi explains that sometimes it takes a baby a few tastes to make up their opinion about some foods; it took us a few failed attempts to realize that Ro was lukewarm about this particular meal.
Apple Puree
Of course, this meal was a hit! Who doesn’t love apple? With no added sugar, this was naturally sweet which was refreshingly different than the store-bought apple blends that are loaded with sugar. The sweet blends were some of Ro’s favorites; he didn’t push them out of his mouth like some of the vegetable blends. He comes by his sweet tooth honestly!
Japanese Sweet Potato
This meal was Ronan’s absolute favorite. His eyes got wide, and he kept his mouth open for more, more, more! I am keeping his helpings of solids small, up to two tablespoons per feeding for now, so when I shut him off, he was very disappointed. Apparently he loves carbs, just like his mom! This blend was very smooth and sweet and definitely a winner for Roni.
One happy taste tester!
Ronan is so excited to start his journey with solids! He was very enthusiastic about the Yumi meals, especially the Japanese Sweet Potato and Pear shown above. It was a real challenge getting a clear shot of this kid, let alone getting a spoon into his mouth! All in all, he did very well with the puree blends. I noticed a slight improvement on his reflux, and I think after a month or so of purees, he might be ready for a more advanced stage of meals. Because he is just starting out, he did not eat much of any of the meals, so I used an ice tray to freeze each meal into individual serving sizes, so this shipment will stretch for a few weeks of feedings.
The Verdict
I was impressed overall by Yumi's presentation and contents. $4.38 per jar is higher than grocery store prices, but if you aren't impressed by the shelf-stable blends at your local store and don't have the time to concoct your own meals, this may be a great fit for you. I am comfortable in the kitchen, so these single-ingredient meals seem like something I could easily do myself, but there were way more exciting options available in more advanced stages. Everything was very fresh and a lot more appealing than the baby food I remember; it made me feel good to feed my baby such ingredient-conscious options.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your first purchase!
CODE: MSA50
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What do you think of Yumi? Would you try it for your little one?
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