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Yumble vs Nurture Life: Which Meal Service Is Best For Your Kids?

Yumble vs Nurture Life: Which Meal Service Is Best For Your Kids?
Latest posts by Keith Lindner (see all)

Are you looking for the best meal delivery service for your kids? Today I’d like to discuss two of the most popular choices: Yumble vs Nurture Life.

They both claim to be healthy, tasty, perfectly reliable, and of great value. But only one can be the best, right? Let’s take a closer look at these services and evaluate if they’re truly worth the money.

Yumble and Nurture Life are currently two of the biggest brands in this industry, so I’ve decided to compare them side by side. This article will evaluate their similarities and differences, explain their qualities and possible downsides, and help you decide which one should work the best for you.

Let’s start with the main differences between these services.

Main Differences Between Yumble vs Nurture Life

The main differences between Yumble vs Nurture Life are:

  • Yumble is suitable for kids from 1 year of age, whereas Nurture Life has options for younger babies.
  • Yumble has a smaller range of meals on offer, whereas Nurture Life has considerably more dishes to choose from.
  • Yumble has fewer free-from options, whereas Nurture Life has options for many food allergies and preferences.
  • Yumble always comes with free shipping, whereas Nurture Life applies a shipping fee on most orders.
  • Yumble only has kids‘ portions, whereas Nurture Life also has meals for adults.

Yumble vs Nurture Life – The Kid’s Meal Deliveries Compared

Choosing the best meal delivery for your little one can be a bit tricky. While the food must be, first of all, safe, healthy, fresh, and full of nutrients, the meals must also be tasty and fun for your kids to enjoy.

Furthermore, there are some other factors to consider, too, including affordability, frequency of delivery, cancellation policy, ease of preparation, or special dietary needs. Finding the right match for you and your kids can eventually turn out to be quite demanding.

To spare you from the lengthy research, I’ve summarized the most important features and distinctive characteristics of Yumble and Nurture Life below:

Yumble – In Depth

Yumble

Yumble is currently one of the most successful meal deliveries for kids in the US. The company was established in 2016 by Joanna Parker – a frustrated mom of three who craved to spend less time preparing food for her kids so that she could actually spend more time with them.

Since Joanna’s struggle was very familiar to thousands of other American moms and dads, the brand (first known as Panda Plates and only rebranded to Yumble in 2017) became a huge success. Currently, it is approximately $8.3 million net worth and serves thousands of regular customers.

Is it the right choice for you too? Let’s explore it in detail.

Meal Variety and Selection

In my personal experience, there are just two types of kids when it comes to eating: those who would eat almost anything and those who refuse nearly everything. Nevertheless, the key to success in both cases lies in variety – and Yumble has a lot of diverse and colorful meals on the menu.

Every week, you can choose from 27 different meals across three age-defined categories. Yumble is suitable for kids between 1 and 13 years of age, but the offer is probably most comprehensive for kids between 3 and 8 years old – that’s where I’ve seen the most variety.

The food is all adapted for the respective ages, but the meals look very traditional, just like you would prepare them for your family. Many recipes are also apparently inspired by different world cuisines, so you can have a little fun exploring new flavors.

If your kid is a particularly picky eater or you’re trying to improve their eating habits after allowing them too much comfort food, you’ll also certainly appreciate Yumble’s healthier takes on classics like pizza pockets, chicken nuggets, mac n’ cheese, and ravioli.

Ingredients

Yumble Ingredients

When it comes to healthiness and safety, Yumble seems to work hard to meet the expectations of modern concerned parents. All of the meals are therefore perfectly nutritionally balanced and made of top-quality, primarily organic ingredients.

These include even some of the so-called superfoods like quinoa, but there are also many classic hearty ingredients like creamy cheeses and various types of meat, so there’s always something to choose regardless of the individual taste of your little one.

The good thing is that all Yumble meals come with some veggies and/or greenery. Even if your kid won’t jump at it right from the start, there’s a good chance they will eventually start exploring these healthy ingredients and getting used to their taste and texture.

Special Diets

Sometimes we try to avoid some specific food for a good reason – if your kid is allergic or intolerant to certain ingredients, you certainly know what I mean. Fortunately, Yumble caters to kids with some of the most common special dietary needs, too – it offers gluten-free, egg-free, milk-free, soy-free, and even purely vegetarian meals.

Sadly, the facility where Yumble meals are made is not completely nut-free, so these meals are not safe for those who suffer from nuts allergies.

Taste and Portions

Taste is a highly individual thing, so I am probably not going to be very objective here. Nevertheless, I believe it’s safe to say that most Yumble meals are really tasteful, well combined, and visually appealing. Nevertheless, I came across some fairly bland meals (or ingredients) on Yumble’s menu too, so I would suggest having some basic (kid-safe) seasoning at hand for such cases.

When it comes to portion sizes, they seem to be quite appropriate for the respective age groups. But if you hope to enjoy an effortless meal along with your kid, too, note that Yumble does not offer adult portions or portions for older teenagers, which is quite a pity, in my opinion.

Delivery

Yumble meals are delivered on a weekly basis. You receive your delivery right at your doorstep, store the pre-portioned meals in your fridge, and take them out as needed. They all will last for at least 7 days, so you are free to choose which one you will eat first.

What I really appreciate is that each delivery includes free stickers and some tabletop activities that can help your kid’s hands stay occupied while you feed them – or they can simply have some fun with them afterward as a reward.

One important thing to note here – beware that Yumble is not available in every state. As far as I know, it’s currently delivered around the whole East Coast, in Texas, and some Midwest and West Coast states too.

Preparation

Yumble

All Yumble meals can be prepared in about 1 to 3 minutes – most of them just need to be heated in a microwave or on a stovetop.

Although you might be tempted to freeze these meals, it is not officially recommended by the producer. Maybe it has something to do with their packaging, or it’s just about the mere fact that freezing can change the nutritional value or texture of the food.

Prices and Subscription Policy

Unlike some other meal delivery services with rather complicated pricing schemes and extra costs, Yumble makes things very clear and transparent. For example, meals come in packs of 6 to 8, and a single portion will cost you between $6.24 and $6.99, which makes it somewhat cheaper compared to most of the competition.

The minimum order is $39.95 per delivery with 6 meals included. Moreover, this price already includes the shipping fee.

Regarding the subscription/cancellation policy, Yumble makes it clear that you’re free to cancel, skip, or even pause weekly deliveries whenever you decide to. Unfortunately, it does not allow test trials or one-off meal orders.

Yumble Pros

  • Nice variety of meals for every taste
  • Well-balanced dishes made of healthy ingredients
  • Offers meals free from major allergens
  • Free shipping
  • Cheaper than competition
  • Extra stickers and fun activities with each delivery
  • Transparent pricing and cancellation policy

Yumble Cons

  • Yumble meals are suitable only from 1 to 13 years
  • The variety is nice but not huge
  • Not available around the whole country

Nurture Life – In Depth

Nurture Life Kids Meals

Just like Yumble, Nurture Life was also established by a mom who was first concerned with the healthy eating habits of her own kids.

Jennifer Chow later teamed up with nutrition specialists, dietitians, and chefs and, in 2015, created a whole system of pre-prepared meal kits that now simplify the life of thousands of American families.

Nurture Life is currently available all over the US, and it reportedly grows in both popularity and revenues each year. This brand is also not afraid of implementing various innovations and changes, so it constantly keeps improving and updating its services.

Should it be your first choice? Let’s see.

Meal Variety and Selection

If you were previously impressed with the variety offered by Yumble, Nurture Life’s menu might really blow your mind. The offer consists of 11 varieties of finger food meals for toddlers, 23 original meals for kids, and 20 different meals for teens and adults.

If you always look for something new, this will suit you well. The choice is now even wider with new mix-and-match options that allow you to combine your own weekly menus almost endlessly to your individual taste.

The selection is also simplified with thoughtful categories like “Picky Eater Fav” and “Grab and Go” – this definitely helps you out when you’re totally new to this and feel a bit lost. However, the meals on offer mostly look very familiar and homey, so you shouldn’t have difficulty finding what you want.

The food contains all the classic choices, including meatballs, various types of kid-friendly pasta, stews, and nuggets. There are also nice variations on pizza pockets, pulled pork, or dumplings.

Unlike Yumble, Nurture Life now also offers some snacks and on-the-go alternatives that don’t need to be heated right before eating. These are very convenient when you’re spending a day out or running some errands with your kids.

Ingredients

Just like Yumble, Nurture Life uses only natural, fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients that will provide your kids with the best nutritional value without compromising their health. This company also claims to use only antibiotic- and hormone-free meat and avoids artificial colors, aromas, and preservatives.

Each meal on offer includes fresh or minimally processed vegetables and greeneries. There are also purely vegetarian meals to choose from.

In comparison with Yumble, Nurture Life seems to focus on fiber-rich nutrition much more. I really appreciated the emphasis on oats and legumes, for example, which are my favorites when it comes to healthy kid meals since kids usually like them much better than green veggies.

Special Diets

Nurture Life Kids Meals

Jennifer Chow, the founder of Nurture Life, is herself allergic, and one of her sons has inherited several food allergies from her too.

As a result, Nurture Life is incredibly cautious and detail-oriented when it comes to special nutrition and accommodates many different needs, including nut-free, fish-free, egg-free, soy-free, milk-free, gluten-free, sesame-free, and pork-free diets.

Whether you’re dealing with light or severe food allergies or you want to avoid certain ingredients for cultural and religious reasons, Nurture Life is a mindful and reliable choice.

Taste and Portions

When I first browsed Nurture Life’s online catalog, the meals seemed to look quite common and unsurprising to me. Nevertheless, when I later dipped my spoon in some of these dishes, I was honestly surprised by how good they actually were.

Nurture Life chefs truly know how to prepare even the simplest meals like cheese ravioli or butter chicken with the right amount of juiciness, contrasting combinations, and richness of tastes. I cannot recall a single Nurture Life meal I didn’t like at all, and some of them were so good that I would be happy to order them in a restaurant too.

This leads me right to the portions: Yes, I could actually eat Nurture Life’s nutritious meal options myself because it offers portions for older teens and adults too! This makes it a handy choice for the whole family. Moreover, Nurture Life also caters to the smallest kids, offering a separate range of lovely finger food from 10 months of age.

Delivery

Just like Yumble, Nurture Life is delivered right to your door once per week. If your order costs at least $59, the shipping is for free. Otherwise, prepare to pay an $8 shipping fee per delivery. Nurture Life is available in all continental states of the US. The deliveries come in recyclable insulated boxes and some plastic.

Preparation

Nurture Life Kids Meals

Nurture Life provides you with completely pre-portioned and pre-prepared meals, ideal for busy parents. Your only job is usually pulling them out of the fridge and heating them in your microwave or on the stovetop. You can heat the meals directly in the BPA-free trays they arrived in. The only exception is finger food – this must be removed from its original packaging first.

Unlike Yumble, Nurture Life does not discourage its customers from freezing the meals. If you don’t eat them in seven days from delivery, you can store them in your freezer for up to 3 months.

Prices and Subscription Policy

Calculating the definite price of your Nurture Life delivery is a bit more complicated than it was with Yumble. While the cheapest toddler/kids‘ dishes will cost you between $6.89 and $8.99, larger portions for teens or adults are $10.99 each.

Then there’s also the aforementioned factor of shipping fee, which might or might not be applied to your order. Plus, you can also add a few snacks to your delivery at an extra price. In general, we can say that your Nurture Life order will cost you a bit more than Yumble. Nevertheless, it will also most likely include more meals or at least larger portions.

In regard to the cancellation policy, Nurture Life is quite similar to Yumble. The subscription can be canceled or paused at any time, and you can also skip a scheduled delivery if it suits you. Again, no one-off meal orders or trials are allowed.

Nurture Life Pros

  • Huge variety of meal options
  • Healthy and balanced dishes made of wholesome ingredients
  • Caters to many special diets
  • Finger food for the smallest kids
  • Healthy organic food
  • Adult portions are available too
  • Great taste
  • Meals can be frozen
  • Available in all continental states

Nurture Life Cons

  • Prices are a bit higher
  • Shipping is not free on all orders

Are There Any Alternatives?

Yumble and Nurture Life are not the only meal deliveries for kids on the market. Here are some nice alternatives worth considering too:

Yumi

Yumi

Is your little one too young for Yumble or Nurture Life? Yumi is a meal delivery service focused on the smallest babies who just started exploring normal, balanced meal options. Yumi delivers its freshly made baby food on a weekly basis. It’s always fully organic, free from preservatives, glutens, major allergens, or added sugar.

From baby food purees to finger foods, snacks, and vitamins – Yumi will cover your baby‘s daily needs without any additional effort on your side.

Intrigued? You can read more about Yumi in this full Yumi review or in our recent Yumi vs. Little Spoon comparison!

Tiny Organics

Tiny Organics

Another healthy and popular meal delivery service for kids is called Tiny Organics. As the name suggests, this service offers meals made of exclusively organic ingredients and focused on healthy plant-based dietary choices. The food is also free from all major allergens and doesn’t contain any added salt or sugar.

Tiny Organics currently caters only to babies and toddlers. All meals arrive in a fully pre-portioned and pre-prepared state. Just heat them up, and they’re ready. Are you looking for more choices? Read our Best Organic Baby Food Delivery and Subscription Services article for even more great alternatives!

The Verdict: Yumble vs Nurture Life

While both Yumble vs Nurture Life are pretty good choices, if I had to pick just one of these two, I would have to vote for Nurture Life due to its greater variety, more healthy meal options for those with special dietary restrictions, and wonderful restaurant-grade taste. The food is always appealing, delicious, and easy to finalize.

I particularly like Nurture Life’s option to order both kids‘ and adults’ portions – enjoying such an effortless family dinner after a long working day is simply wonderful. On the other hand, this service is a bit more expensive, so it might not suit every budget.

Whether you decide on Nurture Life too or you’ll eventually prefer some of the other services instead, I hope this article provided you with all the information you were looking for. For more inspiration on kids‘ meals and healthy diet, try reading our Guide to Finding & Making the Best Baby Food next!

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