In today's fast-paced world, parents are constantly seeking convenient and nutritious options to feed their children. Yumi has emerged as a popular choice, offering a range of organic snacks and meals designed for infants and toddlers. This article delves into a comprehensive review of Yumi, exploring its products, pros, cons, and overall value proposition.
What is Yumi?
Yumi is a brand specializing in 100% USDA Organic and vegan snacks for babies and toddlers. Their product line includes smoothie melts, meltable puffs, snack bars, and breakfast bars. Yumi's recipes are crafted without milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts (except coconut), peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame, making them suitable for children with common allergies and a school-friendly snack option. All Yumi products are also kosher.
Yumi's Shift from Baby Food Subscription to Snack Focus
Yumi previously offered a baby food subscription service featuring nutrient-dense blends and bites tailored to different age groups and developmental stages. However, the brand has currently paused this program to concentrate on its snack lines. While the baby food subscription is on hold, there is hope that Yumi will expand its offerings to include baby food purees and complete meals in the future.
Commitment to Safety: Heavy Metal Testing
Recent concerns about heavy metals in baby food have prompted increased scrutiny of baby food brands. Yumi has partnered with the Clean Label Project to test its products for over 400 contaminants, including heavy metals and toxins. This partnership reflects Yumi's commitment to providing safe and high-quality products for infants and toddlers.
Availability: Where to Purchase Yumi Products
Yumi products are readily available for purchase both online and in various retail stores across the country. You can find Yumi snacks at Target, Walmart, Wegman's, Whole Foods Market, Publix, Sprout's, Gelson's, Meijer, Harris Teeter, and Erewhon.
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An In-Depth Review of Yumi's Snack Offerings
To provide a comprehensive review of Yumi, a panel of parents and children tested the brand's product line. The review incorporates feedback from registered dietitians and parents nationwide who have used Yumi products.
Smoothie Melts
Priced at approximately $5 per bag, Yumi's Smoothie Melts are designed as a first finger food for babies, dissolving quickly and easy to pick up. Available in Mango & Carrot and Strawberry & Kale flavors, these melts are a favorite among babies and toddlers.
One of the key advantages of Yumi's melts is their organic certification and simple, high-quality ingredient list, featuring a variety of fruits and vegetables. Instead of yogurt, Yumi uses coconut cream, making the melts dairy-free while still providing a source of calcium.
Testers noted that the melts dissolve quickly and appropriately, unlike some other brands. The resealable bag makes them convenient for on-the-go snacking. However, some users have observed inconsistencies in size, with some melts being significantly smaller than others.
Overall, Yumi's Smoothie Melts are a popular choice for parents seeking a wholesome and convenient snack that supports the development of their child's pincer grasp.
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Meltable Puffs
Yumi's Meltable Puffs, priced around $5 per container, are designed for babies aged 8 months and up. These puffs are firmer than the melts and offer a different texture for developing eaters.
The puffs have a mild, veggie-forward flavor that appeals to many children. The container is resealable and reusable, making it ideal for travel and storage.
A significant advantage of Yumi's puffs is that they are a rice-free alternative, made with organic sorghum flour and organic cassava flour. They contain no artificial flavors or added sugar and are made with high oleic sunflower oil, which has a higher concentration of healthy monounsaturated fats than standard sunflower oil.
Yumi's puffs are also fortified with choline, an important nutrient for brain development, and iron, which can be challenging to incorporate into a child's diet.
Snack Bars
Priced at approximately $1.50 per bar, Yumi's Snack Bars are a convenient and nutritious on-the-go snack for kids. At 70 calories per bar, they are perfectly sized for toddlers and come in kid-friendly flavors.
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The base of the bars is made with organic oat flour, organic date paste, and organic coconut oil, while the filling is packed with a blend of fruits and vegetables. Yumi uses organic fruit juice for color instead of artificial dyes and fortifies the bars with vitamin C and zinc to support a healthy immune system.
Flavors include Blueberry & Purple Carrot, Apple Cinnamon & Squash, Mango & Kale, and Strawberry & Rhubarb. While the bars are soft, they can be prone to crumbling.
Super Breakfast Bars
Yumi's Super Breakfast Bars, also priced around $1.50 per bar, are a larger and more substantial version of the snack bars, containing 120 calories. These bars are designed as a convenient breakfast option for children who may be reluctant to eat a traditional meal.
The Super Breakfast Bars contain 7 grams of fiber, which can aid in digestion. However, it is recommended to serve these bars with water to ensure proper fiber digestion. While the bars have no added sugar, they do contain natural sweetness from dates. The texture of the bars is soft but holds its shape better than the traditional snack bars.
One parent noted that the bar "sneaks fruits and vegetables into the ingredients that you cannot taste… I didn’t even tell him what the ingredients were and he seemed to like this bar so that is a win in my opinion."
Yumi: Pros and Cons
To summarize the findings of the Yumi review, here is a list of the brand's pros and cons:
Pros:
- Wide assortment of snacks for infants and toddlers
- All products are USDA Organic and Certified Gluten-Free
- Nutritionally-balanced offerings
- Kid-friendly flavors
- Products are verified by the Clean Label Project
- Items can be purchased online and in stores nationwide
Cons:
- No baby food purees or meals currently available
- Relatively expensive compared to other brands
Is Yumi Worth It?
Yumi products come at a premium price point, but they offer top-notch ingredients that are completely organic and plant-based. Parents can feel confident feeding their children Yumi snacks, knowing that they are free from most major allergens and packed with essential nutrients. While the brand's product line is currently limited to snacks, there is hope that Yumi will expand its offerings in the future to include baby food purees and other products for infants.
Alternative Baby Food Options
While Yumi is a popular choice for parents seeking organic and convenient baby food options, there are other brands to consider.
- Little Spoon: Little Spoon offers a variety of staged purees for babies, as well as healthy meals for toddlers and kids up to 6 years old. Their menu is USDA organic-certified, 100% plant-based, and accommodates allergies.
- Tiny Organics: Tiny Organics offers 100% organic food, with a focus on plant-based options. They provide a range of purees and other meals for babies and families.
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