Baby & Kids

Nurture Life vs. Little Spoon: I Fed My Kids Both for a Month — Here’s Which One We’re Still Using

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I’m a mom of two kids with very strong opinions about what they like (and don’t like) to eat. So, dinner in our house usually involves a lot of protesting, some negotiating, and half-eaten plates of whatever I had the energy to cook that night. After years of dinnertime battles, I finally decided to try a kids meal delivery service to see if they really deliver on what they promise – kid-approved, balanced meals that are ready in minutes.

After testing Nurture Life and Little Spoon side by side for a month, there’s a clear winner in my household. Here’s how they compare.

If your kids are picky eaters… Nurture Life wins

Andrew, my six-year-old, can spot a vegetable from across the room and exile it to a corner of the plate. Olivia, my two-year-old, rejects anything with a surprising texture. So the real test wasn’t, “Is it healthy?” it was, “Will they actually eat it?”

Little Spoon’s Mac and Three Cheese was a hit, but a lot of their Plates have eight-plus visible ingredients, which is a lot for a kid who treats food variety as a threat. The Lunchers were fun for about two weeks before the novelty wore off.

Nurture Life hides vegetables more convincingly. The Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles and Broccoli were an immediate hit, and the Beef Taco Pockets disappeared without a word of protest. I will be taking that win.

If your kitchen turns to chaos at 5pm… Nurture Life Wins

My kitchen turns from calm to chaos at exactly 5pm. Both kids are hungry and I have minutes before someone starts crying. So when it comes to dinner prep, every second counts.

Little Spoon Plates need to be microwaved in their sealed trays so the film can steam the food. It’s designed to be convenient, but I don’t love reheating my kids’ food in plastic. Nurture Life meals go straight onto a plate and into the microwave for a minute. Done.

Delivery frequency matters here too. Little Spoon ships every two weeks, so you’re either freezing batches ahead or gambling on day 12. I gambled and lost more than once, and I had to scrap dinner together last-minute. Nurture Life ships weekly, so there’s always something fresh in the fridge.

If Portion Sizes Matter… Nurture Life Wins

Little Spoon’s portions run on the small side. My six-year-old asked for a snack an hour after dinner more than once, which told me these are probably better suited to younger kids or lighter appetites than mine.

Nurture Life delivers just as much variety — comfort foods, pasta dishes, globally inspired flavors, protein-forward meals — but the portions actually match a growing kid’s appetite. Dinner held them over till bedtime, no bonus snack required.

If you have kids at different ages… Nurture Life wins

This is the thing nobody warns you about. Little Spoon scopes your account to one eating stage — babies get baby food, big kids get Plates and Lunchers — and you can’t mix them in one cart. Two kids at different stages means two separate accounts.

Nurture Life is one account, one box, every age. Finger Foods for the toddler, Kids Meals for the big kid, all in the same order. No age gate, no juggling logins. I didn’t realize how much I’d resent managing two systems until I didn’t have to anymore.

If you’re watching your grocery budget… Nurture Life wins

Little Spoon’s per-meal price looks lower on paper ($6.42–$7.92), but add the flat $9.99 shipping fee and smaller orders end up costing more than expected. Nurture Life runs $7.69 per meal with volume discounts that kick in as your order grows, plus first-order deals up to 50% off. At the order sizes an actual family needs, it evened out — or came out ahead.

Final Thoughts: Which one wins for our family?

Both brands have their strengths, but for a house with two kids at two different stages, a 5pm that never goes according to plan, and zero patience for running two separate meal systems — Nurture Life wins. The portions actually hold them over till bedtime, the hidden veggies actually stay hidden, and I’m not stuck freezing batches to make it to day 12. Most importantly? My kids actually enjoy their dinners and 9 times out of 10 they finish every bite. For a busy mom with too much on her plate, I’m more than happy to hand the dinner duties over to Nurture Life.

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