The Best Meal Kits For Kids And Families Of 2020

Our guide to prepared meal delivery services for kids, kid-friendly meal plans with shopping lists and meal kits for families.

HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices and availability subject to change.

Just in time for back-to-school season, these kid-friendly meal kits will have lunch on the table that they’ll actually want to eat.
filmstudio via Getty Images
Just in time for back-to-school season, these kid-friendly meal kits will have lunch on the table that they’ll actually want to eat.

As a busy parent who’s hurriedly checking off everything on your kiddo’s official back-to-school supply list — from planning a first day photo shoot to finding face masks that are kid-friendly — you’re probably also looking for hacks to make the school days at home less stressful on you and your little one.

This 2020 school year, you might be making more lunches than packing them. To make lunchtime easier, you could try out a meal kit for kids that delivers kid-friendly recipes, healthy prepared meals or meal kits for families right to your door.

These kid-friendly meal delivery services are designed with kids in mind, tailoring meals that your little ones will actually eat while giving them the fruits and veggies they need, too.

It’s difficult to parent during a pandemic, but it’s important to keep a routine during these uncertain times, especially for the kiddos who probably are asking lots of questions about what’s happening.

That’s why we went ahead and found the best meal kits for kids that the kiddos will love. Let these kid-friendly meal kits take one thing off your plate.

1. Yumble — The Best Kids Prepared Meal Delivery Service For Picky Eaters

What It Is: Yumble is a weekly subscription service that’ll deliver healthy prepared meals for kids between 1 and 12 years old, though the brand says it’s best for 3- to 6-year-olds.

How It Works: You pick from among plans and choose meals from that week’s menu, which can be filtered with options such as gluten-free and no soy and by age group. There are curated boxes, too, including one for picky eaters. The meals come fully cooked and can be heated in a microwave.

Plans And Prices: There are three plans: one that includes six meals a week for $8 a meal, another that’s eight meals at $7 a meal and one that offers 12 meals for $6 a meal.

2. Gobble — The Best Meal Delivery Services For Busy Families

What It Is: Gobble offers meal kits that are fully prepped — chopped, portioned and measured — and can be cooked in 15 minutes from recipes that are easy to follow. This meal kit is not specifically for kids, but because it includes meals that don’t take too much time and has a plan for a household of four, it might be a good option for busy families who are strapped for time.

How It Works: There are two different plans for your family size, and you pick out meals from a weekly menu. You’ll see labels such as “kid-friendly” and “customer favorite” on menu options. Once delivered, the meals should take 15 minutes to cook.

Plans And Prices: You can pick between the two-person plan, which includes three or four different meals a week priced at $12 each, or a four-person plan, which offers three or four different meals a week at $12 a meal.

What’s On The Menu: You’ll find meals such as noodles with shrimp and a sunny-side egg and beef lettuce cups on the upcoming menus, which you can see a couple of weeks in advance.

3. Baketivity — For Kid-Friendly Baking Recipes

What It Is: If your kiddos are always craving a sweet treat after school, you might want to try Baketivity, a monthly baking subscription box for kids. The brand sends you kid-friendly baking recipes with already measured ingredients (and a shopping list for wet ingredients) and instructions that kids can follow. Plus, the kids get their own aprons! It’s meant for kids who are 2 to 10 years old.

How It Works: When you sign up for a subscription (you can opt for a one-time baking kit, too), Baketivity will send a baking kit, recipe book and activity booklet. Subscription boxes are shipped on the 10th day of the month, and there’s a monthly schedule for each baked good.

Plans And Prices: You can choose a monthly plan that’s $33 a month, a three-month subscription that’s $31 per month, a six-month plan that’s $29 a month or a yearly plan that’s $26 a month.

What’s On The Menu: You’ll find all sorts of recipes, including ones for cake pops and bagels.

4. Dinnerly — The Best Kid-Friendly Meal Plan On A Budget

What It Is: Dinnerly describes itself as an “affordable meal kit” with meals that start at less than $5 a person. On its site, the brand says it tries to use fewer ingredients for fewer dishes and offers kid-friendly options on its weekly menu. While it is called Dinnerly, you can certainly make these meals for lunch and leave leftovers from dinner for the next day.

How It Works: You can pick the day you want your box delivered, along with the recipes. The menu items have labels such as “kid-friendly” and “under 30 minutes.” The brand will send the ingredients and digital recipe cards.

Plans And Prices: Dinnerly offers two plans. The first is called the “two-person box,” meant for a household of two adults. The second is the “family box,” intended for a family of four. Both plans have the options of three, four or five recipes a week. The meals start at $4 a person.

What’s On The Menu: You can see menus a couple of weeks in advance, and the weekly menus include recipes for such meals as pizza tortelloni that can be cooked in one pot and noodles with beef and broccoli.

5. Home Chef — The Best Meal Kit Service For Large Families

What It Is: Home Chef is a weekly meal kit delivery service that offers recipes that can be customized (swapping out a protein for another) and at different difficulty levels (such as easy and intermediate). It’s one of the few kid-friendly meal services out there that provides options for families of six people. Our editors tried it out for ourselves — it’s got the HuffPost Finds stamp of “Would Rec.”

How It Works: Before you sign up for the subscription, Home Chef asks you questions about things such as whether you’re a vegetarian. You build your box depending on how many meals you’d like a week and the people you’re cooking for. Once you pick from the menu for the week, the brand sends ingredients that have been pre-portioned, with recipe cards to follow.

Plans And Prices: You can choose a plan for two, four or six people, with the choice to cook two to six meals a week, making it a good meal plan service for a large family. The meals start at $7 per serving.

What’s On The Menu: On Home Chef’s menu, you’ll find meals such as sausage-stuffed peppers and beet and carrot salad. The service works for lunchtime, too, with options for “easy prep” meals and meals that take only 15 minutes to make.

Bonus: Raddish — The Kid-Friendly Meal Plan With Shopping Lists

What It Is: Since Raddish doesn’t actually send food, we didn’t include it in our above guide. But the brand describes itself as a “cooking club for kids,” so we thought it might be right for your kiddo. Raddish says young kids can cook alongside an adult, and older kids can cook by themselves.

How It Works: Every month, Raddish sends a new kit with a different culinary theme, emailing a shopping list for lunch recipes before the kit’s shipped out. Each kit comes with three recipe guides, a new kitchen tool, a craft project for the kids and a printed grocery checklist.

Plans and Prices: You can pick from among three plans. The monthly plan is $24 per kit. A six-month plan offers kits for $22 each. A yearly plan has kits for $20 each. If you go for either the six-month or yearly plan, you have to pay upfront.

What’s On The Menu: The August 2020 kit includes recipes for pesto pasta salad and pizza pockets. But remember: Raddish doesn’t send over the ingredients, just a list of them.

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN SHOPPING