What is SpoonfulOne? What does it do? What are the pros and cons of using it? Here's what families need to know about SpoonfulOne.
Landmark clinical studies (LEAP, EAT, PETIT) show that introducing allergens to your baby early and often, starting as early as 4-6 months of age is important. Parents have many options to consider when choosing how to introduce allergenic foods to their infants, one of which is SpoonfulOne.
But here's what parents need to know about SpoonfulOne first:
- SpoonfulOne Mix-In products are labeled for both bottle and food eaters, but they caveat bottle usage on their packaging, saying,“our mix-in is not intended to dissolve and may clog the nipple. This is normal as every serving includes 16 different foods. For optimal flow, shake throughout feeding and use a size 3 or larger/fast flow nipple.”
- SpoonfulOne Mix-In products contains added sugar.
- Since SpoonfulOne contains added sugar, they are not consistent with the USDA-HHS Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which states to "avoid foods and beverages with added sugars during the first 2 years of life."
- SpoonfulOne Mix-Ins doesn't follow the dosing levels found in the landmark studies (LEAP, EAT, and PETIT)
- SpoonfulOne is the subject of a class action lawsuit for allegedly misleading consumers regarding their dosage levels for puffs and crackers
- SpoonfulOne introduces multiple potentially allergy-causing foods all at once, which does not follow established physician practice which recommends introducing only one new food at a time
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SpoonfulOne Mix-ins can cost between $1.47 (bulk) - $2.20 (sachets) per serving
What is SpoonfulOne?
SpoonfulOne makes a system of mix-in products meant to introduce allergens early in babies, by introducing them to common allergenic foods early and often.
SpoonfulOne's co-founder, Dr. Kari Nadeau, set outto make an early allergen introduction system that introduced babies to the most common allergens, and that covered the foods responsible for 90% of food allergies. She developed the SpoonfulOne Mix-ins system, which contains the following most common allergy-causing food groups:
- peanuts
- milk
- shellfish (shrimp)
- tree nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts)
- egg
- fish (cod and salmon)
- grains (oats and wheat)
- soy
-
sesame
SpoonfulOne makes 3 types of products that introduce these allergens:
Mix-ins: A powder that's designed for babies starting at 4 months of age
Puffs: Soft and crunchy puffs for babies "accustomed to chewing solid foods." Soft puffs are for babies 6 months, or older and crunchy puffs are for babies 6 months or older.
Oat Crackers: Crackers for toddlers over one year of age, "once your toddler is accustomed to chewing and eating solid foods."
How does SpoonfulOne compare to Ready. Set. Food!?
SpoonfulOne's Mix-In Powder is designed for babies to start as early as 4 months of age. But as labeled on their packaging: “Our mix-in is not intended to dissolve and may clog the nipple. This is normal as every serving includes 16 different foods. For optimal flow, shake throughout feeding and use a size 3 or larger/fast flow nipple. “SpoonfulOne’s other products – crackers, puffs, crunchy puffs - are designed only "once they have begun eating solid foods." Also, the puffs and oat crackers are designed for even older babies who are "accustomed to chewing solid foods."
When it comes to introducing allergens, earlier is better. Waiting until your baby is used to solids may be too late. However, many babies aren't ready for solids at such an early age.
SpoonfulOne also contains additives like sugar
As seen on the products’ nutrition facts, all three SpoonfulOne products contain up to 2g of added sugar (oat crackers) per serving. In fact, sugar is one of the two top ingredients in their oat crackers and number one in their mix-ins.
However, the USDA-HHS Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee states to "avoid foods and beverages with added sugars during the first 2 years of life." Since SpoonfulOne contains added sugar in all of its products, it is not consistent with the USDA-HHS Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. In addition, the American Heart Association recommends avoiding foods with added sugar for babies under 2 years old. And many infants are already eating foods with added sugar, which can form unhealthy habits later in life.
SpoonfulOne doesn't follow the dosing in landmark clinical trials – LEAP, EAT, and PETIT – which are what the new medical guidelines for early allergen introduction are based on. Their mix-in powder product introduces over 90% less peanut, egg, and milk than the doses shown to be effective in the LEAP, EAT, and PETIT studies. So, according to the clinical studies cited, your child likely won't eat enough of each food for introduction to be effective. In addition, new research shows that the SpoonfulOne Oat Crackers dosage for all three allergens -- peanut, egg, and milk -- is significantly low (less than 1 milligram or one-thousandth of a gram.) Whereas, our Ready. Set. Food! dosage for peanut, egg and milk is more consistent with the landmark research on early allergen introduction.
SpoonfulOne introduces multiple allergens all at once, not following most doctors' advice to introduce foods one-at-a-time, and on gradually introducing allergy-causing foods. In fact, leading pediatricians recommend introducing one new allergy-causing food at a time, and waiting 2-5 days in between introducing each new food. This way, you can tell how your baby reacts to each new food. Ready. Set. Food! follows this process with the top three childhood allergens of peanut, egg and milk
Also, the PETIT study and leading pediatricians recommend starting with a small amount of common allergenic foods and gradually increasing to the full dose, for the safest and most effective approach. But SpoonfulOne gives its full dose right away, unlike Ready. Set. Food!, which does gradual introduction of peanut, egg and milk.
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All health-related content on this website is for informational purposes only and does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the advice of your own pediatrician in connection with any questions regarding your baby’s health.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If your infant has severe eczema, check with your infant’s healthcare provider before feeding foods containing ground peanuts.