Top 7 Budget Baby Food 2026

What we love

• You are starting solids and want the cleanest disclosed heavy-metal profile you can actually verify yourself
• You value being able to look up your exact pouch's lab results by the package code
• You want a fresh, refrigerated, minimally processed option with no added sugar or salt
• You are comfortable building iron into your baby's day from other foods

Worth knowing

• You need a single fortified pouch to cover your baby's iron needs on its own
• You require a stated, food-safe packaging material rather than an undisclosed plastic pouch
• You want a shelf-stable jar or pouch that does not need refrigeration

What we love

• You are starting solids and want a clean single-fruit puree with no added sugar or salt
• You prefer glass packaging the brand states is made without BPA, BPS, or phthalates
• You are comfortable with a brand that tests every lot even though it does not openly publish the per-jar results
• You will pair it with an iron-rich first food rather than relying on it for iron

Worth knowing

• You want to read the actual heavy-metal numbers for the exact jar before you serve it
• You need a first food that provides meaningful iron on its own
• You only buy from brands that openly publish their per-product test results

What we love

• You want a savory chicken-and-vegetable pouch from a brand that tests every finished batch and lets you look up the results
• You like the idea of checking your specific pouch's lab numbers by scanning the package code
• You want real iron from chicken in a pouch, with no added sugar or salt
• You are comfortable with a shelf-stable pouch that lives in the pantry

Worth knowing

• You want the heavy-metal numbers posted openly online without scanning the package
• You need a clearly numbered developmental stage rather than a general 6-months-and-up label
• You prefer a glass jar over a plastic pouch, even a stated BPA-free one

What we love

• You want a shelf-stable, single-vegetable Stage 2 jar with no added sugar or salt from a mass-market brand that tests its finished food
• You are willing to scan the code on the package to read this lot's heavy-metal results
• You prefer a glass jar over a plastic pouch for the clearest read on packaging
• You are comfortable building iron into your baby's day from other foods

Worth knowing

• You want to read a brand's heavy-metal numbers in one click without the package in hand
• You need a single jar to cover your baby's iron needs on its own
• You are looking for a multi-ingredient or fortified meal rather than plain vegetables

What we love

• You want an inexpensive single-fruit pouch with no added sugar or salt and a short ingredient list
• You are feeding a Stage 2 baby and want a simple apple flavor in the rotation
• You are comfortable scanning the code and entering the lot number to check the testing results yourself
• You rely on iron-rich foods elsewhere in the day and use this as a snack, not a main meal

Worth knowing

• You want to read published heavy-metal numbers for the food before you buy it
• You are looking for a pouch that delivers meaningful iron rather than plain fruit
• You want perchlorate included in the disclosed testing panel

What we love

• You want an iron-fortified single-grain first cereal with no added sugar or salt
• You value being able to scan the canister and look up your exact batch's heavy-metal results
• You plan to rotate grains and serve rice cereal as one of several, not daily
• You want a familiar, widely available Stage 1 cereal you can mix to the texture your baby is ready for

Worth knowing

• You want to minimize inorganic-arsenic exposure and would rather start with an oat- or barley-based cereal
• You need the metal-test numbers printed on the package rather than gated behind a QR scan
• You want a ready-to-serve food rather than a cereal you mix with liquid

What we love

• You want a brand that publishes its own batch heavy-metal testing and lets you look it up by lot code
• You are feeding a Stage 2 baby and want a combination pouch with no added sugar or salt
• You value meaningful iron in a pouch and will check the lot-lookup results yourself
• You rotate beans, vegetables, and grains across your baby's week rather than relying on one base

Worth knowing

• You want a single published parts-per-billion number for each heavy metal printed on the page before you buy
• You want perchlorate included in the brand's published testing panel
• You prefer a green-vegetable or meat base over a bean-and-squash one for the lowest-risk ingredients