With their tiny stomach, babies cannot consume more than a few spoonfuls of food in every feeding, and hence comes the necessity of making baby foods at larger quantities and store them for further use.
Whether you feed store-bought food to your baby or prepare them at home, we have covered every little detail of how to store homemade baby food Let’s get into it!
Do I Need To Read About Baby Food Storage? It Is Just Storing!
Certainly, you do. Although baby food storage is nothing different or new than storing other food (that adults consume), you must be extra careful about what you feed to your baby. Since babies’ immune systems are not as strong and tolerant as the adult’s, they tend to be affected by unhygienic foods, especially those that have been infected by bacteria or other germs due to improper storage.
If you do not want any foodborne illness-causing damage to your baby’s immunity, you must remember and maintain some common factors and cautions while storing baby food.
Guide Of How To Store Homemade Baby Food
Here step by step discussion how to store homemade baby food.
Steps To Freeze Baby Food
Before you place the food in a container and put them in the fridge right away, it is important to let it cool down for a few moments. Do the following:
- Stir the food frequently so that hotspots can be removed.
- Instead of putting all the food in one container, use two or three separate ones.
- Keep them aside and let it cool at room temperature
Once it has cooled down, start preparing for freezing. Freezing baby food permits you to cook more than one serving and feed your baby for a week or even a month. The best and easiest way is to use an ice plate which gives the facility to keep them into well-measured and small portions.
- Fill each ice cube to the top. Ice plate allows you to freeze different food/puree at the same time without any risk of getting mixed.
- Cover the plate with the lid (if your ice plate has one)
- Leave it in the freezer for a few hours
- Once they are frozen properly, pop them out and place them into a freezer bag or container and label it with the date (this will help you keep track or how long you can use them)
- You can store the frozen baby food for up to 2 months.
Storing Baby Food In The Refrigerator
Through the following steps you can storage your baby in the refrigerator.
- Place the baby food in an airtight container
- Label the container properly in case you lose track
- Never feed the food that has been kept in the fridge for more than 3 days
- If you have just cooked the food, let it cool before placing it in the fridge.
- Never store the food that has been left by your baby after a meal. It can create bacteria after coming in touch with the baby’s saliva.
Beside using ice plates, regular containers, and freezing bags, you can use these containers for both refrigerating and freezing baby food.
- Baby lunchboxes
- Ice cream tray
- Baby food cubes
- Cookie sheet
- Muffin trays
- Silicone muffin cups
- Freezer safe jars
Thawing Frozen Baby Food
Frozen baby food needs to thawed before heating it up. This can be done in a number of ways:
- Place the frozen food in the refrigerator at least 6-12 hours before you need to feed your baby. You can do it the night before, this will thaw the food and at the same time keep it cool and safe for a longer time.
- You can also thaw frozen food by putting the food cubes in a little glass bowl and submersing it into a bigger bowl full of cold or warm water. It will take 20-25 minutes to thaw the frozen items properly.
- Leave it on the countertop at the room temperature and it will work all by itself!
Reheating Stored Baby Food
You can use multiple ways to reheat the stored/frozen/thawed baby food.
- Transfer the food in a microwave-safe container and heat it up.
- Place the food in a pan and place it on a stove. Heat it until it is properly defrosted.
- Take a warm bowl of water, put the food cube in a small bowl and place the bowl into the warm water. Give it 15-20minutes and its done!
- Place your homemade baby food in the food warmer for storage.
- You can store baby soup in the soup warmer.
Storing Store-Bought Baby Food
Store bought foods are usually safe and shelf-stable until you open them. If you have bought baby food from a store and haven’t opened it yet, you can store it at a room temperature until the food expires.
Once opened, the food is no longer shelf-stable and needs to be stored properly. If you want to store it for further use, do not feed your baby directly from the jar. Use another bowl and spoon for the feeding and leave the other portions safe and untouched by baby saliva.
You can store the jar directly in the fridge or use a separate container to store it. Cover the food properly. The refrigerated food is can be used up to 2 days.
Things You Should Never Forget About Baby Food Storage
- Never store the leftovers after a meal, throw it away. Store only the food that are fresh and untouched.
- Do no re-freeze the thawed food. You should thaw the amount that you need to feed your baby.
- Always use a covered container to thaw frozen food.
- Throw away any food that has been kept at a room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Never feed your baby directly from a storage container. It causes bacteria transfer from the baby’s mouth to the spoon and to the container.
- Reheat the thawed food till its boiling hot. This will destroy the bacteria and germs.
- Do not reheat them more than once. Throw out the leftovers.
- Do not forget to check the expiry dates before feeding store-bought food to your baby or to anyone.
- Do not feed the food that has been frozen for more than 2 months. Label it properly so that you don’t lose track. This is the same for refrigerated food. Always remember to eat or feed them within 2 days.