Can you use baby food jars for canning

Mama Life Hacks {#15}: Reusing Baby Food Jars

Okay, I feel a little sheepish about this post because I feel like, after reading the title of it, you’re probably expecting a litany of clever ways to repurpose glass baby food jars.

Like for craft supplies or planters or organizational doo-dads.

And yes, all of those would be fabulous ways to stretch your baby jar use from one to many.

But the #mamalifehacks tip that I have for you is soooooooo much simpler–so much more DUH!–than that.

Here’s the thing: I like to make my own baby food as much as possible. It’s healthier. It’s cheaper. It’s convenient, since if I run out, I don’t have to hightail it to the store for more (assuming that I have the makings of baby food on hand).

It’s just so stinking easy to throw some sweet potatoes in the oven, then whip them with a bit of water in my Ninja into yumminess for Theo.

Still, I keep a small supply of store-bought baby food in the pantry for when we’re out and about or when I’m making dinner and need the boys to feed him without the hassle of retrieving, portioning out, and heating up homemade food from the fridge.

Because the only thing I don’t love about the homemade baby food is the mess and then the storage. When I make it in my Ninja, I typically either a) pull out the blades and then shove the whole container in the fridge, pulling it out and glopping some in a bowl as needed or b) scrape it out of the Ninja into a Tupperware container and then store that in the fridge.

Either works, but it’s not my favorite thing to locate a bowl and then fill it with food. Not saying it’s a big deal. Because it’s not. In fact, on the hardship scale–with 1 being: I stubbed my toe and 10 being: I live in a 3rd World country and don’t know where my next meal is coming from–it doesn’t even register.

And yet.

If I can find a way around it, I will.

Now, I know there are fancy blender attachments and Baby Bullets and whatnot, which allow you to store the food in small quantities, individually, but I don’t have any of those. And neither do I have any desire to buy one.

So, the other day, when the boys (aka: little hoarders) asked me if they could spirit two used baby food jars away for “projects” (I think we all know this is code for: something else to grow mold on), I happened to be standing in front of a freshly mixed batch of homemade baby food.

And as I held up the used (but washed) baby food jar, trying to think of an excuse for why Simon couldn’t take it to his room and then lose it under his bed for all eternity, it’s like Theo’s sweet potatoes spoke to me, and said: “NO! Take me instead!” #namethatmovie (this one’s harder than the Princess Bride reference from last week).

And so, the idea of reusing baby food bottles for the purpose of–hold on tight now–storing baby food was born.

I know, right? So brilliantly simple and obvious that I’m sure EVERYONE in the entire world has thought of this besides me.

Which means that I’m typing to myself.

Which is kind of a waste of time, since I was there when I had the original (tiny) epiphany and all.

But still.

As DUH (see? I told you) as it may seem, I am loving having tidy little bottles of pre-portioned homemade baby food in my fridge. No more Tupperware. No more big Ninja karafes taking up space. And NO MORE fishing food out of one container to transfer it to another container every time I need to feed Theo.

Oh! And I can now easily take homemade food with me (as long as it’s not going to sit in my bag for any significant period of time, of course). And then? I can toss the container! (Because who wants to accidentally forget about a baby food Tupperware container in your purse only to find a lovely fuzz colony in there a week later?)

I won’t blame you if you think I’m slow for only now figuring this out.

But I also won’t mock you if the light of revelation is just now dawning in your eyes as well.

Theo’s clearly a fan of my newest duh moment. Now, if only somebody would invent something to put around his neck to keep food from getting all over his clothes.

Joke, people! I know napkins already exist. 😉

Are you guys homemade baby food makers too? What do you store yours in? Maybe I’ve been missing out on something (else) obvious and simple all these years?

Don’t forget to share your #mamalifehacks so I can feature you!

50+ Fantastic Ways to Re-Use Baby Food Jars

Home » Crafts for kids » 50+ Creative Ways to Re-Use Baby Food Jars

Last updated on March 29, 2022

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50+ baby food jar crafts and creative ways to re-use baby food jars so you don’t have to put throw them in the trash.

If you’ve had a baby in recent years, there’s a good chance you’ve acquired quite a collection of baby food jars. Baby food jars ares so cute and chubby, and such a great size. If you’re like me, you find it hard to thrown them away. If that’s the case, your baby food jar collection could be growing at an alarming rate, and you’re probably looking for things to make with all of those jars.

Well, you’re in luck! One of my Facebook followers recently asked for ways that she could re-purpose her baby food jars, and the HH community responded with dozens of great crafts made with baby food jars along with practical ways to use baby food jars in and around the home.

I’ve gathered up their best suggestions and added a few of my own favourite uses for baby food jars, and I’ve come up with this long list of ideas for you.

From the craft room to the classroom to the bathroom and beyond, here are over 50 ways for you to use leftover baby food jars so you don’t have to toss them out.

50+ Baby Food Jar Crafts

Click on the links below to see project details.

Ways to use baby food jars in the classroom or craft room:

Crayon Caddy: Paint several baby food jars and store co-ordinating, coloured crayons in them.
Fill baby food jars with water, and set on the art table to rinse paint brushes in.
Give each student in the class a baby food jar filled with cream, and make homemade butter together.
Make a mini “ocean in a jar” in a baby food jar. Pretty on classroom window sill or fun to play with.
Soak dried out markers in baby food jars to make liquid watercolour paint.
Make and store homemade finger paint in baby food jars.
Baby food jars make great paint and glue pots at the easel. Lids keep them from drying out between uses.
Punch holes in the lids (with a nail) and use jars to store and dispense glitter.
Make I-Spy Jars in baby food jars.
Make collection jars for the preschool classroom.
Fill with small amounts of water for syringe transfer work trays in preschool or kindergarten
Paint tall baby food jars with food coloring, water and glue for a frosted look. Store pens, pencils and paintbrushes in them.

Things to make for kids with baby food jars:

Play dough jars: fill several baby food jars with different colours of homemade play dough for a kids’ gift basket.
Set some baby food jars out in the rain and make this scented rain paint.
In the play kitchen: fill baby food jars with flour, rice, lentils etc. Glue the lids on, and kids can pretend-cook with them.
Bug Jars – wrap a pipe cleaner handle around the top, and go exploring in the yard.
Make these cute and quirky emoji jars for a kid’s dresser or desk.
Glue painted toy animals on baby food jar lids, use as party favours.
Fill with homemade slime or silly putty to put in loot bags.
Make a tooth fairy jar.
Teach kids how to manage their allowance with 3 tall baby food jars labeled SPEND, SAVE, BANK.
Make an advent or countdown calendar.
Fill baby food jars with layers of “coloured sand” (ground sidewalk chalk mixed with salt).
Use baby food jars to make mini lava-lamps.

Ways to re-use baby food jars in the kitchen:

Make magnetic spice jars to store on the refrigerator door
Organize your spice drawer with baby food jars.
Make Smore’s treats in baby food jars. Hand them out around the campfire or at a party.
Make a window-sill herb garden with baby food jars.
Fill baby food jars with condiments for camping or a bbq.
Sterilize jars and lids, and reuse baby food jars for homemade baby food. The serving sizes are perfect.

Gifts and party favours to make with baby food jars:

Baby food jars make great wedding favours. Decorate and place at each table setting.
These baby food jar lanterns were hung in a tree at an outdoor wedding.
Make Lego Head Jars as party favours for a Lego party.
Make mini calming jars for kids or co-workers
Make a wish jars or dream jars for your family and friends.
Give a gift of homemade bath salts or sugar scrub in a baby food jar.
Make these cupcakes in a jar to give to teachers, neighbours and friends.
Make a craft kit for a child by filling jars with pom poms, sequins, foam stickers, and beads.
Hot Cocoa in a baby food jar: layer hot chocolate, shaved chocolate and mini marshmallows in a jar. Cover the lid with a swatch of fabric tied with a ribbon.

Other ways to use baby food jars around the home and garden:

Store pony tail holders, Q-tips, and hair clips in baby food jars on the bathroom counter.
Make a spill proof nail-polish remover kit with a baby food jar.
Plant succulents in baby food jars to display on a porch or patio.
Hang these colourful baby food luminaries from a tree in your yard.
Baby food jars are great for storing seeds for the garden.
Make Photo Globes by placing your child’s photo inside a baby food jar.
Organize your spare change: each jar holds a different type of coin.
Use baby food jars to hold paper clips, thumb tacks etc. on a desk or in a drawer in an office.
Travel jewelry keeper for earrings and rings.
A Mini sewing kit in a baby food jar is great for travel or the office.
Fill baby food jars with Puffs, fishy crackers, Cheerios, nuts etc. Keep in the diaper bag for the kids.
Nail the lids of baby food jars to the underside of a shelf to store screws, nails and craft supplies.
Store several baby wipes in a baby food jar and keep in your purse or diaper bag.

Baby food jar Christmas crafts:

Turn a baby food jar into a snowman Christmas tree ornament.
Make festive holiday votive candle holders.
Make sparkly tea light luminaries in baby food jars.
Baby food jars make great miniature snow globes.
Make Reindeer food for Christmas Eve.

What if you STILL have leftover baby food jars?

If you have more baby food jars than you could possibly ever use, even after reviewing all of the ideas, please consider giving your collection to a teacher, a crafter or a daycare provider. Most will be happy to put your little glass jars to good use.

Looking for more crafts to make with your recyclables? Check out:

Re-purposed Denim Craft Aprons

Re-purposed Denim Bibs

25 Creative Ways to Re-use your Keurig’s K-Cups

22 Ways to Re-Use Cardboard Tubes

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Jackie Currie

Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.

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26 ideas on how to use baby food jars

The child has grown up, eats with everyone at the same table, and there is no longer a need to buy baby food in jars for him. During the time while you accustomed him to various tastes, a huge amount of containers for juices and purees accumulated. Where to put jars of baby food? InterestsPortal invites you to take advantage of our ideas.

Candle holders from jars

The simplest idea that most often comes to mind is to make candle holders. Place colored sand, beautiful pebbles, decorative glass pebbles on the bottom and light tea candles.

DIY candle holders

Baby food jars can be decorated to fit any theme. In this photo, the candlestick is made in a marine style. Paint the jar with paint. Apply colorless varnish around the bottom and, while the varnish is still wet, sprinkle sand on it. Tie the neck of the baby food jar with pretty ribbon or twine. Glue decorative glass pebbles, shells, starfish.

Vase for your interior

It is always a pleasure to keep fresh flowers in different parts of the house. You can decorate small vases with your own hands to match the style of your interior.

A group of vases for an original interior

We are used to having a bouquet of 5-7 flowers in vases. Try using several juice bottles. Put one flower in each jar, and you will get a bouquet of vases. Is it really original?

For table setting

Use the idea of table setting. Place cutlery and napkins in each bottle. If you also write the names of the guests on the jar with a permanent marker, then you will also get cards for seating guests at the table.

For bathroom utensils

Place ear buds, cotton pads and other small things that are needed for daily hygiene in glass jars and you will see the contents. By screwing beautiful handles to the lids, you will no longer need to unscrew the lid of the jar every day - just cover it. Brilliant idea for organizing space in the bathroom.

DIY napkin holder

Paint the baby bottle your favorite color. Make a slit on the lid of the jar, twist the napkins and place inside. Pull the center napkin through the slot. Such a napkin holder can be used both for table setting and placed on an office desktop.

Lunch to go

Use the food jar as a food container. Our idea is to prepare a healthy cheesecake and put it to the children at school. Place crumbled shortbread cookies on the bottom, then curd cheese, decorate with berries from cherry jam on top. We think your kids will definitely like this dessert to take away.

Healthy food to go

It's always nice to start every morning with a healthy breakfast, like this smoothie. Can't have breakfast? Close the lid and take it with you.

Here are some more healthy smoothie recipes.

Baby food jars as glasses

Why buy wine glasses or drink glasses when you have a huge number of bottles? Pour cold lemonade into them, insert a straw and treat your friends.

Spice jars

Another idea for using baby food jars is to use them as spice containers.

Storage box for buttons, needles and threads

Organizer for all sewing accessories in one jar. Use this idea to lose nothing and find quickly.

Nails, screws, bolts container

Screw the jar lid to the bottom of the shelf in your shed. Now you don't have to look for anything, all content will be immediately visible. Why not a paradise for a perfectionist?

Garden lights

Twist the handles for the candlestick out of the wire. Place a tea candle in a jar - the lantern for your garden is ready.

Romantic garden

Do you want to create a romantic atmosphere in your garden? Hang these lanterns over your resting place.

Here are some more ideas for creating garden seating areas.

Garden Party

By combining the two previous ideas, create a blooming fragrant garden. Use bottles as vases.

Pencil holder

Colored jars are the perfect solution for storing office supplies. These glasses can hold pens, pencils, crayons, scissors and more.

Do-it-yourself small terrarium

You can make such a terrarium with your children on vacation.

More ideas on what to do with your child during the holidays read here.

New Year's decor

Preparations for the celebration of the new year always begin with decorating your home with themed decor. Glass jars provide an incredible amount of ideas.

DIY gift for the New Year

Every year we spend a lot of money buying souvenirs for loved ones. Make a New Year's gift with your own hands from a baby bottle. Place artificial snow, a spruce twig, a snowman toy, glass beads inside - an original gift is ready!

Girl's birthday

Rinse bottles that used to contain juice. Fill them with a milkshake or other drinks for a girl's birthday party. Insert tubes. Your princess's guests will be delighted.

Boy's birthday party

Have you already decided that the boy's party will be pirate-style? Then this idea is for you. You can place these candy bottles in a candy bar, or distribute them to little guests as birthday gifts.

Healthy dessert

What's a party without dessert? Place the berries in portions in baby food jars, add curd cheese or natural yogurt. No one will refuse such a dessert.

DIY gift for Valentine's Day

It is customary to give heart-shaped sweets on Valentine's Day. Pack your gift in a glass jar and tie a crochet heart. It's so cute.

Small present for a colleague

Succulents are said to relieve static energy accumulated on the desktop. Give a colleague such a plant in a glass jar pot. Tie with a pretty ribbon.

Change box

What do you think of the change coin collection? How often do you find her at home in various places? Collect and put it in such a cute piggy bank.

In truth, a penny saves a ruble. By giving a second life to baby food jars, you save on buying accessories and items that you can easily make yourself. To do this, you just need a little time and imagination. Dare, and you will succeed!

the truth about what is in the ingredients.

- Ekaterina Borisovna, there is a lot of debate about the benefits of baby food from a jar. Let's try to confirm or dispel the myths and tell parents the whole truth about children's canned products.

Myth #1. Baby food in jars is made from vegetables and fruits that are not suitable for sale in their natural form. Raw materials of poor quality underlie it.

- Not true. The production of canned baby food is a complex technological process consisting of several mandatory steps, including a careful selection of raw materials. The quality and safety of baby food initially depends on this.

When sorting , all vegetables and fruits with any defects are utilized, and a batch of raw materials of uniform quality is formed.
Sorting includes:

visual assessment of raw materials;
removal of non-standard, immature, moldy and broken fruits. Grouping by size and weight is not carried out: these indicators do not affect the quality of finished baby food.

When cleaning raw materials , all inedible and low-nutrient parts are removed from fruits and vegetables - the skin, seeds, stalks, the core is removed from apples and pears. Parents can be sure that their baby will receive only the most useful and nutritious.

Myth No. 2: The quality of baby food in jars is doubtful - it contains a lot of preservatives that are dangerous for babies.

- The inclusion of preservatives in baby food is prohibited by law , at least in our country. But the use of vitamin D or ascorbic acid is allowed. They do not harm babies, but significantly increase the benefits of the product.

- Ekaterina Borisovna, however, it is known that without preservatives, the shelf life of products is reduced.

— The long shelf life of baby food without preservatives is ensured by aseptic production technology, product sterilization and vacuum packaging, which protects it from harmful microorganisms. The cotton that we hear when opening the jar is an indicator of the correct packaging and safety of the product.

Myth #3. There are other unnatural ingredients in canned food without preservatives that can be harmful to a child's health.

- The complete composition of baby food must be clearly stated on the packaging by the manufacturer. Corn starch or rice flour can be added as safe thickeners to give the desired consistency. But the range of children's canned food allows you to choose products without these additives. The presence of spices is not forbidden, but their list is limited and strictly regulated.

No technological substances for flavoring and enhancing color and taste.

Myth #4.

Flavor enhancers are added to canned food, otherwise children refuse to eat it.

— Production technologies make it possible to extract a maximum of useful elements from raw materials and at the same time preserve its taste qualities. For example, , in order not to destroy biologically active substances, raw materials for baby puree are not boiled , but in order to obtain a delicate texture and not spoil the taste, it is rubbed in special mashing machines in an atmosphere of steam or inert gases. Such subtleties of production explain the unique taste of canned puree, which you cannot get at home on your own.

Myth #5. Canned baby food is expensive and costs parents more than homemade purees.

— Seasonal harvest is inexpensive, making mashed potatoes seems like an elementary task. But there are few fruits of our own in our country. Harvesting a year in advance is a difficult and costly business (you will need a capacious freezer). Preserving vegetables is even more difficult, you need at least a basement. In addition, the amount of vitamins with this method of harvesting decreases in proportion to the storage time (autumn apples lose most of their useful properties by spring).

— Fruit and vegetable sections are filled in stores all year round.

Yes, but children need variety in their diet. Today an apple, tomorrow a pear, the day after tomorrow an apricot. For example, to prepare 100 g of apricot puree, you will need at least 300 g of apricots without peel and stone. For the price, this is comparable to the price of a jar, but you still need time to buy and cook.

And the most important thing is safety. At the plant, raw materials for baby food are thoroughly tested for the content of toxic substances. The standards for the content of pesticides, nitrates and other chemical additives for sale in the store are different, and no one guarantees that the zucchini bought from the grandmother on the market did not grow in the zone of increased radiation or was not fed with nitrogenous fertilizers. Therefore industrial canned puree is safer than , and at a price that's about what it comes out to be.

Myth #6. There are few vitamins and nutrients in a jar of complementary foods, as they are destroyed during the conservation process.

- Vegetables and fruits are full of useful nutrients during the harvest season. But during long-term storage, they lose almost everything except fiber and starch. In addition to this, the fruits are irrevocably destroyed during heat treatment at home - for example, during cooking, up to 20% of vitamin B and more than 50% of ascorbic acid are lost.

The picture is quite different in the factory production of complementary foods, when the useful properties of the raw materials are preserved to the maximum. In addition, complementary foods can be additionally saturated with vitamins and trace elements. Food packaging always indicates their presence and the percentage of the daily dose.

Myth #7.

Food from a jar provokes the development of allergies.

— The risk of developing an allergic reaction to food in a jar is no higher than to food prepared by oneself. If a child is allergic to pumpkin, then boiled, steamed and canned, there will be a reaction to it. Another question is that an auxiliary component of canned puree (for example, starch or ascorbic acid) can cause allergies. In this case, it is safer to choose products without such additives.

Often confused with allergies food intolerance . The symptoms are similar, but the reasons for the latter lie in non-compliance with the rules of complementary foods (for example, they gave a new product ahead of schedule or immediately in large quantities). Without knowing it, mothers expose the child's body to excessive stress when the baby's enzyme system is not yet ready to process the edible "gift". For this reason, the child's body becomes covered with a rash, problems with the tummy, regurgitation and other delights appear.

Complementary foods: what you need to know

It's worth trying a new product in small quantities.
The daily dose is increased gradually.
Red cheeks, rashes on the arms and under the knees - a reason to exclude the product from the child's diet and consult a doctor.

Myth #8. There are many counterfeits of baby food on the market, and products of well-known brands are more often counterfeited. Parents in the store will not be able to distinguish a fake from the original.

— Control over the quality of nutrition for children is multifaceted and is carried out at all stages - from the procurement of raw materials to the sale in the store. Compliance with safety standards during production and storage, the usefulness of the product in terms of protein, carbohydrate and fat components, the concentration of vitamin elements and other components declared on the package are monitored. Organoleptic testing determines the quality of products by taste, aroma, appearance, consistency.

Unfortunately, despite the rather strict control, information about reviews from the sale of low-quality baby food periodically pops up. Probably, this cannot be avoided, as well as the falsification of medicines and other goods. But you can protect yourself as much as possible from acquiring fakes.

How to choose quality baby food in jars

It is better to buy food in large specialized stores, pharmacies.
Consider value for money. If the price is significantly lower than usual, do not rush to buy an annual supply, study the composition and the certificate of conformity for the product.
Inspect the packaging carefully. Do not take a damaged package with traces of worn paint, smeared or blurry letters, a swollen or crumpled jar.
Always try a new product before giving it to a child. You can easily distinguish changes in taste, smell, texture.

Myth #9. Manufacturers add starch to thickening canned food, but they do not always report this on the packaging. This is true? And will the iodine test show the presence of starch?

- In stores, a fairly wide range of baby purees with and without starch. A significant component of starch is glucose , the main source of our vital energy. Starch is often a natural product. In nature, there are many plants and products from which starch can be extracted: potato, corn, rice and wheat are widely known.

The debate about the dangers or benefits of starch can go on forever. Children are able to absorb starch from birth, it's all about its volume. A small amount of thickener in baby food will be absorbed by the child. Harmful daily proportion of starch - from 30 g.

Starch is included in 90% of the food that a person consumes in everyday life. You should not be afraid of it, but you need to be careful, because starch:

with excessive use and individual tendency causes constipation;
is capable of provoking an allergic reaction;
increases the calorie content of food and promotes weight gain;
contains a lot of carbohydrates, but is useless as a source of vitamins.

Therefore, if a child has a tendency to allergic reactions, overweight or constipation, you should not use food with the addition of starch. Children with underweight or unstable stools may well try it.

Reaction with iodine - a qualitative reaction to starch with the formation of a dark blue spot. This is a really affordable method of checking baby food. But before using it, you should study which products contain starch. It is possible that a positive reaction will not be on an artificially added component, but on natural starch. A lot of natural starch in potatoes, corn, legumes, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, banana and unripe apples. And it is natural that the reaction with iodine in the puree of these products will be positive. But in the composition of mashed broccoli or white cabbage, starch should not be, unless the manufacturer specifically added it.

Myth #10. The child gets used to eating from a jar and for a long time refuses the "adult" table.

- On the contrary. Children in infancy and under 18 months are not allowed to give sugar, salt, seasonings and spices. Therefore, until the mother has included these “adult” supplements in her child’s diet, purchased food will remain his favorite food. But having tried salty or sweet once, the baby begins to demand a new product and refuse fresh canned food.

A child and an adult have a different perception of tastes. Therefore, you can not give the baby a dish that you like to taste, sweeten and add salt to food. When the time comes and the child is ready to receive products close to the common table, he himself will gladly refuse fresh jars, trying more and more new tastes.

— Ekaterina Borisovna, can canned baby food completely replace homemade baby food?

— Of course, and quite successfully. Regardless of the season, it is possible to provide the baby with a complete and varied diet only with the help of canned food. Yes, and it is impossible to repeat the taste of factory food on your own due to the special manufacturing technology. In addition, despite the fact that the assortment of fruits and vegetables in the store is quite large even in winter, their taste and useful properties, and most importantly, safety, are very doubtful. Of course, it is worth remembering about the time that a mother can devote to a baby, instead of puzzling over the variety of menus and cooking.

— Why are MAMAKO ^® baby purees good for children? What are their advantages?

— Very often, kids get bored with the taste of monocomponent puree, and not everyone eats cottage cheese willingly either. Puree MAMAKO ^® consists of fruits and tender goat curd without thickeners, preservatives or other artificial additives. Such a puree with a delicate creamy taste can be introduced into the diet from 6 months, it is more nutritious and serves as an additional source of calcium, which is necessary during the period of intensive growth. Therefore, along with monocomponent purees, I always recommend including such interesting, and most importantly - without sugar and thickeners, healthy products in the child's diet.