How to freeze baby food
Storing Baby Food | Happy Baby Organics
Read time: 6 minutes
How to store homemade baby food and store-bought pureed foods
How to thaw and re-heat pureed baby food
How to help prevent bacterial contamination of baby foods
Whether you buy baby food at the market or make it from scratch, it’s important to know how to store, prepare, and reheat your baby’s food correctly and safely.
Store-bought baby food usually comes in a glass jar, plastic container, or pouch and usually does not require refrigeration or freezing before opening. These foods are manufactured to be shelf-stable, like any other pantry item (think beans, soups, or condiments). They can typically stay fresh on the shelf for 1 to 2 years, but always check expiration dates carefully.1
Baby food storage guidelinesPureed store-bought baby vegetables and fruits can stay in the refrigerator for up to 48 to 72 hours and in the freezer for 6 to 8 months.
Pureed store-bought meat, poultry, or fish can be refrigerated for 24 hours after cooking and frozen for 1 to 2 months.
Homemade baby foods will keep for 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator and for 1 to 2 months in the freezer.2
Be sure to refrigerate freshly cooked baby food within two hours as bacteria will start to grow at room temperature after those two hours are up. Note that your refrigerator should be kept at, or below, 40 degrees F. Any warmer and illness-causing bacteria can thrive and quickly multiply.3
Want some tips on feeding your little one or on making baby food? The Happy Baby Experts are infant feeding specialists and here to help (for free!) with questions about starting solids and picky eating, as well as formula and breastfeeding. Chat now!
Can I feed baby directly from the jar or pouch?If you feed your little one directly from the jar or pouch, all leftovers must be thrown out after the meal.
Saliva from baby’s mouth gets back into the jar or pouch via the spoon, this introduces bacteria that can quickly multiply and contaminate the food.
If you know baby won’t finish it all, spoon a serving in a separate bowl and feed from that. Then you can refrigerate the jar or pouch of remaining food for an upcoming meal!4
Read more: How Can I Make my own Pureed Baby Food?
How to warm refrigerated or shelf-stable foods and thaw frozen foods:Microwave: Warm up store-bought food directly in its glass jar or transfer the food – including previously frozen purees – into a separate glass bowl (never heat up pureed food in a plastic container or pouch). Reduce the microwave to 50% power (or use the defrost feature) and then warm the puree in 15 second increments.4 Check and stir the food thoroughly each time to ensure even heating and to eliminate any heat pockets that may burn your baby’s mouth.
Stovetop: Warm your baby’s store-bought food or thaw frozen baby food on the stovetop by placing the food in a small saucepan and warming on low heat until the puree is the same consistency and no longer frozen.
To preserve the nutrients, heat only as much as is necessary.Submersion Method: Thaw frozen baby food by placing the pureed cubes in a plastic bag and then inside a bowl filled with hot or warm water. This method allows for even warming but does take a little longer – figure about 10-20 minutes for the food to thaw fully. 5 Many parents also use the submersion method to thaw frozen breastmilk.
Refrigerator: Thaw frozen baby food simply by transferring it to the refrigerator.5 This process will take 4-12 hours so plan ahead (transferring the food the night before it’s needed to allow thawing overnight is a good rule of thumb). Homemade frozen baby food that’s been thawed can safely stay in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Be sure to keep thawed baby food in a sealed container to avoid contamination.
DO NOT let baby food thaw for long periods of time on the counter at room temperature. This will allow bacteria to grow.
5
Sanitize or thoroughly clean standard ice cube trays before spooning the puree directly into each cubed section. You could also cover a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper and spoon small ‘mounds’ of puree onto the sheet to freeze.
Cover the tray with plastic wrap and place into the freezer.
Once the cubes or ‘mounds’ are solidly frozen, pop them out and store them in plastic freezer bags.
Label the bags with the type of baby food as well as the date. This allows you to use it before it expires. (Remember: store-bought fruits and veggies can be frozen for 6 to 8 months, while meats, poultry, and all home-made baby food can be frozen for 1 to 2 months).
When your baby is ready to eat, grab an individual portion of the cubes you want to use and thaw!
Ice cube trays are not only convenient, they are also incredibly helpful in portioning out homemade baby food.
The cubes are roughly one ounce each, so you can easily measure the amount of food your baby is eating and thaw small portions at a time to reduce waste.
Glass baby food jars (or any glass container) are not meant to be frozen. Frozen glass can burst or cause tiny fractures in the glass leaving behind microscopic shards that you may never see.Freeze baby food in safe “ok to freeze” plastic containers instead.
Consider a deep freezer if you want to store purees long-termFor best results, frozen foods should remain at a constant sub-zero temperature. A deep freezer is better equipped to handle this temperature control as opposed to your regular freezer, which may fluctuate with you opening and closing the door often.
Throw away leftover food that’s already been reheatedYou cannot reheat (or re-freeze) baby food more than once, so once you’ve thawed a frozen puree, toss any leftovers.
This rule also applies to breastmilk. So if you’re using breastmilk to thin out your homemade baby food purees, add the milk while it’s fresh!
Read more: Safe Storage of Pumped Breastmilk
You can also use formula to thin a puree. Do not freeze formula in its original can or bottle, but once mixed into a puree it’s ok to freeze. Freezing formula causes a separation of the fats from the liquid, which may negatively impact the texture and quality.6
Let’s Chat!We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.
Our Happy Baby Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitian nutritionists certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they’re all moms, too, which means they’ve been there and seen that. They’re here to help on our free, live chat platform Monday through Friday, from 8am–6pm ET. Chat Now!
Read more about the experts that help write our content!
For more on this topic check out the following articles
How do I Choose Store Bought Baby Food?
Food Safety for Babies and Toddlers
Everything You Need to Know About How to Prepare and Store Infant Formula
Avoid Giving Your Child Too Much Sugar And Salt
4 Ways to Freeze your Baby Food
Homemade puree only stays good for 1-3 days in the refrigerator (1 day for meats and up to 3 days for veg/fruit) in a sealed container, so most parents find it convenient to make a large batch of baby food at once, portion it out, and freeze the leftovers.
That way, they can pull out a meal, thaw it, and serve when it is mealtime. There are a few different ways you can go about this, and depending on your style, what you currently have in the house, your budget, and how much homemade baby food you plan on making, you can pick which method works for you or even mix and match.
1. Freezer Bags - This method is for when you are looking for the most minimal investment (maybe you only plan on trying this homemade baby food thing once), or you are in a situation with little equipment and need to improvise. Prepare your puree, portion it out how you like it, and put the puree directly into the freezer bag. Set the bag on its side, try to push out any excess air, and seal. Label bags with ingredients and date and stack them on top of each other in the freezer. They should lie and freeze flat in the bags.
Thawing method - Place in the refrigerator overnight or set bag in a warm water bath, or under warm running water, to bring to room temperature.
Pros & Cons - One drawback to this method is contact with plastic. Another is getting the puree in and out of the bags can be a messy endeavor and lead to wasting some of the purees from spillage or not being able to scrape off everything in the bags. There is also no quick, easy way to measure and portion out by ounces the right amount for your baby like in the freezer tray method.
2. Conventional Freezer Tray - The handy-dandy freezer tray method is simple. After your puree is made, divide it out in your freezer tray, filling each one close to the top, until you’ve used up your puree. Then put the tray in the freezer for 3-4 hours until puree is frozen. Finally, pop out cubes of food, put them in a freezer bag, label and date them.
Thawing method - The refrigerator method works well for these cubes. The night before, put a few cubes into the refrigerator to thaw, and they’ll be ready to serve the next day.
Pros & Cons - One big pro of this method is that it requires very little extra stuff or investment.
You probably already have an ice cube tray for example and some freezer bags. Also it gives you ease and flexibility of pulling out one flavor at a time or a couple and with how you organize them. You can keep all of your veggie blends in one bag and your fruit purees in another for example. However, some drawbacks might be contact with plastic in the tray and bags, and having to transfer the food from tray to bag to another dish to thaw and serve.
3. Covered Silicone Freezer Tray - This method is similar to the freezer method above but does not require transferring the cubes to plastic bags. Since the silicone trays are covered, they double as the storage unit. The freezer trays have measured individual servings, and a pop on and off lid to keep purees fresh and protect from freezer burn and odors. Therefore, you simply measure out your servings, cover and freeze.
Thawing method - The thawing method is the same as the conventional method.
The night before, you can pop out the amount of purees you’d like and put them in the refrigerator to be ready to serve the next day.
Pros & Cons - A few pros of this method is minimizing contact with plastic and potential BPAs, PVCS. Also, it skips the step of having to transfer the cubes to a plastic storage bag. The silicone trays are also bacteria resistant, can be conveniently stacked, and are dishwasher safe. One downside to this method is investing in the trays themselves. One tray we like from Wee Sprout goes for about $15 for a 12 cube tray. If you plan on freezing much more than 12 cubes at a time though, you’d have to invest in several trays, which can add up quickly. Also, after you’ve moved on from baby food, these trays may not have many other practical kitchen uses, making them an ideal item to get as a hand-me-down from a friend or on the second hand market.
4. Glass Baby Food Storage Containers - This method cuts out yet another step in the process.
In this case, you fill up individual glass storage containers with lids and put them directly in the freezer. Then, you can also use that same container for both thawing and serving. With tempered, food grade glass, you can take a container out of the freezer, toss it into your diaper bag and go, making them perfect for travel or sending to daycare.
Thawing method - the containers themselves are made of thick glass which is also microwave-safe. You can transfer the containers to the fridge the night before, but you could also run them under warm water to thaw or even pop them into the microwave.
Pros & Cons - For the added convenience and safety of these containers, there is more of an upfront investment. For a set of 12 glass containers from Wee Sprout, it will run you about $30. Again, if you are planning on freezing a lot of baby meals, this becomes very pricey. However, these containers can continue to serve practical purposes in the kitchen beyond baby food.
They become the perfect containers for your toddler and preschooler’s lunches and beyond. They are also handy for storing dips, sauces, and salad dressings in the fridge or freezer. One downside of these containers is that you cannot pop out the contents as easily as the silicone trays, making it harder to combine two purees together or add a puree into another food.
Ready to ditch the chopping, steaming, blending and freezing? At least some of the time? Try our 100% organic baby food blends, ready in seconds. Just add breast milk or water, stir and serve. It's that easy. Learn more HERE.
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Author Olga Simchenko
It often happens that you prepare a large amount of puree for a child. It's a shame to throw away the rest. You can save leftover product. To keep baby puree for a sufficiently long time, you just need to defrost it. To do this is quite simple. Here are some tips on how to do it right.
Freezing in boxes
Small storage containers must be used, previously washed with hot water.
Dry well.
Put the puree into boxes and then pack it all in hermetically sealed plastic bags.
Remember that food expands when frozen. That is why there is no need to overfill containers. It is important to leave enough space. Be sure to label everything with the name of the product and the date it was frozen.
Be sure to indicate the date of freezing in order to know exactly how long this product can be stored.
Place the bags on the top shelf in the freezer or as close as possible. It is much better to preserve the product, as the top is usually the coldest and therefore everything freezes much faster.
Freezing in ice cube trays
Storing baby puree in ice cube trays has many advantages. Each cube contains about 30 g, which gives a complete picture of exactly how much children eat at one meal.
Since only one cube is used at a time, waste is minimized and food does not have to be thrown away.
Another advantage is that you probably already have ice cube trays, which is why you don't have to buy them.
Once the puree has hardened in the molds, you can simply transfer the cubes to airtight bags and use as needed.
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This method allows you to freeze several different types of baby food at once and saves a lot of time in the kitchen.
How long can baby puree be stored in the freezer?
Due to the formation of water crystals that form in grated fruits or vegetables, and the fact that nutrients can evaporate with water crystals when thawed, it is worth consuming this purge as soon as possible.
Most fruits and vegetables will last 8-12 months in the freezer. This applies to foods that have been frozen in their natural state. This assumes that a hundred in the freezer is maintained at a constant temperature below zero degrees.
If you want to keep frozen food for that long, you don't have to cook and grind vegetables and fruits. Simply cut into slices, arrange in hermetically sealed bags and place in the freezer. Thus, the products will be able to retain much more nutrients than when cooked.
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How long can you keep baby puree in the refrigerator
It is not recommended to store freshly prepared baby food in the refrigerator for more than 48 hours.
This ensures that bacterial growth in the puree is kept to a minimum and food tastes good. In addition, it will allow you to save more useful and nutrients.
This rule applies to fruits, vegetables, meat.
It is important that in the refrigerator the baby food is on the top shelf, since this is where a constant temperature is maintained.
If you don't plan on freezing homemade baby food, it's a good idea to puree daily or every other day.
For example, you can bake a sweet potato and then freeze one half without mashing it and cook the other half. This will help reduce waste and ensure food safety.
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How to cook and freeze baby food safely
Anna Makrentsova > Food
October 12, 2018
Read: 4 min
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Homemade baby food is an economical, organic alternative to store-bought food. However, it is very important to learn how to store baby food and follow some tips. We found useful information on this topic at Food and Wine. We share it with you.
Contents
If you have never made baby food at home, start small.
Use a variety of products. Including fruits and vegetables - fresh, frozen or canned in their own juices - along with meat and fish. Make several flavors at once, be sure to cook the ones that your baby likes the most. And some new flavors to see how your child reacts, as well as introduce new flavors.
When preparing baby food, be vigilant about cleanliness. Children's sensitive immune systems make them more susceptible to food poisoning. Fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed and cleaned. Especially those grown near the ground, like strawberries, carrots and potatoes. Never use outdated canned food or food from dented, rusty, or leaking cans. Keep work surfaces, utensils and hands spotlessly clean. Be sure to use separate cutting boards for meat, poultry, and fish.
Remove all seeds and fibers from fruits and vegetables. Well clean fish, meat from bones, peel, pile, etc. Fruits and vegetables can be steamed with hot water. When cooking meat and fish, use a thermometer.
