When does baby food diversification start, we think about preparing lots of baby food jars in advance, which is great because we’ll have plenty in stock! But first, we need to know how long we can keep purees and compotes before giving them to the baby, what to store them in, and what can be stored based on the shelf life…
Many moms have asked me this famous question:
« How long do you keep your baby food in the refrigerator and freezer? »
I started to realize that many moms (or dads!) are wondering about this, and an explanatory article to help you seemed necessary 😉
Storing baby food for an extended period: yes or no?
It can be beneficial to prepare baby food jars in advance for several reasons:
- Lack of time
- Time-saving
- Adherence to the seasonality of fruits and vegetables
However, I won’t say that I recommend preparing several baby food jars in advance. I do it, like many parents, but it must be admitted that it’s preferable to prepare and give the puree or compote on the same day during the baby’s meal.
- This avoids slight overcooking of the baby food during reheating
- The flavors remain intact.
However, that doesn’t mean I don’t do it! It’s always convenient to have a few jars prepared in advance without having to rush out to buy “commercial” versions at the supermarket.
How long can baby food jars be stored?
Here’s how I handle the storage of my baby’s puree and compote jars when I prepare larger quantities than needed for a single meal:
- I store them in the refrigerator for 24 hours if they contain meat, fish, eggs, or dairy.
- I store them in the refrigerator for 48 hours if they only contain fruits or vegetables.
- For any type of jar, I store them in the freezer for a maximum of 2 months.
I received several comments regarding the freezing of my jars containing dairy products. Personally, I have never encountered any issues when freezing jars with dairy products. There may be a slight texture change after thawing, but it didn’t cause any problems during meals or digestion for my baby.
Equipment for storing baby food jars
There are many accessories available for storing baby food jars. Here are the ones I find very practical:
1. Philips Avent storage jars
- Philips Avent storage jars 6 fl oz
- Philips Avent storage jars 8 fl oz
- Pack with Philips Avent storage jars 6 fl oz and 8 fl oz
- 20 Philips Avent storage jars for purees: 10 of 6 fl oz and 10 of 8 fl oz
To view all Philips Avent products, click here.
2. Beaba storage jars
Beaba offers several sizes of storage jars and various color options:
- Beaba baby portion storage jar 4 fl oz
- Beaba maxi portion storage jar 8 fl oz
- Beaba maxi + portion storage jar 14 fl oz
- Beaba maxi + portion storage jar 17 fl oz
- Pack of 3 Beaba storage jars: baby 4 fl oz, maxi 8 fl oz, and maxi + 14 fl oz
To view all the Beaba baby food storage products, click here.
3. Beaba multi-portion silicone molds
Beaba offers three sizes of multi-portion silicone molds. It’s super easy to unmold the baby purees and compotes, and I highly recommend them! Various color options are available:
- Beaba silicone multi portions 7×2 oz (14 oz)
- Beaba silicone multi portions 6×3 oz (18 oz)
- Beaba silicone multi portions 6×5 oz (30 oz)
Click here to view the different Beaba multi-portion silicone molds.
There are also other tips I often read on social networks shared by moms, such as:
- Freezing in freezer bags
- Freezing in ice cube trays
To remember what’s in a jar (well, it would be silly not to know what we’re feeding the baby!), I recommend using erasable labels. They are very practical and will help you keep track of what’s in your freezer!
I hope this article has been helpful. Feel free to comment and share your own storage tips for homemade baby food!”
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