One of the reasons that homemade baby food is so convenient to make is that you can store it in your freezer. You don’t need special storage facilities and you really don’t need special storage containers; a simple ice cube tray is suitable for all your homemade baby food puree storage needs. Of course once you have frozen a delicious stash of baby food, you’ll have to find a way to thaw that food out so that your baby may enjoy all the wholesome goodness!
The most convenient way to store homemade baby food is to freeze it. Homemade baby food purees are most often frozen in regular ice cube trays, freezeable glass containers (check out Wean Green) or plastic containers. No matter what you choose to freeze your homemade baby purees in, these methods are the best methods for thawing out those delicious baby meals.
Freezer to Fridge:
Take out the amount of food you will need for up to 2 days and place it in the refrigerator. If you move the frozen food from the fridge to the freezer at night, you should wake up to find thawed and ready to eat baby purees.
Stove Top:
Take the desired amount of frozen puree from the freezer and place the food in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water, formula or breast milk. You may need to run warm water over the container to loosen up the frozen food. Gently heat the puree until thawed and store for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Please be sure to stir thoroughly if you will be immediately feeding your baby a meal.
Hot Water Bath:
Fill a bowl with hot water and float the frozen food (in its containers) in the hot water until thawed. If you are not using storage containers to freeze the food, once the food has thawed you will need to transfer it to storage containers and store in the fridge.
Microwave:
The microwave is a time-saver for many parents and for other parents, it is something to avoid. If you would like to thaw your baby food in the microwave, transfer the food to a glass container before thawing. It is safer to use glass in the microwave than it is to use plastic. If you will be feeding your little one a meal once you have thawed the food in the microwave, please be sure to thoroughly and vigorously stir the food. Hot spots may be in the food and you could accidentally burn your baby’s mouth.
