The correct preparation and storage of baby food is as vital to your baby's well-being as the ingredients are. Whether making homemade baby food or purchasing commercially prepared food, these guidelines can help to ensure your child safely enjoys the full nutritional benefit of their food.

Step-by-Step

Preparation:

• Always make sure your cooking surfaces, utensils, and storage containers are clean before preparation begins



• Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean meats



• Avoid canned vegetables, meat or fish because of their high salt content



• Canned fruits in their own juice can be puréed for your baby



• Thoroughly wash fresh fruits and vegetables. Run cool water over produce before preparation. Don't use soap



• Remove any peel, seeds or stems before cooking, then cook fruits (such as sliced apples and plums) and vegetables (such as sweet potatoes and peas) until they're soft enough to mash



• Boil or steam produce. When boiling, use the smallest amount of water possible to retain vitamins



• To mash, use a food processor or blender, using small quantities of food and gradually adding enough liquid to obtain the proper consistency for your baby's age. Around 7 months, you can begin to mash baby's food with a fork



• Don't add any sugar or salt to your baby's food



• When heating food, do so by putting baby's serving in a glass bowl and setting it in a pan of hot water for a few minutes, or by putting it in a microwave-safe dish and heating it in the microwave for no more than 10 seconds



• Always stir food to distribute heat evenly - wait 30 seconds for food that was heated in the microwave. Be sure to test the temperature of the food before feeding your baby

Storage:

• Store cooked foods in the refrigerator and use within 48 hours. Only spoon what you need into a serving dish and leave leftovers for another meal



• Once the baby's spoon has dipped into the container, you should discard the leftovers to avoid contamination



• Spoon baby's portion into a plastic bowl. If you feed directly from the jar, you will transfer his saliva to the remaining food, causing bacteria growth



• Refrigerate unused portions of jarred foods, but discard any left over in the bowl. Throw away unused foods according to the manufacturer's instructions



• Freeze puréed fruits, vegetables and even meats in ice cube trays and then transfer and store them in polythene freezer bags for 1-2 months (meat, poultry and fish), or 6-8 months for fruits and vegetables



• Be sure to label all frozen food with expiry dates

Important Notes

• As with any food preparation, make sure to clean surfaces thoroughly between preparing meat and non-meat products.



• Never place jars of baby food directly into the microwave for fear of shattering.



• Always test the temperature of foods before feeding them to your baby.



• Never re-freeze foods that have been frozen before, and never re-heat baby food more than once.



• Inspect all labels to ensure ingredients contain only foods that can be tolerated by an infant your baby's age.



• Listen for a whooshing, popping or clicking noise when you open a jar of baby food, and make sure that the centre of the lid pops up. If either fails to happen, be sure to return the food to the store or discard it.

For more information on this topic, check our Q&A Section. If you don't find the information you're looking for, please feel free to Ask a Dietitian.