Parentpedia

What Experts Say

You've read up on the healthiest foods for your baby, pored over the labels on those tiny jars at the market, and even pureed a few batches of baby-style sweet potato and applesauce at home. But it's just as important to put equal thought into storing your baby's food, so you can be sure you're serving foods that are free of harmful bacteria.

Babies and toddlers are more sensitive to food-borne bacterial infections, because their immature immune systems are still developing. Food-related illnesses strike children under age 10 eight hundred thousand times a year, reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. All the more reason for caution in the kitchen.

There's a slight difference of opinion on how long cooked or leftover baby foods can be safely refrigerated. The most conservative guidelines state that you should use leftover meat, poultry, fish, or eggs within 24 hours; two to three days for vegetables and fruits. You'll also find some variation on storing frozen foods. Many set the bar at one month, particularly for foods containing meat or eggs; others extend it for up to three.

One of the most common pitfalls is feeding your baby directly from the original container. Spooning her peas from the jar or container where you've stored her homemade puree is a no-no, because saliva from her mouth travels to the jar by way of the spoon, contaminating the whole lot with bacteria.

Instead, spoon a small amount into a clean feeding dish, then feed her. (If you need to refill her dish, use a clean spoon, not the one you fed her with.) After feeding time, toss any food that remains in her dish, then stow the original container of peas in the fridge.

Follow these additional tips to help safeguard your baby's food:

• Make sure the refrigerator is set at 40 degrees F or lower, and the freezer at 0 degrees F or lower. Keep both clean.
• Once you open or prepare food for your baby, serve it immediately, or put it in a clean container with a snug-fitting lid (label it with contents and date) and store it in the refrigerator right away. Bacteria can grow quickly, so any foods that have been sitting out for two hours or more (one hour in warm weather) should be thrown out.
• Keep uncooked meats, fish, and poultry on a lower shelf or in a drawer in the fridge, so drippings won't contaminate other foods. Keep eggs in their cartons so you can track their freshness date.
• To freeze homemade purees, pour into clean ice cube trays, cover with wrap or foil, and freeze. Dump cubes into freezer-safe plastic containers or bags, label with the date and contents, and freeze. Or, store in recycled, clean baby food jars, leaving at least one-half inch of space for expansion.
• To thaw frozen foods, check dates and use the oldest foods first. Place in the fridge, or under cold running water, or gently heat on the stove in a heat-safe dish (like a custard cup) set in a saucepan of water (test for acceptable temperature before serving it to your baby).