Safe Food Storage for babies

I think all parents would agree that home made baby food is the best way to feed a baby. It may not always be possible or as convenient as buying something off the shelf but there are so many benefits to making and feeding your own food as much as you can whether it's through baby led weaning or traditional pureed food:

• Babies experience real food tastes and combinations without added sweetness
• your baby gets used to the foods that you like to eat as a family
• you get to control exactly what is in their food
• you can understand which foods they enjoy or don't agree with their tummies
• there are more nutrients in home-made foods

food storage

There are so many ways to store home made baby food so you can pick the solution that works best for you and your baby. 

At nomnomkids we love reusable food pouches. A pouch is so convenient for taking out and about with you. They won't burst open in your change bag, they warm easily in hot water and once finished they are flat and take up very little room in your bag. As soon as you get home you can wash them easily by hand or in the dishwasher and the use again straight away.

cooling food down

One of the main issues with making your own baby food is waiting for it to cool down before you can store it in the fridge or freezer. I used to hang around for ages waiting for food to cool in the pan and then I would transfer it to pots and wait for that to cool before we could go out for a play. It's not good for food to be at room temperature for prolonged periods of time as this is when bacteria starts to grow.

With our reusable pouches you can can reduce food cooling times dramatically to keep food fresh and safe for your little ones to enjoy. Just follow the below steps:

• Once your food has been cooked and blended, place the pan in cold water or leave to cool for 5-10 minutes so it's no longer really hot (this is for your safety)
• Add your food into the nomnomkids pouches. You can pour in or spoon it in through the wide side opening.
• Seal up the pouches whilst squeezing out any excess air. Making the pouches air tight will help keep your food fresher and avoid freezer burn.
• Fill a large pan with cold water and plunge the pouches in. If the water gets warm, re-fill the pan until the food inside the pouch is cool. You can add ice cubes to the pan to cool the food extra quick.
• Pop your pouches in the fridge to eat within 48 hours (preferably 24 hours) or place them in the freezer for use at a later date.
• If you are heading out for lunch with your little one. Take a pouch out of the freezer in the morning and allow it to defrost before heating in a bowl / jug of hot water when you want to feed*.

*We do NOT recommend that you use a microwave to heat food in the pouches as hot spots can form in the food. If you do decide to use a microwave, use it on defrost setting for 10-20 seconds at a time and ALWAYS check the food yourself before feeding. You can open the pouch at the side to stir the food or massage the pouch to mix the food. The pouch materials are all safe to use in the microwave but we do not recommend this heating method on safety grounds.