How to Store Homemade Baby Food: A Simple Fridge and Freezer Routine

To store homemade baby food, portion it into small covered containers, refrigerate or freeze it promptly, keep both appliances cold enough, and thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator. Just as important, keep clean batch food separate from anything your baby has already been fed from. The steps below follow US guidance from the FDA and FoodSafety.gov.

Two kinds of food: clean batch portions and feeding leftovers

Before you think about fridge or freezer times, sort what you have. Feeding leftovers are anything that was served. FDA's baby food advice, written about jars, is to spoon a serving into a separate dish, since a used feeding spoon can contaminate what is left, and to discard uneaten food in the dish. The same separation makes sense for a container of homemade food, and the storage steps below are for clean portions only.

Before you store: clean, portion and chill

• Start clean. FDA advises washing food-contact equipment with detergent and hot water, then rinsing it, and FoodSafety.gov also stresses clean hands, utensils and surfaces.
• Portion it small and covered. FDA suggests dividing hot food into smaller containers, notes that hot food can go straight into the refrigerator instead of cooling on the counter, and recommends covered containers for refrigerated food.
• Chill promptly. FDA's storage guidance says to refrigerate or freeze perishable food within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F, and its baby food page sets the same 2-hour room-temperature limit for baby food.

Check temperatures and know the time windows

Check your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer, as FDA recommends, and aim for the targets below. The time windows come from the homemade baby food row in FoodSafety.gov's chart for children under five.

Official freezer guidance does not agree: FDA's baby food page lists longer times. Planning around the shorter FoodSafety.gov window is a cautious choice, not a guarantee. FDA also notes that freezing does not kill most bacteria and cannot fix mishandled food, and that smell or appearance alone cannot show food is safe.

Freeze in small, dated portions

FDA suggests freezing homemade food in covered portions, then moving the frozen portions into a freezer bag or airtight container and dating it. Small portions mean you thaw only what you plan to use. The portion size is about convenience, not how much your baby should eat.

Thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter

Move a frozen portion to the refrigerator to thaw. FDA's refrigerator guidance says thawing at room temperature is unsafe, so skip the counter even when you are short on time.

A small next step

Before your next batch, check your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer and set out a few small covered containers. For store-bought food, see how to serve baby food pouches and how to read baby food labels, or browse Yummy Bites recipes for batch ideas.