As you transition your baby to solid foods, of course you don’t want to spend time prepping, cooking and pureeing a healthy meal only to have it go to waste. With all that effort, you want to make sure your baby’s homemade food lasts as long as possible. Learn more about storing homemade baby food and how to follow proper baby food safety protocol.

Follow these steps to make your homemade baby food last.

What You’ll Need

First things first: You’ll want to stock up on a few baby food freezer trays that let you spoon liquid directly into molded cubes and cover with a silicone lid. You’ll also want a baby blocks food storage set which includes individual cups that can be inserted into a freezer tray for easy storage. These small-portion containers are ideal for storing homemade baby food from a food-safety perspective since once your baby’s mouth comes in contact with the food, you have to throw out what isn’t eaten to avoid bacteria contamination.

As a general rule, your baby food containers should be airtight, shatter-proof and leakproof. And don’t forget dishwasher safe! There are plastic and glass options. Plastic is great for on-the-go since it’s lighter. These glass containers are made from borosilicate glass, which is thermal shock resistant, meaning it can go directly from the freezer to the microwave or oven without having to thaw. The great thing about choosing quality storage containers is that they last: You’ll find uses for them long after your baby becomes a toddler and beyond.

Other items that will come in handy: Sharp knives, peelers, a blender, pots for cooking, ladles, and sealable storage containers.

How to Pour and Store Baby Food

After you blend your homemade concoction, spoon it into a container using a soup ladle. (If you’re daring, you might try pouring it directly from the blender, but we take no responsibility for the mess that may ensue!) Filling the cup all the way to the top can help prevent freezer burn, but there’s nothing inherently unhealthy about those little ice crystals if they do form.

Once cups have been filled and sealed, label each container with the type of food and date you made it. That’s important because it will help you tell, several weeks down the road, whether or not that food is still OK to serve your baby.

So just how long does homemade baby food last for, anyway?

Follow these basic guidelines to be sure bacteria growth is kept to a minimum:

• Freezer: Three to six months (ideally try to use within three months)
• Refrigerator (meat, poultry, fish, eggs): 24 hours
• Refrigerator (fruits, veggies): 48 hours

Key Food Safety Tips

To ensure you’re serving your baby the safest, most nutritious food possible, practice these cooking tips from the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:

• Make sure your tools, cutting boards, pots and food storage containers are clean.
• Mash or puree fruit in its own juice (don’t add sugar or honey to sweeten).

Read the full article on OXO.