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Failure to preserve weaning food correctly can compromise both safety and essential nutrients in the food...
1. Preserving weaning food to maintain crucial nutrients for your baby
Lack of knowledge on how to store weaning food can jeopardize safety and result in loss of vital nutrients present in the food.
Preserving weaning food is a vital aspect of the weaning process. A common dilemma for mothers is the concern that preparing meals for each feeding session is time-consuming. On the other hand, pre-prepared meals need proper storage to ensure nutritional quality and safety for the baby.
2 simple and safe methods for freezing weaning food
The Clinical Nutrition Association of England has issued specific guidelines on the proper preparation and storage of weaning food. According to the guidelines, the prepared food should be divided into two parts: part 1 for immediate consumption by the baby, and part 2 for storage to be consumed gradually.
When freezing weaning food, it is best to store each type of food separately. If you don't cook each type of food separately and mix them when cooking, then when freezing, the storage time is only half compared to freezing separately.
The freezing time of weaning food with individual components is as follows:
Vegetables and fruits: up to 6 - 8 months (Best consumed within 3 weeks).
Pork/beef/fish/chicken meat: up to 1-2 months (Best consumed within 10 days).
Freezing time of weaning food with mixed ingredients: up to 3 weeks (best consumed within 3-5 days).
There are two simple methods for freezing pre-cooked food:
- Method 1: Put the fully cooked and pureed food directly into a sterile bag with a lock. Before sealing, make sure to squeeze out all the air.
- Method 2: Freeze the food using an ice tray, then transfer it to a sterile bag with a lock for long-term storage.
Note:
- When freezing, clearly mark the date, type of frozen food to ensure that weaning food is prepared without expiration and confusion between different types.
- The compartment for storing frozen weaning food for the baby should be kept clean and separate from other compartments (not near or in contact with raw meats).
- After thawing, use your sense of smell, taste, and observe the color. If anything seems unusual (change in color, presence of sticky substance, strange sour taste, or unfamiliar odor), discard it immediately, and do not feed it to the baby.
Proper Thawing and Warming Procedure for Weaning Food
Equally important as the freezing process is the correct procedure for thawing weaning food, ensuring the preservation of nutritional content and preventing bacterial contamination in baby weaning food.
Various methods for thawing pre-cooked/pureed and mashed food:
- Thaw in the refrigerator's cool compartment
Meat/chicken: 8 – 10 hours or overnight.
Fish: 6-8 hours.
Crab meat: 10 – 12 hours.
Shrimp: 8 hours.
Fruits (avocado, banana, dragon fruit, kiwi, apple, pear, pineapple, watermelon, grape, strawberry, cherry): 6-8 hours.
- Thawing with a microwave: Choose the microwave's thawing mode. Check if your microwave has this feature. Do not use the heating mode for thawing.
- Thawing by steaming.
- Thaw by placing the prepared food items in a sturdy plastic bag, under cold running water, and then directly heating by boiling on the stove.
