Glass Baby Food Jars - Can I Reuse Them?
If you've ever bought commercially prepared baby food for your little one, then chances are you have a stash of glass baby food jars that you don't know what to do with!
You could, of course, recycle them.
But REUSING them is even better - after all, even the recycling process uses up resources.
So in this article, I'm going to take a look at whether or not your spare glass baby food jars are safe for storing your homemade baby food.
I've also got lots of good ideas for other ways you can use them around your home!
can i store homemade baby food in glass baby food jars?
Yes, you can, but there are a few ways in which you need to be careful.
First, you should never freeze your homemade baby food in jars that previously contained commercial baby food.
This is because the glass from which they are made is not strong enough to stand such extremes of temperatures and is very likely to crack.
Even more worrying is the risk that the cracks may be so small that you won't see them. This means tiny shard of glass could go undetected in your baby's food.
If you'd particularly like to freeze your baby's food in glass jars, we'd recommend the Wee Sprout Glass Baby Food Jars, which are specially made for the job!
You can see more of our favorite baby food storage containers here, plus don't miss our guide to Safely Freezing Baby Food.
You CAN, however, reuse glass baby food jars to store your homemade baby food in the fridge. After all, they are the perfect size!
But it's important to keep them upright.
This is because the lids on commercial baby food jars are not designed to seal as tightly in future as they were when you first removed them. This means they are vulnerable to leakage - definitely something to bear in mind if you are packing them for a day out and about!
On the other hand, they are perfect for storing travel snacks like Cheerios or bread sticks for older babies.
Don't try to reheat your baby's food in glass jars either, unless the manufacturer's instructions explicitly say this is safe (which is very unlikely with a jar that was made for commercial baby food).
Again, this is because the glass is not designed to stand a significant change in temperature.
Is your baby switching from jarred baby food to homemade baby food?
is the original label stuck on your baby food jar?
The only problem with reusing glass baby food jars is that getting the label off can be a pain!
Soaking the whole jar in warm water is usually enough to remove the paper part of the label, but the glue has a tendency to stick around!
Here's how to remove it:
- Combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil (don't waste your good olive oil on this!).
- Smear the mixture over the glue on the jar and leave it for 30 minutes.
- Rub well with something abrasive. You can try the scouring side of the sponge you use to wash dishes, but I find it gets clogged up with the glue. Steel wool is a better option.
- Wash once more with soap and water and voila - you have a shiny clean jar!
glass baby food jars crafts - and other ideas for around the home
If you don't want to use them for baby food storage - or your little one is not so little any more (sigh) - here are a few fun ways to put your glass baby food jars to good use:
- Use as organizers for crayons in the play room (here's a great article from Monkey See, Monkey Do to show you how)
- Fill with condiments to take camping (but store upright)
- Fill with paint or glue for older children to use at an easel (pop the lids on after use)
- Fill with homemade bath salts for a fun gift
- Use as storage for homemade playdough - the lid is just what you need to stop it drying out
- Fill with water for your toddler to rinse his paint brushes
- Use as storage for crafts (stickers. beads, glitter etc)
- Use as desk storage (paper clips, thumb tacks, staples)
- Store your sewing supplies (buttons, needles, pins etc)
- Make these cool Lego head candy holders for party favors
- Store Q-tips on your dressing table
- If the jar is big enough, use it to serve a layered dessert like a parfait
- Make glass jar lanterns (here are some pretty ones from Mad in Crafts)
- Store herbs and spices (you can even glue magnets to the lids and attach them to your fridge)
- Pop in a few baby wipes for days out and about
- Store your pony-tail holders
- Make some fabulous DIY succulent hanging planters (Knock Off Decor will show you how)
- Store small jewelry items like earrings and rings when traveling
Last but not least - donate any glass baby food jars that you can't use to a local school. They will be only too happy to use them for craft projects!
Where would you like to go now?
Tips for taking baby to a restaurant
