question for those who make their own baby food

lucy11111 · July 2013

I made the food & froze it in ice cubes but now I have a silly question - how do you defrost the cube at meal time? microwave?

CCooper73 · July 2013

your never supposed to microwave anything for baby (it can create hot spots in the food and burn them) i just put mine in the dish i plan to serve it out of and let it thaw in the fridge, or if im in a rush i thaw it with a water bath.

pb_bride · July 2013

If I remember early enough, I'll take it out to room temperature and let it defrost.

However, in a pinch, I will microwave it, like for 20 seconds, and I always check the temp with my lips before feeding it to DS.

LauraChicago · July 2013

I never am organized enough so I always defrost in microwave. Always stir really well afterwards and test before giving to baby. If you defrost properly the food won't be hot but just room temp.

[Deleted User] · July 2013

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AimeeL85 · July 2013

If I remember in time, I thaw it in the fridge or on the counter, sometimes I drop it in a cub of warm water (not the cubes, I use little plastic cups with screw on lids too), but yeah, I definitely thaw things in the microwave everyday, too. I don't do it until it's hot to begin with, but I stir it thoroughly and let it sit a bit before I feed it to her anyway. Not something I'm worried about.

rjeller32 · July 2013

I agree with @JandAcoffee, all it takes is common sense to defrost in a microwave. I think they typically have to warn against for people who don't think to check all throughout the food. I figure if I am going to check my food after a reheat, I should probably check my infants too.

Renee1105 · July 2013

I defrost over night then put it in the bottle warmer.

this decaf life · July 2013

I put the cube in a tiny cup and then the tiny cup in a bowl of hot water.

Beth.1212 · July 2013

pb_bride said:
If I remember early enough, I'll take it out to room temperature and let it defrost.

However, in a pinch, I will microwave it, like for 20 seconds, and I always check the temp with my lips before feeding it to DS.

This.

Daisy622 · July 2013

Microwave, stir, and let it sit for a couple of minutes...works great and is easy to do

TheEditor · July 2013

sgreen13 said:

Set it out and let it thaw. I pop out my ice cubes of food and put them in plastic bags (while stored in the freezer). Makes it easier to send the food to daycare and it is pre-portioned.

Yup, this. I have a series of quart-sized bags in the freezer labeled with the food name. That way, LO also gets a variety of foods we know he's not allergic no. Otherwise, he'd probably get sweet potato every day until the bag was done! Ha!

lyndsihutson · July 2013

I microwave it...About 3-4 cubes at a time for 1 minute and let is cool then check it with my lips before giving bites to her.

SPK926 · July 2013

How do you send it to daycare? DD is starting back at daycare in a month and I was thinking of just sending it in these. What do you all use?

Ziploc® brand Containers with the Smart Snap® Seal

Daisy622 · July 2013

For daycare we use these bowls - they have a lid and are dishwasher and microwave safe. We label them with namebubbles stickers.

https://www.diapers.com/p/munchkin-stack-a-bowls-4pk-95175

Sometimes we use Ziploc containers too.

adventureolive · July 2013

I feel weird now that I don't freeze our food. We make all baby food pretty much to order.

I figure if you really want to defrost it quick, you could put it in a glass container and simmer it in water. Although I also figure if you stir it well after microwaving, the heat will disperse evenly.

nuttycoconut · July 2013

Thaw in fridge the night before and then microwave for 10 seconds (obviously stirring and checking before feeding).

beccalee721 · July 2013

JandACoffee said:

CCooper73 said:

your never supposed to microwave anything for baby (it can create hot spots in the food and burn them) i just put mine in the dish i plan to serve it out of and let it thaw in the fridge, or if im in a rush i thaw it with a water bath.
Okay I think this is definitely overkill. Yea, don't microwave something and then give it to your LO without thoroughly stirring and checking temp, but with a little common sense microwaving is perfectly fine. I usually defrost DD's cubes for 25 seconds, stir, and then let them sit for 5-10 minutes while I'm getting the rest of dinner/lunch ready, then test it before giving it to DD. Its always room temp or just slightly above at this point. I also microwave chunks of chicken or beef for 10 seconds and then let them cool before shredding them for DD (she prefers this to meat puree). I'm certainly not going to cook chicken/beef from scratch every single day or leave them out at room temp to warm up or use a water bath for this, so what on earth is wrong with microwaving a piece of chicken and waiting for it to cool before giving it to DD?? Try not to overthink it.

This. There's nothing wrong with microwaving food for baby, as long as it isn't in a bottle. If you stir it up and make sure it's cool enough (I check it with my tongue) then it's ok. The "hot spots" issue is in a bottle because shaking the bottle up doesn't always take care of hot spots.

I typically freeze them in the ice cube trays and then the next day pop them all out and put them into a freezer bag so they're easy to grab and heat up for the remainder.

CCooper73 · July 2013

beccalee721 said:

JandACoffee said:

CCooper73 said:

your never supposed to microwave anything for baby (it can create hot spots in the food and burn them) i just put mine in the dish i plan to serve it out of and let it thaw in the fridge, or if im in a rush i thaw it with a water bath.
Okay I think this is definitely overkill. Yea, don't microwave something and then give it to your LO without thoroughly stirring and checking temp, but with a little common sense microwaving is perfectly fine. I usually defrost DD's cubes for 25 seconds, stir, and then let them sit for 5-10 minutes while I'm getting the rest of dinner/lunch ready, then test it before giving it to DD. Its always room temp or just slightly above at this point. I also microwave chunks of chicken or beef for 10 seconds and then let them cool before shredding them for DD (she prefers this to meat puree). I'm certainly not going to cook chicken/beef from scratch every single day or leave them out at room temp to warm up or use a water bath for this, so what on earth is wrong with microwaving a piece of chicken and waiting for it to cool before giving it to DD?? Try not to overthink it.

This. There's nothing wrong with microwaving food for baby, as long as it isn't in a bottle. If you stir it up and make sure it's cool enough (I check it with my tongue) then it's ok. The "hot spots" issue is in a bottle because shaking the bottle up doesn't always take care of hot spots.

I typically freeze them in the ice cube trays and then the next day pop them all out and put them into a freezer bag so they're easy to grab and heat up for the remainder.

i'm just going off of my pedi's recommendations and what i have read, not to mention that microwaving kills some nutritional content, based on that i choose not to microwave anything for my DS. But to each his own, no need to go on the defense or say i am "overthinking it"

Carynangie · July 2013

My 8 month little girl eats 4 ounces and I use a pouch storage system. If i forgot to defrost a head.of time i put the frozen pouch in a small pot of water on the stove on low heat for about 5 minutes or so or until it is thawed. This saves the food from absorbing radiation.

rjeller32 · July 2013

CCooper73 said:

beccalee721 said:

JandACoffee said:

CCooper73 said:

your never supposed to microwave anything for baby (it can create hot spots in the food and burn them) i just put mine in the dish i plan to serve it out of and let it thaw in the fridge, or if im in a rush i thaw it with a water bath.
Okay I think this is definitely overkill. Yea, don't microwave something and then give it to your LO without thoroughly stirring and checking temp, but with a little common sense microwaving is perfectly fine. I usually defrost DD's cubes for 25 seconds, stir, and then let them sit for 5-10 minutes while I'm getting the rest of dinner/lunch ready, then test it before giving it to DD. Its always room temp or just slightly above at this point. I also microwave chunks of chicken or beef for 10 seconds and then let them cool before shredding them for DD (she prefers this to meat puree). I'm certainly not going to cook chicken/beef from scratch every single day or leave them out at room temp to warm up or use a water bath for this, so what on earth is wrong with microwaving a piece of chicken and waiting for it to cool before giving it to DD?? Try not to overthink it.

This. There's nothing wrong with microwaving food for baby, as long as it isn't in a bottle. If you stir it up and make sure it's cool enough (I check it with my tongue) then it's ok. The "hot spots" issue is in a bottle because shaking the bottle up doesn't always take care of hot spots.

I typically freeze them in the ice cube trays and then the next day pop them all out and put them into a freezer bag so they're easy to grab and heat up for the remainder.

i'm just going off of my pedi's recommendations and what i have read, not to mention that microwaving kills some nutritional content, based on that i choose not to microwave anything for my DS. But to each his own, no need to go on the defense or say i am "overthinking it"

I think you are kind of overthinking it, and no one is getting on the defensive, just saying it's not going to harm your child if you are safe about it.

Every cooking method can destroy vitamins and other nutrients in food. The factors that determine the extent are how long the food is cooked, how much liquid is used and the cooking temperature. Due to the fact that cooking time is generally shorter in a microwave, you actually are losing less nutrients than other options of heating methods.

Cornell even did a study on this with spinach, and found that when heated in a microwave, the spinach retained most to all it's folates, while the spinach heated over a stove lost about 77%. But if you add water to the vegetables while reheating it can speed up the loss of nutrients by a ten fold.

rjeller32 · July 2013

Carynangie said:

My 8 month little girl eats 4 ounces and I use a pouch storage system. If i forgot to defrost a head.of time i put the frozen pouch in a small pot of water on the stove on low heat for about 5 minutes or so or until it is thawed. This saves the food from absorbing radiation.

And microwaves do not allow food to absorb radiation. A microwave emits a non-ionizing radiation (the dangerous types of radiation are ionizing radiations). The levels it radiates are so low that it allows atoms in a molecule to move or vibrate but not enough to remove particles. The radiation a microwave uses falls into the same category of sound waves and visible light.

Ionized radiation is used in X-rays, gamma rays and the sun.

ETA: I suck with words.

[Deleted User] · July 2013

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g8trkim · July 2013

I tried to put them it in the fridge the day before, but if I forgot I would microwave it for like 30 seconds, stir it, then set it on the counter for 10-15 minutes. It wasn't even remotely warm by that time.

g8trkim · July 2013

SPK926 said:

How do you send it to daycare? DD is starting back at daycare in a month and I was thinking of just sending it in these. What do you all use?

I put them in tiny Rubbermaid containers the night before and put it in the fridge. By the next day morning it is thawed and you can just send them to daycare that way.

rjeller32 · July 2013

JandACoffee said:

rjeller32 said:

Carynangie said:

My 8 month little girl eats 4 ounces and I use a pouch storage system. If i forgot to defrost a head.of time i put the frozen pouch in a small pot of water on the stove on low heat for about 5 minutes or so or until it is thawed. This saves the food from absorbing radiation.

And microwaves do not allow food to absorb radiation. A microwave emits a non-ionizing radiation (the dangerous types of radiation are ionizing radiations). The levels it radiates are so low that it allows atoms in a molecule to move or vibrate but not enough to remove particles. The radiation a microwave uses falls into the same category of sound waves and visible light.

Ionized radiation is used in X-rays, gamma rays and the sun.

ETA: I suck with words.

I am seriously impressed. I feel like this is gif-worthy, but I am so not skilled at finding or inserting gifs. Thank you for the info though!!!

We had a kid in high school whose mom took away all microwaves in their house, to prevent cancer, so I did my senior project on the truth of microwaves and their danger levels. When you understand the basic principles in the heating process, you realize how silly it sounds to worry about radiation. Microwaves radiate in the same way that water radiates when you drop a rock in it.

But, I'll pat myself on the back for you, since you can't find a gif ::pats back:: :P

thatoneredhead · July 2013

Well my kid is SOOL. I microwaved his food and his WCM for a whopping 20 seconds for 6oz.

** I do what I want! well... I also shake it to death afterwards and then I do what I want!**

rjeller32 · July 2013

And I am curious as to what SOOL is?

[Deleted User] · July 2013

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kasheton · August 2013

g8trkim said:

SPK926 said:

How do you send it to daycare? DD is starting back at daycare in a month and I was thinking of just sending it in these. What do you all use?

I put them in tiny Rubbermaid containers the night before and put it in the fridge. By the next day morning it is thawed and you can just send them to daycare that way.

My lo doesn't go to daycare, but I use the little bitty squarish rubbermaid containers at home and for travel. The lids snap on to the bottom of the container so I just stack the two containers I take together to find them easier.

Kingston54 · August 2013

I also don't microwave.... Just thaw in fridge

question for those who make their own baby food

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