In the Can

Should Conscientious Parents Can or Freeze Homemade Baby Food?

By Katherine Bontrager

Perhaps you're a chef extraordinaire or your garden is overflowing with fresh vegetables and fruits. Or maybe your little one has special dietary restrictions or you simply like knowing where your baby's food comes from. The reasons vary, but countless moms and dads have taken to "doing it themselves" when it comes to their baby's pureed foods.

Laura Yoshida's nanny showed her how to make and preserve food for her newborn and she's been forever grateful for the lesson. "Our baby ate a much greater variety than the options available from in-store baby food," says the New York City mom. "Now that both my children are older, we feel that they are better at eating fruits and vegetables than many other children their age. And there was less of an environmental impact and [it] was so simple to do."

But think again if you're having visions of hot stoves, stained aprons and endless shelves of canned food. Old-fashioned methods for canning have very little to do with current guidelines in preparing and storing baby food.

"I don't promote the 'canning' of homemade baby food," says Christine Albury, the author of homemade-baby-food-recipes.com. "Without scrupulous care and attention, any home canning carries the risk of botulism."

Instead, Albury and countless other proponents of homemade baby food freeze their creations. "I don't consider that there are any particular advantages to canning baby food over freezing – therefore, in my opinion, any risk is an unnecessary one," she says. "Freezing fresh foods preserves more valuable nutrients and is very easy."

In fact, Yoshida says the process is downright simple:

Want to see more?

• Bringing Taste Back to the Highchair: Annabel Karmel on Homemade Baby Food
• Homemade Baby Food: A Fresh Start to Healthy Eating
• Baby Food from Scratch: Holiday and Year-round Recipes Made Easy
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