Infant Baby Food

Updated on May 20, 2008
Y.O. asks from Danville, VA
22 answers

I was woundering if anyone knows how long you can keep baby food in the frig once you have opened it? My 6 month old right now is not eating all of it at once and I am still trying new foods with him. Also was woundering when I can start giving him teething biscuits/cookies?

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Thanks for all the input!!! I gave him teething biscuits this weekend and he loved them!!! He made a big mess out of them and was real cute with them!! Thanks!!! ;-)

More Answers

A.D.

answers from Austin on

I think on the containers it says like up to 2 days. It should be ok to start him on the teething biscuits. They dissolve pretty quickly and are very messy. He will probably need a bath afterwards. Just make sure you are supervising!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.F.

answers from Charlotte on

Your pesiatrician should have told you that when starting solids you should start first with cereals and after at least 4 days you can move to other stuff, I always did veggies before fruits so my babes wouldn't refuse the less sweet veggies for the sweet fruits. But the jars are only good for 24hrs in the fridge after opening. You can make baby food much cheeper, and it is really fast if you have a blender or food processor. I just freeze mine in a few ice cube trays and that is approz. 1Tbsp. Its a big time saver.

I hope that helped.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Lexington on

he is ready now for teething biscuits, and i think that once you open a jar, it is only good for one day. if he does not eat it by the end of the day, throw it out. also, if he eats straight from the jar, you can not save it. make sure you pour half into a small bowl then put the other half in the fridge, and offer it at dinner.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.M.

answers from Greensboro on

You're only supposed to keep it in the fridge 2 days (once opened). If you feed your baby from the jar then you're supposed to throw it away because his/her saliva can cause bacteria to grow. I know it's hard - what I did was feed half a jar of fruit for breakfast, along with cereal, for lunch half jar of fruit & half jar of vegetable, then for supper half jar of vegetable and cereal again. I read Babywise and this is what they recommended. A lot of people I know swore by that book.

I believe 6 months is when you can start feeding those Fruit Puffs that Gerber or Beech Nut make. The wagon wheels are good too but I think they have to be more like 9 months.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.M.

answers from Raleigh on

The gerber containers say 2-3 days. You could probably take out the portion he will eat and freeze the rest to pull out later if you don't want to waste it.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.K.

answers from Memphis on

As far as the baby food, I think it's about 3 days that you can keep in the fridge as long as you don't double-dip while you are feeding your baby. You should put a little in a small bowl and feed out of the bowl. Otherwise, bacteria from their mouth gets in the jar. Another idea is to make your own baby food. You can make a variety of foods and freeze them in ice trays. Once they are frozen in cubes, you stick them in a ziploc bag in the freezer and you are set. On the teething biscuits, I'd wait awhile on that. For choking reasons and for food allergy reasons. Giving wheat and dairy products too early can increase a child's risk of food allergies. That's the situation we are now in with our 2 1/2 year old son. I've got a daughter who's 8 months old and we are introducing only gluten-free casein-free soy-free foods for her since my son has food allergies and food sensitivities. But they do have GFCF finger foods like cereal and other such things. We are just now getting her on rice cereal and a few baby foods. But when we get ready, we'll introduce GFCF cheerio-like foods to her instead.
Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.P.

answers from Colorado Springs on

at daycare we could only keep it till the next day, so 24 hrs. I never kept any with dd b/c i made her food and only gave her what I knew she'd eat.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.P.

answers from Memphis on

I read this in a parenting book...baby food can keep in the fridge (covered) for 24 hours only. There are no artificial preservatives so it doesn't keep long w/out bacteria starting. Also, I would advise against any type of biter biscuit or such. My nephew was happily gnawing away on his one day, when he suddenly started choking! My sis did the H-maneuver and up came the top part of the biscuit! His 2 little bottom teeth had soaked and weakened the biscuit in the middle and it broke off in his mouth! After that happened, we had tons of people say how that happened to them or a family member, too! And the biscuits don't help him learn his pincher grasp (like picking up cheerios). My 5 children have all loved the little puffs (usually fruit flavored) on the baby food aisle...they dissolve right away! I started them on those at around 8-9 months when they could crawl and started reaching for the baby spoon as I fed them! Hope this helps!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.P.

answers from Nashville on

You can keep it in the jar about 48 hours, If you put it in a container you can have it about 3-4 days. You can go ahead and try the teething biscuits and cookies, as long as he/she has some teeth and swollows his/her baby food good, ( doesn't get choked easy). Peds Nurse. J.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.M.

answers from Johnson City on

If you feed him directly out of the jar-24 hours. If you take portions out of the jar then 2-3 days. The reason is bacteria can grow in the container when you feed directly from the jar, so if you would like to keep it longer put a small amount into a bowl or plate with a fresh spoon before feeding him.

Personally, I would not recommend teething biscuits until closer to 9 months of age. The reason why is becaue they can be a choking hazard for a baby who is just learning to eat. Teething biscuits are not recommended until a baby can crawl, use a pincher grasp and is acustomed to chewing solid foods. A replacement for a baby learning to self feed would be to purchase a mesh feeder, those is safer and cannot pass large chunks of food through it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.B.

answers from Lexington on

It is only good for 24 hours!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.T.

answers from Richmond on

Usually 2-3 days max.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.D.

answers from Chattanooga on

My daughter didn't eat an entire jar at once a lot of the time either. Make sure that you're not feeding him directly from jar because of the bacteria that can build up going from spoon to mouth to jar. I always poured about half in a bowl and then put the jar in the fridge. I think I still only kept them about 24 hours though.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

My understaind on the baby food is three days. As far as the teething biscuits and cookies go, I know on the Gerber ones, it says on the box that they are ready for them once they are either 10 months or crawling with their stomach off the ground.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Huntington on

Never feed the baby directly from the jar. This introduces his saliva into the baby food, which begins to "digest" it, causing it to spoil faster. Dip out the amount you think he will eat, and put it in a bowl.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.O.

answers from Raleigh on

it usually says (in small print) on the jar 2-3 days. that is also the normal rule for any left-overs according to food nutritionists. i never had very good luck with the hard crusty crackers though...i may have waited too late after he had teeth so he would bite off big chunks and gag on them so it is a food you should watch closely how yours reacts. if he is drooling alot and teething at 6-9 months give them a try?

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.G.

answers from Fayetteville on

Yvonna,
If you have spoon fed your little one from the jar, I'd say toss the jar after 1 day. The reason is that the baby's saliva will have been introduced to the food and has bacteria that can grow. You don't want him to get sick, so be on the safe side! You can always dish out small portions into a small bowl instead of feeding directly from the jar. Hope this helps.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.A.

answers from Charlotte on

Hi Yvonna:

I want to say that it's 3 days for fruit and 2 days for veggies/meats but I may have it backwards. I used Beechnut baby foods for my daughter & I think it said how long to store it in the fridge right on the container in tiny writing.

Just my opinion, but I would talk to your baby's pediatrician about what your child can eat at his age. I probably would not give teething biscuits until your child starts eating chunky foods & can chew the food several times before swallowing in order to prevent a choking hazard. If your baby wants something to chew on, I gave my daughter a frozen washcloth to "naw" on when she was teething & she loved it. The teething rings kept in the fridge work great too.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.H.

answers from Louisville on

YOu can give him the teething biscuits... and the baby food is 24 hours

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Knoxville on

I think you can only keep it for 2-3 days because there aren't any preservatives in it. :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.M.

answers from Louisville on

about 24 hours but pour half his food in a bowl then feed it to him that way you arnt putting bacteria from his mouth back in the jar and letting it grow over night in your fridge. i started giving teething biscuts around 4 months with the baby food i just watched her very close b/c when they get melted down they can choke on the little parts. good luck :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.T.

answers from Wilmington on

If you can freeze some of the food, that might work.
If you have further questions, try contacting the US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at 1-888-SAFEFOOD. (tollfree) or check their website at www.cfsan.fda.gov. If you have a local/State extension center, they may also be able to help.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches