With all of the food I'm making for my daughter I needed to gather some safe containers to freeze and store it all. I've purchased a few BPA free storage containers we sell here at MightyNest, as well as some we don't. I thought I'd share what I see as the pros and cons are for each.
Kinderville Silicone Baby Food Trays - perfect for storing foods I make in large batches, such as applesauce. There's a little more work involved to use these as they store 4 ser
vings in one container so you'll need to run just one section under warm water to get the food to "pop" out. They stack really conveniently and take up much less space in my freezer than 8 individual jars. Sold as 2 trays of 4 cubes, they work out to be $2.37 per container, which I think is a a reasonable price. And, once we're done with baby food, I imagine we'll use them to make homemade popsicles - yum!
Wean Cubes Glass Containers - These are my go-to option for bringing food with me. They are super, super easy to fill and close - the lids snap-on really easily and securely - I can toss them in a cooler bag or the diaper bag and not have to worry about them popping open. Plus, the glass is pretty thick so I'm confident it won't break while being tossed around. At $7 per container, they are the priciest containers that I've been using. They will however make great toddler snack containers, and I have even used them in my own lunch to bring nuts, olives, and raisins.
Duralex Glass Square Storage Bowls - I've been using the smallest size (5.3 ounces) and love them - they can go from the freezer to the fridge to the microwave to the high chair. These containers are the perfect size for a small baby bowl. They're also a great option for the diaper/cooler bag, although they are a bit larger than the Wean Cubes and will take up more space. At $6.50 per container, these are an economical choice, especially because they are multi functional.
Weck Glass Canning Jars - I bought small canning jars with glass lids to use for freezing breastmilk and have now starting using them for freezing baby food, as well. At $1.55 to $1.85 (for the ones I purchased) they are a great price. The downside is that I can pretty much only use them for storing food. These wouldn't be practical for on-the-go as there are a lot of parts (jar, lid, rubber seal, and 2 clasps) and the clasps aren't secure enough for being tossed in a diaper bag. But, since we eat most of our meals at home anyway, they work great for us.
Other Glass Jars - I have a few glass jars such as jam jars, olive jars, etc. that I also use, however, I'm starting to move away from these as I've read reports that some lids can actually contain BPA. When I do use them I make sure to avoid contact between the food and the lids by only filling them a little more than halfway. Its a great way to save money as the only cost is whatever you paid for the food itself, which you'll eat, anyway. That being said, it can be a pain having to be so careful about keeping the lid away from foods.
The best part about all of these baby food storage options is that I can use them for storing non baby food as my daughter gets older. Plus, its been a great way for my to get rid of all the plastic storage containers I used to have in my kitchen!
