I have made baby food for all of my children. As I was preparing to get started with my newest eater, I found an interesting product through One Step Ahead called Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers. Marketed as an easy way to take homemade baby food on the go, I decided to give them a try.

Product Description

The Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers are a set of 12 two-ounce cups, each with a screw cap to keep food inside. The cup is marked with one- and two-ounce fill lines for ease in filling. The cups come with a stacking tray to which they attach to keep things organized in the freezer - the tray holds six cups, and then the cups securely stack on top of each other.

The Verdict

So how do these cups work? So far, I have been very pleased. The cups are really easy to fill because the ounce markings let me know I am serving the baby the right amount. The caps are easy to screw on to the cups, and they stay closed, even in the diaper bag (which I have heard can be a problem with other single-serving storage products). They stack easily, and the tray and cups fit well into the freezer door, which makes my freezer organization much easier.

Besides freezing baby food, these small containers have been perfect for mixing up the baby's first cereal with formula. Because it has the ounce markings, it is very easy to just mix up a small amount of formula for the cereal without dirtying a whole bottle.


When we have been out and about, the containers have worked well. As I mentioned above, the caps stayed on, and I have not had any leaking. The lid even stayed on through an unintentional drop test onto a restaurant’s tile floor. When we are going out for the day, I have been able to grab a cup of sweet potatoes or avocado from the freezer, throw it in the diaper bag, and it is thawed by lunch. So easy!

One of the reasons that I am so excited about this product is that I will be able to continue using the cups long after the baby is done with baby food. They will be great for transporting snacks, holding salad dressing or hummus for lunches, and more. I just love when baby product purchases work well beyond the baby years.

Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers sell for $9.95 through One Step Ahead.

Are you looking for other storage containers for baby food? Emily did a great overview of some products to help make baby food cubes for home use. - Sara I.

When I was about six months pregnant, a coworker of mine told me a story about visiting her sister and newborn niece. In this story, it took five hours to leave the house for a grocery run. "Five hours?" I recall saying, incredulous. "Yup- I couldn't believe it, but it was that hard to just leave the house. She kept needing to do everything over and over again, and we just never could leave."

I decided right then that I would not be like that. I would not be a person that took a long time to leave the house with a baby. And so after my son was born I put a lot of thought into how to leave the house- the amount of time it takes, the supplies that are really required, and how to somehow make it easier.

Lately a very good friend who's baby is due next week has been asking for my efficiently-leaving-the-house technique. So here it is: Plan, pack, feed, diaper, and go!

Stop and think about what you need to bring. If it is a bunch of stuff, make a checklist and use it to stay focused. If nothing else: Diaper bag, snacks, phone, keys and wallet.

Pack the car/stroller/bike trailer with everything you need, except for the baby. This is made far easier if baby is in a sling, wrap, or soft carrier!

Feed the baby, or at least offer food. If the baby refuses, take baby for a walk around your living room and then try again. If the baby refuses to eat again, baby is probably not hungry, so go to the next step.

Change the baby's diaper (and clothing, if baby spat up). You know the drill.

Leave! Now! Decisively! If the baby screams, check the obvious (neck skin pinched by car seat straps?) and quickly fix, as needed. Do not let a fussy baby stop you. If there is no immediately fixable cause to screaming, just take some deep breaths and leave with fussy baby in tow.

The reason that you can just leave is that you know your beloved child is actually fine. You know the child is fine because you've just, right then, taken care of all its most important needs. The screaming is simply due to some disruption or stress from the act of leaving, and thus, trying to calm the baby will only result in another screaming bout when you try to leave a second time. By just doing it - leaving! - the baby learns that the hubbub and frustration goes away quickly, that the parent is remaining calm, and that screaming doesn't actually help. With practice, the screaming and fussing during leaving time will subside, and pretty soon you'll have a much, much easier time leaving the house.

I can't say that this will work for every parent and child out there, but it works really well for our household. I can proudly say that it has never taken me more than 45 minutes to leave the house (and about 35 minutes of that time is usually spent breastfeeding) and I almost always make it on time to lunch dates, appointments, and other time commitments. So remember: Plan, pack, feed, diaper, and then go! - Leigh G.