How to store and choose baby eating utensils

I. Some ways to clean the child’s food tray

1. Use baking soda and lemon

If your baby’s food tray is made of stainless steel, you can use baking soda and lemon to deodorize and clean this item. This method is quite simple, just mix baking soda with lemon juice to create a paste, then clean the baby’s food tray for 5 minutes and rinse. This measure not only helps the food tray to be clean and dirty but also helps to deodorize residual food, especially dishes made from fish, shrimp, seafood…

2. Sun drying or using a dishwasher

The high temperature contributes to the more effective sterilization of baby food trays and dishes. After completing the washing process, put the baby’s food tray in a sunny place to dry it. Mothers should note that they should not be placed in direct sunlight, because baby food trays may melt or bend because their material is usually plastic. Whenever feeding the baby, the mother just needs to rinse it off with clean water.

In addition, if the family has a dishwasher, the process of sterilizing eating utensils for children also becomes much easier. The main function of the dish dryer includes bactericidal, sterilizing and drying dishes thanks to ozone rays, UV rays and high integrated temperature, so it is very suitable for cleaning baby food trays.

3. Make your own water to wash the baby’s weaning tray

Mothers can make their own dishwashing liquid from salt combined with aloe vera and lemon. The benign natural origin of the ingredients will make the mother feel somewhat secure in the use as well as ensure safety and gentleness with the skin of the hands.

Ingredient

+ 10 lemons
+ 1kg aloe vera
+ 1 liter of 95-degree wine
+ 5 liters of distilled water
+ 1 cup iodized salt
+ 300g foaming agent

Doing

Step 1: Wash the lemon, and grate the peel.

Step 2: Put lemon zest in 95-degree alcohol for about 1 day.

Step 3: Put aloe vera and a little water in a blender and puree.

Step 4: Continue to add lemon juice soaked in alcohol, aloe vera, salt and foaming agent into a bowl

Step 5: Wait for 15 hours for this mixture to dissolve.

4. Use safe, benign cleaning products

Mothers do not always have enough time to create dishwashing liquid from natural ingredients because they will still have to be busy with baby and family care tasks. Therefore, it is essential to find out how to clean your children’s dishes and food trays effectively and safely.,

Read more: The neatest and clean ways to clean the kitchen

II. Some notes when cleaning the child’s food tray

1. Safety principles

All baby supplies are made of non-fragile materials (no glass), should be plastic (BPA-free – Bisphenol A), look at the label or the bottom of the box for the symbols.
・Snowflake shape: can be used when frozen
· Microwave shape: can be used in the microwave oven
· Cup and fork shape: food-safe material
· Triangle with numbers inside. These numbers refer to the plastic material of the food processor. Acceptable numbers for babies are 2, 4, 5. The remaining numbers are 1, 3, 6, 7 should be avoided with children.

2. Absolutely not

Use recycled plastic containers.
· Use used boxes and glass bottles, reuse them.
· Do not store baby food in paper lunch boxes (eg broken lunch boxes, regular plastic bags, plastic cups)

3. Principles of cleaning tools

Children from 5.5 to 6 months old: utensils for preparing solid foods (spoons, cups, forks, pacifiers) need to be sterilized at a high temperature before use.
Babies from 6 months and older: Weaning utensils do not need to be sterilized, just soak in antibacterial soap for 2 minutes and rinse with hot water. The pacifier alone still needs to be sterilized until the baby is 1 year old.
Children with diarrhea, digestive disorders or worms should sterilize food processing utensils by temperature until they are healthy again

4. How to pasteurize by temperature

First, the tools should be washed with soap and clean water. Bring water to a boil in a large pot and bring the utensils to a boil for 10 minutes. Then take it out and let it dry.

III. Experience choosing to buy baby food utensils

1. Choose the correct and complete weaning kit

When the baby reaches the weaning stage, there are many tools parents need to prepare for the baby to make the process of weaning easy and enjoyable.

The baby food set includes:

– Divider tray.
– Set of spoons.
– High chair.
– Cup with handle
– Big bowl, a small bowl with a lid.
– Bibs weaning.
…

2. Material of the weaning tool is safe

Children tend to throw things away, so when broken, glass and porcelain can be dangerous. Therefore, parents should prioritize choosing hard-to-break materials such as wood, silicone, and plastic with safe ingredients. However, parents need to pay attention to choosing branded plastic with a clear origin. Do not use plastic utensils to reheat food and avoid BPA-containing products. BPA is a substance that causes brain damage, nervous system disorders and many other diseases.

3. Eye-catching designs and colors

Children during weaning like playing with dishes and eating utensils. If the products have fun colors, lovely designs will help children enjoy the meal more.

4. Product size is suitable for baby

Baby’s weaning utensils should not be shared with the family’s regular eating utensils. The size of these items, if too large, will make it difficult for children to eat and there is a risk of choking. When buying baby food, should read carefully to see how many months this product is for the baby? How much capacity?

In addition, the family needs to determine whether the baby will eat on his own or an adult will feed him. If an adult feeds the baby, choose a spoon with a long handle. If the baby eats on his own, a small, short spoon that fits in his hand will be the most suitable choice.

Read more: Smart kitchen tools for simpler housework (Part 1)

IV. Tools needed to prepare baby food

1. Dosing instrument

When cooking baby food, mothers need to determine the correct volume of each ingredient. Therefore, the dosing kit will help your baby have a scientific meal.

The dosing kit includes:

– Measuring cup: Measuring cup is a type of graduated cup, used to accurately measure soluble solvents such as milk or water, avoiding dishes that are too thick or too dilute.
– Quantitative spoon: The measuring spoon helps parents to season the seasoning correctly, avoiding the situation that the baby’s dish is too salty or too light.
– Weighing scale: Used to weigh the weight of ingredients in a baby’s meal. There are 0.5 – 1 kg weighing scales on the market suitable for use during the baby’s weaning period.

2. Pans, cooking pots

Cooking pots and pans for babies need to be used separately to ensure hygiene and safety for babies.

Some notes when choosing to buy pots and pans to cook baby food:

– Stainless steel material: 304 stainless steel is high-quality stainless steel, suitable for cooking for children. But when cooking, it is necessary to reduce the heat because this material is easy to scorch and tarnish.

– Porcelain material: Porcelain material is extremely safe when cooking. However, you need to be careful because porcelain pots easily cause food to spill when cooking. Parents, be careful to avoid losing the amount of vitamin B1 in rice

– Non-stick pots and pans: Cooking utensils are covered with a non-stick coating to prevent food from burning and porridge. However, when the non-stick coating is damaged, you need to change to another tool. If you continue to cook, especially porridge, it will harm your baby’s health.
– Choose a pot with a high wall: To help limit the boiling of food when cooking porridge. Pots and pans with glass lids also help you observe the cooking process.

3. Clocks

Timers are essential in the kitchen when you’re cooking baby food. The clock helps parents to watch the cooking time to reach the standard softness, preventing the food from being too hard or too soft as well as burning.

4. Food blender

A food blender is a tool that helps parents puree food for babies when they are just starting to eat weaning. Currently, the market has many types of blenders, the most popular of which are:

– Hand blender: A hand blender is used to blend smoothies, grind porridge, grind meat, beat eggs if there are accessories attached. The product is compact in size and easy to clean.

– Multi-function blender: The machine helps to blend, juice, grind seeds. However, the machine can only grind cold porridge and clean for a long time due to many accessories included.

In addition, when choosing to buy a blender, you should pay attention to the material. Blenders with plastic materials are often cheap, but parents should note that only cold food is ground to ensure the health of the baby and family. The glass jar is scratch-free, easy to clean and grinds less hot food. However, because it is glass, it is difficult to maintain.

5. Highchairs

The booster seat is an indispensable item in your baby’s weaning journey. Parents can choose highchairs with different materials such as:

– Wooden dining chair: Wooden chair has the advantage of being solid, and anti-fall with a safety belt for the baby. The chair is foldable and height adjustable. But due to the use of wood, the chair is heavy and difficult to move

– Plastic dining chair: Plastic chair has the advantage of being lightweight, adjustable in height and equipped with an easy-to-remove tray for washing.

– Versatile vibrating chair: The versatile vibrating chair is suitable for babies when they are just starting to eat solids. The chair has music, light vibration and parents can hang more toys to create excitement for the baby when eating.

6. Spoon

The spoon (spoon) needs to be the right size for the baby’s handle and mouth. Choose a spoon with soft material to limit the baby’s sore gums. when eat.

Silicon or TPR is a super soft material that parents can refer to. This material does not hurt, is safe for health and can be bent. For older children, the material of the spoon is also more diverse, but the material should not be too heavy or too soft. In addition, you need to avoid spoons with an angled design because it is easy to hurt the baby’s mouth.

7. Bibs

To avoid spilling food and dirty clothes, parents should equip baby bibs. Some basic types of bibs parents can refer to as:

– Plastic bibs: Plastic bibs have the advantage of being easy to clean. This bib is equipped with a size adjustment knob, the baby can use it for a long time according to age.
– Cotton bib, soft fabric: This material is suitable for young children. Cotton and fabric also work to keep the baby warm. Parents should prioritize choosing soft fabrics with a waterproof coating.
– Disposable bibs: This bib is suitable for family outings. Parents can throw away bibs after use instead of having to keep dirty bibs in the bag.

8. Water bottle/cup

A drinking cup is a tool to help your baby get used to holding a cup and gradually switch to drinking from a normal cup like an adult. Some experiences when parents train their baby to use a cup of water:

Give your baby a small drink at each drink. Do not fill the cup with water because it is easy to overflow.
Teach your baby how to hold a cup and raise it when drinking.
Encourage and encourage your baby to enjoy drinking water from a cup.
Choose a cup of water with a soft faucet the first time your baby learns to use it.

9. Multi-compartment tray, dish set

Currently, plastic trays come in many colors, but parents should choose safe plastic that does not contain BPA. In addition to plastic material, parents can refer to wood, porcelain, …

If you choose to use multiple dishes instead of a multi-compartment tray, choose a product that is resistant to turning and spilling.

10. Food storage containers with lids

Food storage boxes help parents store cooked food in the freezer. When it’s time to eat, you just need to defrost and cook for your baby, saving time.

The freezer box needs to have a lid to avoid getting dirty, to ensure food safety and hygiene for your baby.

11. Blender

The item is particularly important. The principle of weaning for children is from less to more, from liquid to solid, from fine to dry. You need to use a blender to grind foods such as meat, fish, vegetables, etc., which is both convenient and fast, saving you the effort of chopping food.

12. Steaming blister

Steaming is a way of softening food while preserving the best amount of nutrients. Food when cooked by steaming, food will cook at a lower temperature, faster, with only a small part of vitamins and minerals affected by temperature.

13. Freezer ice tray

The solid food freezer tray can be reused many times and it is easy to remove food from the tray without much effort, which is very suitable for mothers to store separate portions for their children at each meal.