Heating Baby Food

[GinaGrumpyDwarf]

How do you heat your baby food in the parks or while eating at the restaurants? In the parks i know there are baby care centers, but will the counter service places heat it for you? What about the restaurants? Thanks for the info!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Change feeding routine so that bottles don't have to be heated.

If you're using formula, use the instant stuff. That way, you can walk the parks all day without the "water" going bad and mix it on the spot as needed.

For those breastfeeding (and mommy isn't comfortable feeding in public), keep in mind that fresh EBM is good for as much as 10 hours (depending upon who you ask, others will say as little as 4-6 hours).


Now I realize various people with have specific situations (medical or tempromental) that won't be able to follow this advice. So don't flame me. I just point it out because there are plenty of parents out there that this thought just never crossed their mind. Everytime you see babies being feed on TV, it is/was always a warm bottle, so there's lots of people out there who just never considered the fact that a babies bottle doesn't have to be warm.


[EDIT]

I just reread the OP's original question and realized it was about FOOD and not bottles (sorry, we just had DS #2 and we're still at the bottle-only stage).

But once again, there's no rule that states a babies food has to be heated. If you've already "trained" your infant to expect warm food, obviously you'll have a harder time and my have to try backing off of that BEFORE your trip. For those thinking about taking a trip and will be starting to feed baby between now and then, begin things off with unheated foods.

So for all new parents out there, while it might not be the norm, it will make baby life a little more simpler on you if you start by NOT warming baby's bottle, don't warm baby's food, and use water rather than EBM when you start trying cereal. Again, some people will not be able to follow this advice for medical or temporamental reasons. But for the rest of us, why make parenthood more difficult than it already is?

 

[GinaGrumpyDwarf]

i'm not talking about the bottle, I mean the Jarred food. TIA

 

[Kae]

Most of the time I only heated the kids jarred food after it had been in the fridge, so when travling I did not heat the jars.

Kae

 

[GinaGrumpyDwarf]

DD(9mos) wont eat the jarred food unless it's heated at least a little...

 

[HooKooDooKu]

OP, sorry I missed the point about jar food, I've editted my post above...


Now in the mean time, is there enough time before your trip where you can "train" DD into unheated food?

Each meal time, try warming the food up just a little less.

Otherwise, there just never really is a very good way to heat baby food (or formula) when you are out and about.

The ONLY good suggestion that I can come up with (and this would only work if you have a microwave available in your hotel or hotel room) would be to super-heat the food and place it in an insulated container. The food should still quickly cool enough that by feeding time, it won't be too hot to burn, but perhaps you might find a way to keep it warm enough. You chould try a few experiements. For sure, a simle insulated lunch bag isn't going to get it. But if you're using baby food jars, you could get one of those foammy drink insulation holders. That should be large enough for two stage 2 food jars. Then rap that in a towel or two and place the whole thing in an isulated bag. Remember the more layers, the longer the tempurature will hold.

 

[llqool]

what I have done in the past (mainly to heat bottles, but would work with a jar, too), is to ask someone for a half-full cup of hot water (which even CS places usually have to make tea or hot chocolate). i then submerge the closed jar (or bottle) in the water for a few minutes, and that heats it up.

 

[Hannathy]

I don't know when you are going but when we were there it was 93 degrees so just leave the jar sit in the stroller for a bit or in the sun while on a ride it will be plenty hot! I also agree about getting them used to room temp it does make it easier.

 

[all4fun]

If all else fails, the baby care centers have microwaves. There is only one per park and it may not be all that convenient, esp. if you want your baby to dine at the same time you do.

There are also some warming dishes like these that you add hot water to help warm the food.

hth.

 

[PeachesDoesHair]

I don't know when you are going but when we were there it was 93 degrees so just leave the jar sit in the stroller for a bit or in the sun while on a ride it will be plenty hot!

That was my idea for any jarred food we use for ds1.

 

[tiggger1]

we have warmed the baby food jars in a bottle warmer. and you can get them cheap enough!