These OXO Baby Food Containers Are Unexpectedly Perfect for Parents, Too

When I was young and unafraid, when dreams were made and used and wasted, I made my own applesauce and other baby foods. I even took my kids to an orchard so they could pick their own fruit to cook down and eat. I puréed cooked vegetables and, when the pediatric recommendation was to give my second child blended meat as his first food, I tried, in vain, to create a thin mixture of chicken and breast milk. Turns out my kids wanted to eat nothing except store-bought food, but you couldn’t say I didn’t try. 

In addition to all that fresh produce, I bought these OXO Freezer Baby Food Containers to hold my homemade baby food. A decade later, they’re about the only thing from my quickly abandoned project that’s still in use. 

These airtight and waterproof containers worked really well for both freezing and transporting baby food. I appreciated that the containers were clear on the bottom and had clear lids, so I could see what was inside easily. They’re microwave-safe so it makes reheating refrigerated or frozen food easy, and they’re dishwasher-safe (because who has time to hand-wash a bunch of tiny pieces of plastic?). Each container holds four ounces, so they were also the perfect size for all modes of travel — although I would not recommend giving your baby applesauce on an airplane. 

Even though my kids are older now, I still use these containers all the time for them and myself. They’ve held up well, even a decade after purchasing them, and don’t stain like other plastic containers I’ve owned. They’re perfect for a handful of blueberries or Goldfish, or a scoop of hummus. They’re also a great receptacle for small amounts of leftovers, like a single chicken nugget or a piece of string cheese with two big bites missing. They fit perfectly in lunch boxes or can be thrown in for an extra snack alongside a bento box. 

For myself, I use them as well for salad dressing or peanut butter when I make myself a bag lunch, and I often keep one filled with almonds inside my laptop bag when I’m out working. In addition to being great for snacks, they’re also great for travel toiletries in my carry-on — they’re just slightly larger than the 3.4-ounce restriction, but not large enough to alert the TSA. Because I now cover the gray hair that my children have given me (I’m kidding, the gray hair is from dad!), I bring color-safe shampoo and conditioner with me everywhere. I also use them for vitamins when we travel so they won’t get squished or crushed like they might in a sandwich bag. 

In addition to snacks and shampoo, sometimes I’ll find one of these among my children’s things, filled with treasures like flower petals or pebbles. They’ll finish their lunch and decide to put the container to good use, it seems. Around the house, they’re also a good size for small office supplies like thumbtacks or rubber bands, and can be easily stashed in a drawer to help keep things organized. I’ve also used them to keep small amounts of paint from drying out between uses or other small craft supplies. They’re also great for spitting up a bigger container of clay or Play-Doh for travel, or if my kids simply can’t share.  

So while my dreams of being a mother who fed her children only organic, homemade food were dashed pretty much before they could begin, these OXO containers were not a wasted purchase — I’ve gotten an unexpected and welcome return on my investment more than a decade later. 

Buy: OXO Tot Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers, $11.99