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DIY Chalkboard Baby Food Jars to Track Freshness

Make DIY chalkboard baby food jars to write on. Track when jars are opened and add freshness dates to homemade baby food. #baby #food #jars #craft #chalkboard

Elise is eating solid foods now so I’ve entered the Land of Frozen and Leftover Baby Food. With my brain still set on ‘sleep deprived,’ I put my chalkboard obsession to good use with these recycled, reusable baby food jar lids to help me track it all.

Merriment Design:: Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project by Kathy Beymer at MerrimentDesign.com

Hooray for re-writable lids and Chalk Ink food-safe non-toxic washable markers! They not only help me remember when I opened or defrosted food like so…

Merriment Design:: Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project by Kathy Beymer at MerrimentDesign.com

…but also when I made fresh purees like these apricots.

Merriment Design:: Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project by Kathy Beymer at MerrimentDesign.com

As an aspirational minimalist I feel good about recycling and reusing all those empty baby food jars. I sent a set of chalkboard lids to my friend Liz and baby Kaya, and her boyfriend Jason liked the idea so much he spray painted all the lids in his woodworking studio to keep track of nails and screws and such.

Merriment Design:: Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project by Kathy Beymer at MerrimentDesign.com

As a bonus to this free DIY craft, I’m passing along a simple, fast method for steaming and pureeing fruits in collaboration with my good friend Heather from YumUniverse – ‘the’ place for plant-based tasty recipes. A raw and vegan food wiz, Heather came over to make baby food with me for Elise.

And if you still have a mountain of jars and lids left, here are more ideas to reuse baby food jars and lids from DIY Guides.

Supplies for re-writable chalkboard baby food jar lids (with links from affiliates):

Making DIY chalkboard write-on baby food jar lids
Cut or rip one side of the box to make a three-sided spraying booth. Put double stick tape on the bottom box and place lids on top – this will keep them from blowing around while using spray paint.

Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project

Carefully spray very fine coats of chalkboard spray paint…

Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project

…building up layers as you go. Be sure to avoid spraying the *inside* of the lids.

Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project

Write on the lids using Chalk Ink food-safe non-toxic washable markers. Hand wash lids using a damp cloth. Now that I’ve been using the lids for a few months, they do chip a bit over time. But the lids are so quick and easy to spray that you could easily add more coats as needed.

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How to make Apricot Baby Food Puree

Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project

Making fresh, healthy, yummy apricot baby food puree is a breeze! Here are the supplies. Hop on over to YumUniverse.com for the full recipe tutorial.

Supplies for steamed apricot baby food puree:

  • Fresh, ripe organic apricots
  • Good knife
  • Food steamer
  • Stick hand blender
  • Ice cube trays (for freezing)
  • Empty baby food jars (for fresh – keep in mind that these are not canned so you need to use any fresh baby food within 1-3 days)

Chalkboard lids for baby food jars free DIY tutorial and pattern template craft project

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Copyright stuff: You’re more than welcome to use this free project and tutorial for personal use. Contact me for commercial use and etsy sales.

 

Linh

Thursday 25th of July 2013

Ahhh! Where was this when I was babyfood-making years ago!? Such a wonderful idea. Just linked to this from my blog: http://mommyneurotic.blogspot.com/2013/07/preparing-baby-chef-hat.html

Sandi

Wednesday 7th of September 2011

thanks! I will try that. The goo gone didn't work for me. :(

Sandi

Thursday 1st of September 2011

have any tips for removing the nasty glue left behind on the baby food jars?

Kathy Beymer

Friday 2nd of September 2011

Sandi, good question. I thought about using Goo Be Gone but was worried about the chemicals, so I soaked it and used a scouring pad in a circular motion and it came off.

Amber

Wednesday 6th of April 2011

Love the chalkboard paint for the lids! That's awesome... and they'd be so useful as spice jars and such after your done with baby food! Shared it on my own blog with credit back :)

http://salttree.blogspot.com/2011/04/101-uses-for-baby-food-jars.html

Nicole

Thursday 2nd of September 2010

No, I just use them for "tupperware" and storage for dry goods etc....I will let you know how it goes. I tried looking for the chalkboard spraypaint at lowes but wasn't able to find it. :) I will keep looking