A baby is particularly vulnerable to foodborne illness because their immune systems are not yet fully developed.
There are many ways to prevent foodborne illness in babies and toddlers including:
Don’t “double dip”
Feeding your baby straight from the jar can introduce bacteria from your baby’s mouth from the spoon into the food. Instead, spoon a small amount into a bowl and feed your baby from there. Throw out any food from the bowl that your baby did not eat. You can place whatever is left in the jar (that did not come into contact with your baby’s saliva) back in the refrigerator for later use.
Clean and sterilize
Be sure to wash bottles, sippy cups, feeding utensils, breast pump parts and other feeding supplies in hot, soapy water then rinse thoroughly.
Cook foods thoroughly
Cook foods like meats and poultry to recommended internal temperatures (below) to ensure harmful bacteria are killed.
Beef and lamb- 145 degrees
Ground meats- 160 degrees
Poultry-165 degrees
Fish and shellfish-145 degrees
When it doubt, throw it out
If you can’t remember whether the leftovers are from two days ago or last week, throw it out.
Don’t “double dip”
Feeding your baby straight from the jar can introduce bacteria from your baby’s mouth from the spoon into the food. Instead, spoon a small amount into a bowl and feed your baby from there. Throw out any food from the bowl that your baby did not eat. You can place whatever is left in the jar (that did not come into contact with your baby’s saliva) back in the refrigerator for later use.
Clean and sterilize
Be sure to wash bottles, sippy cups, feeding utensils, breast pump parts and other feeding supplies in hot, soapy water then rinse thoroughly.
Cook foods thoroughly
Cook foods like meats and poultry to recommended internal temperatures (below) to ensure harmful bacteria are killed.
Beef and lamb- 145 degrees
Ground meats- 160 degrees
Poultry-165 degrees
Fish and shellfish-145 degrees
When it doubt, throw it out
If you can’t remember whether the leftovers are from two days ago or last week, throw it out.