Once you become a mum, the freezer really comes into its own. Whether you want to defrost purees, keep batches of home-made stews on standby for healthy-but-quick suppers or have a supply of expressed breastmilk in reserve for your baby, it

to freeze food you have cooked, make sure you freeze it as soon as it is cool. Even things like cream need to be chilled and not allowed to warm up on the kitchen counter.The big thawIf you are using something from the freezer which needs to be defrosted, do

in the fridge for one to two days, or pop it in the freezer. To save you time when you're defrosting decant the puree into the separate squares of a clean ice cube tray and then freeze. Once frozen, pop the cubes out into a labelled plastic bag, seal and put

that makes life that bit easier. The all-in-one solution for great home-made baby foodsThe Babycook from BEABA does exactly that: it will steam, purée, reheat and defrost small quantities of food simply and efficiently – and it’s easy to clean too. Just chop

! And make sure they avoid cross-contamination by washing their hands every time they touch raw meat. Keep raw and cooked meat separate and use different utensils for eachMake sure frozen meat is defrosted properlyCook meat right through avoiding any pink

before you eat them.Ice cream Badly stored ice cream (where it has been allowed to defrost a little and freeze again on and off) is not good for anyone to eat, but ice cream generally is not off limits during pregnancy. However, if you are eating

or refrozen. So, make sure you only heat up what you need in one serving - don't defrost or heat more than you think your baby can eat.If you’ve made up a batch of purees to keep, freeze them as soon as they’re cool. If you use an ice-cube tray, pop out

, it can sometimes start to cook. If you then set it aside to heat up later, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. So, once you’ve defrosted food in a microwave, always cook it immediately.5 Don't reheat leftoversInstead throw any food left in your

, defrost frozen portions, and puree cooked food – very helpful indeed.Feeding chairUntil your baby is capable of sitting unsupported, a bouncy chair or pushchair will suffice, but thereafter a high chair is vital – it will keep you child (and the mess

. Keep raw or defrosting food – particularly meat – in airtight containers at the bottom of the fridge to prevent juices from dripping onto other items. Use special fridge compartments for their purpose, too – many have special drawers to keep fruit