10 Crafty, Fun, and Functional Reuses for Baby Food Jars

Years ago, I worked in day care, usually caring for infants and toddlers. I don't remember much about the actual work (I think I've mentally blocked eight hour shifts spent trying to soothe strangers' children...) but I do remember all of the baby food jars we saw go through our building in a week. I always thought it was a shame we weren't putting them to use instead of tossing them (I did not work at the world's greenest daycare facility...)

My career in day care ended pretty quickly, but I still see plenty of baby food jars between my own kids and my nieces and nephews. We recycle what we can't use, but we've actually managed to find many uses for them around the house. Here are a few ideas:

1. Melt wax inside and add a wick for a really easy candle.

2. Paint the jar with glass paint and put a tea light inside for a pretty candle holder indoors or out

3. Corral screws, nails, thumb tacks, push pins.

4. Use them to hold your home made salves and lotions.

5. Make a cute little homemade snow globe with your kids.

6. Use them to contain dried herbs -- write the name of the herb on the lid in permanent marker.

7. Store saved garden seeds in them -- be sure to label the jar so you know what type of seed you saved.

8. Make a cute and useful pincushion and mini sewing kit. 9. Use them in the bathroom to store cotton balls or homemade bath salts. 10. Use them to hold dips for crudite and other snacks. There you have it: ten ways to reuse baby food jars. And here's another idea (though one I'm not always organized enough to pull off: you can always eliminate the jar all together by making your own baby food instead.) Watch Video: G Word Shorts: Freeganism