20 Things to Do With All Those Leftover Glass Baby Food Jars

Recycling's great, but upcycling is both fun and productive! Baby food pouches may be slowly overtaking traditional glass jars when it comes to little ones' pureed food, but that doesn't mean the ubiquitous jars aren't taking up precious space on mama's countertop. Before dumping them in the recycle bin, check out some interesting ways the jars can live a second life — your counter and the environment will thank you!

01
Desk Organizer

Desk Organizer

It's never easy to keep kids' crafting supplies organized, but with color-coded spaces for crayons and markers even little kids can help keep the supplies in order. Source: Monkey See, Monkey Do

02
Pincushion

Pincushion

What to do with all those buttons that come attached to your kids' clothes? Store them in baby food jars and use this tutorial to create a cute pincushion on top! Source: The Life of Jennifer Dawn

03
Photo Jars

Photo Jars

Picture frames come in all shapes and sizes, so why not convert your jars into frames? Just add your favorite photo, turn it upside down, and voilà! Source: Photojojo

04
Hanging Vases

Hanging Vases

Baby food jars are the perfect size to display small flowers, like pansies, and this tutorial shows how easy it is to convert the jars into minivases. Source: Good Housekeeping

05
Advent Calendar

Advent Calendar

Advent calendars have never been quite so eco-friendly! This upcycled advent calendar uses baby food jars to hold lil surprises for the kids each day. Source: Craftaholics Anonymous

06
Spice Jars

Spice Jars

After painting the lids with chalkboard paint and filling the jars with spices, baby food jars easily become part of a great-looking spice rack. Source: Frugal Decor Mom

07
Lego Storage Jars

Lego Storage Jars

Baby food jars can easily be converted into Lego mini figure heads with some spray paint, a black Sharpie marker, and some creativity. Source: obSEUSSed

08
Party Favors

Party Favors

For her twin boys' first birthday party, Mae Armstrong gathered up her own empty jars, filled them with treats, and topped them off with cute labels and fabric for perfectly-sized jars of sweets that guests could take home. Source: Mae Armstrong

09
Hair-Band Holders

Hair-Band Holders

When your lil one's hair bands, clips, and barrettes are getting out of control, use the baby food jars to organize things. Source: Maple Memories Crafthouse

10
Bug-Catching Jars

Bug-Catching Jars

With the addition of some construction paper, a few pipe cleaners, and some googly eyes (or Oriental Trading's little bug kit), baby food jars are easily transformed into bug-catching jars for just $13.

11
Colorful Shakers

Colorful Shakers

Babies love toys that make noise, so why not go basic and create a colorful rattle for them? All you need is some dyed rice and some clean baby food jars. Source: Modern Parents Messy Kids

12
Fabric Tea Lights

Fabric Tea Lights

You can never have too many votives laying around the house, and by adding some beautiful fabric to the outside of the jar, those jars are instantly converted into beautiful candleholders. Source: Pretty Prudent

13
Jar Oil Lamps

Jar Oil Lamps

Keep the night lit up for hours with oil lamps made out of baby food jars. The process couldn't be any easier. All you need is oil, a wick, and a jar cover to make it work! Source: Raised in Cotton

14
Home Spa Gifts

Home Spa Gifts

Plan to make some homemade spa treatments for your friends this holiday season? Baby food jars are the perfect size for packaging the treatments, and they look perfect with an added label and colored lid. Source: Domestic Charm

15
Glass Chandelier

Glass Chandelier

Hanging chandeliers are a beautiful addition to the backyard barbecue. With these instructions, you can easily convert your empty baby food jars into a piece of backyard art. Source: Ecologue

16
Play-Doh Holders

Play-Doh Holders

Kids love playing with Play-Doh, and they love playing with multiple colors at once. Making several small batches in a rainbow of colors and placing them in the jars will keep them fresh. Source: LilyGene

17
Terrariums

Terrariums

Tots love studying nature. With these pint-sized terrariums, they can get up close and personal with plants and dirt. Source: Our Big Earth

18
Paint Jars

Paint Jars

For arts and crafts projects, you can never have enough containers to house your paint. Baby food jars allow you to pour just the right amount, so tots don't waste an entire bottle when they inevitably mix the colors. Source: How We Montessori

19
Snow Globes

Snow Globes

Snow globes always seem to invoke thoughts of Winter, but there's no reason they can't be used year round! Over on Design Mom, Gabrielle Blair has a fabulous (and easy-to-follow) tutorial for creating these pint-sized snow globes! Source: Design Mom

20
Baby-Shower Crafts

Baby-Shower Crafts

These baby shower babies, filled with sweet treats for guests to take home, a unique way to pay it forward once your baby food jars are empty! Source: New Life on a Homestead