Babies can eat broccoli from 6 months, when they start solids. Broccoli is a choking risk until age 4 (hard when raw), so serve it in the shape for your baby's age below. At 6 months: steamed until soft enough to squash, as a whole floret held by its stalk, or mashed. Why so big: babies this age grab with the whole hand, so a finger-sized piece with a bit sticking out of the fist is easiest to hold and gnaw, and gnawing helps them learn to chew. Feeding themselves carries no more risk of choking than being fed with a spoon; always stay with your baby while they eat.
- Other names and forms
- Calabrese and broccoli florets
- Start
- 6 months, when solids begin
- Choking risk
- Until age 4 (hard when raw)
- Common allergen
- Not one of the nine major allergens
- Iron
- 0.69 mg per 100 g
- Textures
- Mashed and finger food
How to cut and serve broccoli by age
6 to 8 months
Steamed until soft enough to squash, as a whole floret held by its stalk, or mashed. Why so big: babies this age grab with the whole hand, so a finger-sized piece with a bit sticking out of the fist is easiest to hold and gnaw, and gnawing helps them learn to chew. Feeding themselves carries no more risk of choking than being fed with a spoon; always stay with your baby while they eat.
9 to 11 months
Cooked soft and cut into pieces about 1 cm, or chopped into pasta, eggs or rice. Why smaller now: between about 9 and 12 months babies learn to pick food up between thumb and finger, and small soft pieces let them practice. Babies who don't move on to lumpy food by about 9 to 10 months are more likely to have feeding difficulties later.
12 months until age 4
Cooked florets cut small, or whole soft florets to bite; raw broccoli waits until age 4.
Age 4 and up
Whole broccoli florets, raw or cooked, once your child chews well; eaten sitting down; keep them cooked soft if not.
Sito shows this card at your baby's exact age, for 583 foods.
Choking: why the shape matters
Why broccoli is a choking risk: hard when raw. Until age 4, serve it only in the shapes above. The AAP names raw vegetables among the foods to keep from children under 4.
The AAP also advises supervising mealtimes, having children sit down when they eat, and taking a CPR and first aid course.
Nutrients
USDA figures per 100 g (Broccoli, raw): iron 0.69 mg, zinc 0.42 mg, calcium 46 mg, vitamin A 8.0 mcg and vitamin C 91 mg. Household measures from USDA: 1 spear is about 31 g.
Starting Solids in the Sito app
Sito is our app. From 4 months, the home screen is Starting Solids: the signs of readiness, how to serve each of 583 foods at your baby's age, and a quick log for every taste. Spears to grip or mashed on a spoon, each food's card shows the shapes that fit your baby's age, and swipes ahead to how it changes as they grow.
The Allergen Ladder takes 9 common allergens, one at a time, with a check-in after each. At 12 months the full app opens on its own: meals from a photo, 18 nutrients, and how to cut every food until age 4.
Every first food, served right
Add your baby and Starting Solids opens at 4 months.
FAQ
When can babies eat broccoli?
From 6 months, when your baby starts solids. Broccoli is a choking risk until age 4, so follow the shape for each age.
How do you cut broccoli for a 6-month-old?
Steamed until soft enough to squash, as a whole floret held by its stalk, or mashed. Why so big: babies this age grab with the whole hand, so a finger-sized piece with a bit sticking out of the fist is easiest to hold and gnaw, and gnawing helps them learn to chew. Feeding themselves carries no more risk of choking than being fed with a spoon; always stay with your baby while they eat.
How do you cut broccoli for a 9-month-old?
Cooked soft and cut into pieces about 1 cm, or chopped into pasta, eggs or rice. Why smaller now: between about 9 and 12 months babies learn to pick food up between thumb and finger, and small soft pieces let them practice. Babies who don't move on to lumpy food by about 9 to 10 months are more likely to have feeding difficulties later.
How do you cut broccoli for a 12-month-old?
Cooked florets cut small, or whole soft florets to bite; raw broccoli waits until age 4.
Sources
- AAP HealthyChildren: Choking Prevention for Babies & Children
- CDC: When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods
- CDC: Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- USDA FoodData Central: Broccoli, raw
- AAP HealthyChildren: Movement Milestones: Babies 4 to 7 Months
- CDC: Important Milestones: Your Baby By One Year
- ESPGHAN: Complementary Feeding: A Position Paper by the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition (2017)