Babies can eat carrots from 6 months, when they start solids. Carrots are a choking risk until age 4 (hard when raw), so serve them in the shape for your baby's age below. At 6 months: cooked until soft enough to squash with a finger, cut in thick finger-length sticks. 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
- baby carrots
- Start
- 6 months, when solids begin
- Choking risk
- Until age 4 (hard when raw)
- Common allergen
- Not one of the nine major allergens
- Textures
- Mashed and finger food
How to cut and serve carrots by age
6 to 8 months
Cooked until soft enough to squash with a finger, cut in thick finger-length sticks. 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
Soft cooked carrot in pieces about 1 cm, cut from sticks rather than round coins, or grated and cooked soft. 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 soft, in pieces about 1 cm, or finely grated raw in salads; raw sticks and chunks wait until age 4.
Age 4 and up
Raw carrot sticks or a whole carrot to bite once your child chews well, eaten sitting down; keep it cooked soft or finely grated if not.
Sito shows this card at your baby's exact age, for 583 foods.
Choking: why the shape matters
Why carrots are a choking risk: hard when raw. Until age 4, serve them only in the shapes above. The AAP names raw vegetables, such as carrot sticks 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 (Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt): iron 0.34 mg, zinc 0.2 mg, calcium 30 mg, vitamin A 852 mcg and vitamin C 3.6 mg. Household measures from USDA: 1 carrot is about 46 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 carrots?
From 6 months, when your baby starts solids. Carrots are a choking risk until age 4, so follow the shape for each age.
How do you cut carrots for a 6-month-old?
Cooked until soft enough to squash with a finger, cut in thick finger-length sticks. 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 carrots for a 9-month-old?
Soft cooked carrot in pieces about 1 cm, cut from sticks rather than round coins, or grated and cooked soft. 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 carrots for a 12-month-old?
Cooked soft, in pieces about 1 cm, or finely grated raw in salads; raw sticks and chunks wait 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: Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
- 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)