Babies can eat strawberries from 6 months, when they start solids. Strawberries are a choking risk until age 4 (small berries are round and firm), so serve them in the shape for your baby's age below. At 6 months: mashed into yogurt or porridge, or one whole very large, soft ripe berry, hulled, too big to fit in the mouth; take it away once it gets small. 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
- garden strawberry
- Start
- 6 months, when solids begin
- Choking risk
- Until age 4 (small berries are round and firm)
- Common allergen
- Not one of the nine major allergens
- Textures
- Mashed and finger food
How to cut and serve strawberries by age
6 to 8 months
Mashed into yogurt or porridge, or one whole very large, soft ripe berry, hulled, too big to fit in the mouth; take it away once it gets small. 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
Hulled, in thin slices that are not paper-thin, or chopped into soft pieces about 1 cm your baby can pinch. 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
Quartered lengthwise, then cut across into pieces about 1 cm, or sliced thin; keep cutting them until age 4.
Age 4 and up
Once your child chews well, whole ripe strawberries, hulled, eaten sitting down; keep cutting them if not.
Sito shows this card at your baby's exact age, for 583 foods.
Choking: why the shape matters
Why strawberries are a choking risk: small berries are round and firm. Until age 4, serve them only in the shapes above.
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 (Strawberries, raw): iron 0.26 mg, zinc 0.11 mg, calcium 17 mg and vitamin C 60 mg.
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 strawberries?
From 6 months, when your baby starts solids. Strawberries are a choking risk until age 4, so follow the shape for each age.
How do you cut strawberries for a 6-month-old?
Mashed into yogurt or porridge, or one whole very large, soft ripe berry, hulled, too big to fit in the mouth; take it away once it gets small. 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 strawberries for a 9-month-old?
Hulled, in thin slices that are not paper-thin, or chopped into soft pieces about 1 cm your baby can pinch. 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 strawberries for a 12-month-old?
Quartered lengthwise, then cut across into pieces about 1 cm, or sliced thin; keep cutting them 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: Strawberries, 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)