Babies can eat watermelon from 6 months, when they start solids. At 6 months: rind and seeds removed, in finger-length spears about 4 cm wide and 2 cm thick, firm enough not to break apart. 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
- water melon and seedless watermelon
- Start
- 6 months, when solids begin
- Common allergen
- Not one of the nine major allergens
- Textures
- Finger food
How to serve watermelon by age
6 to 8 months
Rind and seeds removed, in finger-length spears about 4 cm wide and 2 cm thick, firm enough not to break apart. 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 17 months
Seedless pieces about 1 cm, the size of a chickpea, or the finger-length spears to bite from, rind off. 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.
18 months and up
Triangle wedges to bite from with the rind on as a handle, seeds picked out. If they bite pieces off the rind, cut it away.
Sito shows this card at your baby's exact age, for 583 foods.
Nutrients
USDA figures per 100 g (Watermelon, raw): iron 0.24 mg, zinc 0.1 mg, calcium 7.0 mg, vitamin A 28 mcg and vitamin C 8.1 mg. Household measures from USDA: 1 cup is about 152 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 watermelon?
From 6 months, when your baby starts solids.
How do you serve watermelon to a 6-month-old?
Rind and seeds removed, in finger-length spears about 4 cm wide and 2 cm thick, firm enough not to break apart. 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 serve watermelon to a 9-month-old?
Seedless pieces about 1 cm, the size of a chickpea, or the finger-length spears to bite from, rind off. 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.
Sources
- 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: Watermelon, 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)