Veggie Sticks for 6mo+
Veggie sticks are super simple to make and are great for beginner baby led weaners. We started our daughter Ava with steamed broccoli and then worked our way through the vegetable list, same with our baby Lewis. We offered Ava & Lewis a variety of vegetables which all had different textures. We also focused on the vegetables that we high in Iron, which is recommended for babies 6mo+. We either steamed, roasted, boiled or pan fried vegetable sticks. The recipe below has all the vegetables we tried with Ava and Lewis from 6mo+. Its important to cut the vegetables into sticks approx 5-7cm long! So baby can wrap their small fist around it and nibble the top and bottom. If the vegetable is too small your baby will not be able to pick it up and they will get very frustrated. (See pic below for approx length to cut veggies)
Ingredients
- Take a pick of any vegetable that are in season. Here is a list of vegetables aka plant foods which are great starter foods for baby led weaners, these vegetables are a great form of non-heme iron and full of nutrients for babies, all these vegetables must be cooked to serve to a baby
- Broccoli
- Carrot
- Sweet Potato
- Potato
- Zucchini/courgette
- Winter Squash
- Pumpkin
- Cauliflower
- Capsicum/pepper
- Asparagas
- Baby corn
- Green beans
- Aubergine/eggplant
- Peas (great for 8mo+pincer grip practice, serve in half)
- Corn (great for 8mo+ serve on the cob or cut kernels in half) Parsnip
- Beetroot
- Squash
- Spinach & Kale (great in pancakes or meatballs)
- Cucumber (no need to cook, just serve in a finger sized stick, note: its actually a fruit, see visuals in the fruit slide)
Directions
- Step 1 How to prepare the vegetable for 6-8 months old: it is best to cut vegetables into a finger size stick (an adult pinky) approx 5-7cm long so baby can wrap his fist around the vegetable and hold onto it. From 8 months + babies start to develop their pincer grip, this is when you can start to offer smaller pieces for baby to practice using their fingers to pick up foods (but you can mix it up and still offer finger size sticks), so you can cut the vegetables up into approx 2cm cubes. To cook the vegetables: either steam (microwave steam – see video below OR oven steam), boil vegetables in water, roast or pan fry for approx 5 to 7 minutes (until the vegetable is still sturdy and soft enough for baby to hold BUT not mushy that is breaks away. Time will vary depending on which method you decide to cook your vegetables)
- Step 2 Wait until its cooled down a little and serve onto babies highchair tray warm or serve cold (great for teething)
- Step 3 Feel free to make a batch and leave in a airtight container in the fridge for a few days (or freeze raw veg sticks for up to 3 months, ready to cook). To maximise absorption of Iron from the vegetables, try to offer a slice of fruit with your choice of vegetable/s as part of a meal (ie a slice of orange or peach is great to offer after baby has tried the veggie sticks). Fruits that are high in vitamin C include: Citrus fruits (ie orange), Peaches, Apples (soft apple is ok), Bananas, Berries, Tomatoes (ensure they are cut into big slices and cherry tomatoes in quarters), assist with the absorption of iron.
- Step 4 Always ensure you watch your baby or toddler at all times when they are eating, especially if there is skin left on a vegetables for baby to hold as a handle/grip. Any hard vegetable that cannot be squished or mashed using thumb and index finger and tough hard skins should be avoided or use the techniques above to make vegetables a safer texture or size/shape for your baby. Remove skins as needed. Do note: raw carrot and raw celery may be a choking hazard for babies under 12 months. Each baby is different and develop chewing abilities at different ages. Parents need to gauge their babies ability with offering more raw textures. Do what you feel comfortable in offering to your baby. Eg. Some babies can eat thin sticks of raw carrot at 13 months, some later at 18 months.
Hi there,
What comes at the end of this sentence, please? Do note: raw carrot and celery are….
The sentence has been cut off.
Thanks,
Hannah
Now updated. Thanks for letting me know lovely x