Broccoli for babies: when to start, soft florets and bitter tastes

Broccoli is a useful early vegetable, and its little-tree shape gives small hands something to hold. It can be offered from around 6 months, once your baby has started solids. The NHS first solid foods guide suggests it mashed or as soft, cooked pieces, and says to include vegetables that aren't sweet, such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.

Three things make broccoli go well: cooking it soft right through to the stalk, offering it again even after a face-pull, and knowing that a windier day or a greener nappy afterwards is common. This guide covers when to start, how to cook and serve florets at each stage, choking safety, bitter tastes, wind, nutrition and when to get help.

When can babies eat broccoli?

From around 6 months, once your baby shows the signs of being ready for solids described in starting solids.

The Australia's ASCIA guide to introducing solid foods, from Australia's allergy body, says iron-rich foods should be offered at around 6 months and not before 4 months, and other solid foods can be introduced in any order. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby includes puréed fruit and vegetables among first foods. The NHS guide to feeding from around 6 months lists broccoli among the vegetables to offer, alongside carrots, peas, cauliflower and spinach. In the US, the CDC's guide to introducing solid foods says children can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months and that starting before 4 months is not recommended.

Why start with a less sweet vegetable?

The NHS 6-month guide suggests starting with vegetables that aren't so sweet, such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, so your baby gets used to a range of tastes rather than just sweeter ones like carrots and sweet potato. The order is flexible, though. The AAP's starting solids page says there's no evidence that your baby will develop a dislike for vegetables if fruit is given first. In Australia, ASCIA puts iron-rich foods first, and broccoli sits well alongside them.

How do I cook broccoli for my baby?

Steam or simmer it until it's soft all the way through, stalk included. The NHS guide to preparing food safely suggests softening firm vegetables, naming broccoli and carrots, by steaming or simmering until soft. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby suggests fresh vegetables cooked with a small amount of water.

1. Wash it. The NHS says to wash and peel fruit and raw vegetables, so rinse the head under running water.
2. Cut it into florets with a handle. Leave a short length of stalk on each floret for your baby to grip.
3. Peel the thick stalk. The NHS preparing-food page says removing the skin on fruit and vegetables makes them easier to swallow, especially for very young children. The outer layer of a broccoli stalk is the toughest part.
4. Steam or simmer until very soft, with no salt. The AAP says fresh foods should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning.
5. Test and cool. New Zealand's Ministry of Health describes soft food as food that can be easily squashed between your thumb and forefinger, or on the roof of your mouth with your tongue. Press the stalk as well as the top. The NHS says to cool hot food and test it before giving it to your baby.

Steamed florets tend to hold their shape, which suits finger food. Simmered broccoli goes softer and mashes more easily, which suits a spoon.

How do I prepare broccoli at each stage?

Around 6 months. The NHS suggests mashed or soft, cooked pieces of vegetables such as broccoli, and lists soft cooked vegetables such as carrot, broccoli and cauliflower among finger foods. It says pieces about the size of your own finger work well, big enough to hold in a fist with a bit sticking out. Australia's ASCIA lists steamed vegetables among suitable finger foods. A whole floret fits this neatly: your baby holds the stalk and gums the soft top.

Mashed broccoli can be dry and stringy on its own. Loosen it with your baby's usual milk or a little cooking water, or mash it into potato, pumpkin or lentils.

8–9 months. The NHS says to offer more mashed, lumpy and finger foods as your baby becomes a more confident eater. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says most babies can manage finger foods at around 8 months, and that it's important to introduce lumpy food by 9 months to lower the chance of feeding problems later. Roughly chopped soft florets stirred through pasta, rice or scrambled egg work well here.

12 months and beyond. Australia's ASCIA says to aim for your baby to be eating soft, cut-up or roughly mashed family meals by 12 months. Broccoli goes into pasta bakes, curries, omelettes and stir-fries; take your child's portion out before adding salt, soy sauce or stock. For how textures progress overall, see food textures and baby-led weaning vs purées.

Is broccoli a choking risk?

Soft cooked broccoli is a gentle texture. Raw or undercooked broccoli is not. The CDC's choking hazards list includes pieces of hard raw vegetables or fruit, and the NHS says to avoid hard foods like whole nuts or raw carrot or apple. Australia's ASCIA says vegetables can be cooked, puréed, mashed or grated to reduce the risk of choking.

Advice on raw vegetables for toddlers differs. The NHS includes "cooked or raw vegetables, such as broccoli florets" among snack ideas from 12 months. The AAP's choking-prevention advice lists raw vegetables, such as carrot sticks, among foods to keep from children until 4 years of age or older, depending on their development. This guide follows the more cautious advice and keeps broccoli cooked soft through the toddler years.

Watch out for:

• A firm stalk under a soft top. Test both parts every time.
• Crumbly bits of floret. These often cause gagging, which is common while babies learn. The NHS says choking is different from gagging; choking vs gagging explains how to tell them apart.
• Too much at once. The CDC suggests feeding small portions and encouraging your baby to eat slowly, so put out a few pieces at a time rather than a full tray.

Set up every meal the same way. The CDC says to have your child sit upright while eating, feed them in a high chair or another safe spot, avoid meals in the car or pram, and watch them closely the whole time.

These steps follow the NHS choking first-aid guide, which also says to get medical help even if the object has come out. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne in Australia recommends that anyone caring for children does a first-aid course, and the AAP suggests a certified CPR and first-aid course. An infant first-aid course before or soon after starting solids means you've practised the steps.

Why does my baby pull a face at broccoli?

Because it tastes a little bitter, and new tastes often get a surprised look. The NHS names broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and cabbage as vegetables with bitter flavours, and includes them in a varied diet from 7 to 9 months. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says that at first babies may spit food out, seem unsure or pull faces at the taste of certain foods, and that it can take many tries before they accept a new food.

A face isn't a firm no. The NHS says it may take 10 tries or more for your baby to get used to new foods, flavours and textures, and to keep offering foods your baby has already rejected. Ways to keep broccoli on the menu:

1. Serve a small amount next to a favourite, so the meal doesn't depend on it.
2. Mix it into something familiar, such as mashed potato, pasta or a lentil mash.
3. Let your baby explore it. Squashing and dropping a floret is still learning.
4. Eat it yourself. The NHS fussy eaters page suggests eating with your child as often as you can.
5. Don't push. The NHS says not to force a child who rejects a food, and not to use food as a reward. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says not to keep offering food if your baby is turning away, closing their mouth or not swallowing.

Then simply offer it again another day. If refusals grow into the toddler years, fussy eating covers that stage.

Can broccoli give my baby wind?

It can make anyone a bit windier. The NHS page on flatulence, written for adults, lists broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts among foods that can cause wind, and says farting is usually nothing to worry about. KidsHealth, from the US children's health organisation Nemours, also lists broccoli among foods that can cause gas in children.

A windier day after broccoli isn't a reason to drop it. If your baby seems uncomfortable, try a smaller portion mixed with other foods, and offer it again later.

If you're breastfeeding, the NHS page on breastfeeding and diet says you don't need to follow a special diet. For wind in younger babies who aren't on solids yet, see baby gas at night.

Expect changes in the nappy too. The AAP says poo becomes more solid and variable in colour once solids start, that green vegetables may turn it deep green, and that undigested pieces of food are normal.

What to note

KidsHealth suggests keeping a record of foods that make gas better or worse. If wind or tummy discomfort seems to follow broccoli, jot down how much you served, how it was cooked, and when the wind or nappy changes happened. A few days of notes shows a GP or health visitor the pattern more clearly than memory.

What nutrients does broccoli give my baby?

The NHS vitamin C page lists broccoli among good sources of vitamin C, which helps protect cells and keep them healthy, and helps maintain healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage. The NHS page on B vitamins lists broccoli among good sources of folate, which helps the body form healthy red blood cells.

Broccoli also helps with iron. The CDC's iron page lists broccoli among vitamin C-rich vegetables, and says pairing plant sources of iron with foods high in vitamin C can help your baby absorb iron. Broccoli isn't on Australia's ASCIA's list of iron-rich foods to offer from around 6 months: iron-fortified cereals, meat, poultry, fish, well-cooked egg, tofu and legumes such as chickpeas and lentils. Some easy pairings:

• broccoli mashed with red lentils
• soft florets with minced beef or chicken
• chopped broccoli in a well-cooked omelette
• broccoli and soft tofu stirred through rice

Food doesn't replace the vitamin supplements recommended where you live. In the UK, the NHS recommends vitamins A, C and D from 6 to 12 months for breastfed babies and babies having less than 500 mL of formula a day. Advice differs by country; vitamin D for babies and first foods and iron explain more.

Can babies be allergic to broccoli?

Any food can cause a reaction, but broccoli isn't on Australia's ASCIA's list of the most common allergy foods: cow's milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, sesame, fish and shellfish. Australia's ASCIA says allergic reactions usually happen within minutes to two hours, and that a mild rash around the mouth without other signs of an allergic reaction is not usually an allergic reaction. The CDC suggests one new single-ingredient food at a time, waiting 3 to 5 days between new foods. Introducing allergens covers the common allergy foods.

When should I get help?

Call 999 now if your baby:

• can't breathe, cough or cry because food is stuck, turns blue or becomes unresponsive
• has sudden swelling of the lips, tongue or throat after eating
• has difficult or noisy breathing, a wheeze or a persistent cough after eating
• becomes pale, floppy or drowsy, collapses, or has a hoarse or weak cry
• seems to be in severe tummy pain, or has a swollen tummy with green or yellow vomit or blood in the poo (or go straight to the nearest A&E)

The NHS urgent-help guide lists swollen lips, tongue or throat and difficulty breathing among reasons to call an ambulance, and KidsHealth says to go to A&E for severe tummy pain. A swollen or hard tummy on its own needs a doctor the same day, as in the guide to wind at night. For signs of anaphylaxis, the Australia's ASCIA first aid plan for anaphylaxis from Australia says to hold young children flat, not upright, give an adrenaline device if one has been prescribed, call an ambulance, and start CPR if your baby is unresponsive and not breathing normally.

Get medical help today if your baby:

• has hives or welts beyond the mouth, or swelling of the face or eyes, and is breathing normally (stop the food and watch closely)
• vomits after a new food
• needed back blows or chest thrusts, even if they now seem well
• has a swollen, hard or tender tummy
• has tummy pain that is getting worse, or wind with vomiting or diarrhoea

Talk to your GP or health visitor if:

• your baby still refuses all vegetables after many tries and you're worried about their diet
• your baby still can't manage mashed or lumpy food by around 9 months
• tummy discomfort keeps following certain foods