Carrot for Babies: How to Serve It Safely by Age

• From around 6 months
• Not a common allergen
• Raw carrot: cook or grate

Carrot can be one of your baby’s first vegetables from around 6 months. Raw carrot is hard and a choking risk, so cook it until soft or grate it finely. Hard raw carrot sticks and baby carrots are not suitable for babies.

📲 125 Bibful recipes with carrot

How to serve it by age

1. 6–8 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Offer soft steamed carrot halved lengthways, about the size of two adult fingers, that squashes easily between your fingers.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Purée or mash steamed carrot, on its own or with potato.

3. 9–12 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Cut soft cooked carrot into bite-sized pieces, or offer finely grated raw carrot.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Mash cooked carrot roughly, or stir grated carrot into rice, lentils or porridge.

5. 12+ months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Soft cooked carrot sticks or pieces, or grated raw carrot. Keep cooking or grating it while your child is still learning to chew.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Mix cooked carrot into family meals.

Have carrot at home? See what you can cook

Add a second ingredient to see matching Bibful recipes.

✓ 🥕 Carrot+ 🥔 Potato+ 🫘 Lentils+ 🍗 Chicken+ 🍎 Apple+ 🍝 Pasta

125 Bibful recipes with carrot

• 
  Carrot Cake Porridge11 min · from 6 months
• 
  Carrot & Cheese 'Pizza' Omelette13 min · from 6 months
• 
  Carrot & Oat Bites14 min · from 6 months

See the recipes in Bibful

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Preparation tips

• Hard raw veg: cook or grate. Raw carrot pieces are a choking risk. Steam carrot until soft or grate it finely.
• The squash test. Cooked carrot is ready when a piece squashes easily between your thumb and finger.
• Stay close. Always sit your baby upright and stay with them while they eat.

• Choking vs. gagging

Frequently asked questions

Can babies eat raw carrot?

Not in pieces or sticks: raw carrot is hard and a choking risk. Grate it finely, or cook it until soft.

When can babies eat carrot?

From around 6 months, cooked until soft or finely grated.

More first foods

• 🍎 Apple
• 🥑 Avocado
• 🍌 Banana
• 🥩 Beef
• 🫐 Blueberries
• 🍞 Bread
• 🥦 Broccoli
• 🎃 Butternut squash
• 🍗 Chicken
• 🥚 Egg
• 🫛 Green beans
• 🫘 Lentils
• 🥣 Oats
• 🥜 Peanut
• 🍐 Pear
• 🐟 Salmon
• 🍓 Strawberries
• 🍠 Sweet potato
• 🥛 Yogurt

This page is general information, not medical advice. It follows NHS Start for Life and World Health Organization guidance on introducing solid foods. Always stay with your baby while they eat, and speak to your health visitor or GP if you have concerns about feeding, allergies or choking.