How to serve spinach during baby-led weaning
Now that your baby is ready to start solids, it’s a good time to begin introducing more variety into their diet. You may have already tried serving your baby cucumber and broccoli and are wondering what other vegetables you can offer.
Spinach, a nutrient-dense leafy green, is an excellent choice when you’re considering vegetables for your baby during baby-led weaning (BLW). Packed with nutrients including iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, C, and K, folate, and beta-carotene, spinach supports eye health, immune function, and overall development.
Introducing spinach early on also increases the chances that your baby will enjoy it down the road—like the 10-month-old twins and the 11-month-old baby boy above, all enjoying their spinach—another great reason to build spinach and other green vegetables into meals during baby-led weaning. (Huge thanks to the moms of all these sweet boys for sharing their adorable pics and allowing me permission to share!)
In this article, we’ll go over the benefits and safety of spinach for babies, and how to prepare and serve spinach during BLW.
When to Start Spinach for Babies?
Babies can begin enjoying spinach as part of their diet once they are about 6 months old and showing the signs of readiness for solid foods. These include:
Sitting up independently (with minimal support)
Good head and neck control
Notices food, reaches for it, shows an interest, and opens mouth when food is offered
Can bring their hand or objects to their mouth
Spinach is not a common allergen. You may be wondering if spinach is a choking hazard for babies. It is not typically a choking hazard when safely prepared, which means you can feel comfortable about introducing it into your baby’s diet. Below, we’ll cover ways to safely prepare spinach for a baby 6 months and up.
Is Spinach Healthy During Baby-Led Weaning?
Absolutely, spinach is a very healthy baby food during baby-led weaning. Spinach contains a variety of nutrients that are important for the growth and development of babies and toddlers, including:
Iron & folate: Both support brain development, as iron helps to carry oxygen to the brain, where it is used for energy production and metabolism, and folate helps make the red blood cells that carry the oxygen.
Vitamin A and beta-carotene: Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, which has many functions in the body and plays a role in vision, immunity, and bone development. Getting adequate vitamin A supports good eyesight and eye health.
Vitamin C: Not only does vitamin C help absorb more iron from plant foods, but it is also a well-known antioxidant that supports immunity and cell growth, repair, and overall health. Check out this post to learn more about the benefits of vitamin C for babies.
Vitamin K and calcium: Calcium is a mineral found in our bones that is important for bone maintenance and strength, while vitamin K activates many proteins that support essential functions like building strong bones and teeth. It also helps to keep blood vessels flexible, improve heart health, support brain development, and maintain joint health. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, a nutrient that is commonly deficient in newborns and younger babies.
***MYTH BUSTING: You may have been told not to feed your babies spinach because it contains nitrates, which are chemicals that are found naturally in soil and plants, and also sometimes added to foods as a preservative. If a baby eats nitrates in excessive amounts, the nitrates can theoretically interfere with the transportation of oxygen by red blood cells. As a result, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that foods containing nitrates be avoided before 3 months of age.
However, recent research suggests that the nitrates in spinach should not be a cause for concern because most babies (and especially those who are self-feeding) do not consume excessive amounts of any solid food. Also, babies 6 months and older produce enough stomach acid to process these nitrates. So you can feel confident about introducing spinach when your baby is starting solids foods, beginning at about 6 months of age. The benefits of having spinach and more variety in your baby’s diet far outweigh any potential risks!
How Should I Serve Spinach to My Baby?
It’s important to prepare foods in appropriate sizes and textures for babies during BLW. Luckily, not only is spinach packed with healthy nutrients, it is also versatile and easy to prepare in baby-safe forms. Consider serving spinach to your baby by:
Pureeing: Cook, then puree, adding a small amount of water, breast milk, or infant formula to achieve the desired consistency, then serve on a pre-loaded spoon for self-feeding
Steaming or sautéing: Cut into small pieces to reduce the risk of choking, serve in a shallow bowl, and allow baby to self-feed with hands
Chop, cook, then mix into various finger foods: including savory pancakes, fritters, omelettes, etc.
Baby-led Weaning Spinach for 6 to 12-month-olds
At around 6 months of age, babies begin to eat complementary foods along with their breast milk and/or formula. Babies who are using their palms (usually around 6 to 9 months of age) to pick up foods can have cooked spinach mixed into strips of soft finger foods about the size of an adult finger, such as fritters, savory pancakes, or omelets. You can also puree cooked spinach, thinning it with a bit of water, breast milk, or infant formula, or add cooked, finely chopped spinach to mashed vegetables or porridge for the baby to scoop with hands or a self-feeding spoon.
As time passes and your baby learns to use a pincer grasp to pick up pieces of food with the thumb and forefinger (usually at about 9 months), serve finely chopped cooked or raw spinach sprinkled over dishes, such as pasta or rice. Around 12 months and older, offer cooked or raw spinach roughly chopped by itself or mixed with various foods.
How Should I Prepare and Cook Spinach?
To prepare and cook spinach for your baby, you can use either fresh or frozen spinach—both are just as nutritious, and as a pediatric dietitian and mom of three, I like using both versions depending on what I’m making. Baby spinach is often the easiest to use and prepare, because it is more tender. Prior to cooking, be sure to wash your spinach thoroughly and cook it until it is soft, mashable, and easy to swallow.
Steamed Spinach: Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and insert a steamer basket. If you do not have a steamer, you can use a skillet filled with ½ inch of water. Once the water is boiling, add your spinach, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pot/skillet. Let your spinach steam for about 2 minutes until it is a bright, shiny green (spinach cooks very fast).
Sautéed Spinach: On a stovetop, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring consistently. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Pureed Spinach: For spinach puree, you can use cooked spinach, either by sautéing or steaming. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, adding water, breast milk, or infant formula about a tablespoon at a time, as needed. Then, add the puree into other recipes or spoon-feed it to your baby.
It is safe to add a little seasoning to the above preparation methods. Try using garlic powder, black pepper, and lemon juice. Prioritize salt-free options, but a little salt is fine as well.
Spinach Puree Combinations for Your Baby
You don’t have to serve only plain spinach puree to your baby. Spinach mixes well with other flavors, fruits, vegetables, and purees, including sweetpotato or avocado (or you can combine all three into one puree combination). You can also combine spinach with pureed chicken or beef or combine the spinach puree with pasta* or baby cereals* for added nutrients and a more balanced meal.
Baby-Led Weaning Spinach Recipes
Here are a couple of baby-friendly spinach recipes to try:
Feel free to get creative and add spinach to different foods and recipes!
If you’re interested in learning more about starting solids, baby-led weaning, and preventing food allergies, check out my new baby-led feeding cookbook, which walks you through the whole process of starting solids and reducing the risk of food allergies using a baby-led approach.
You might also want to download my FREE Baby-Led Feeding Essential Checklist to ensure you have everything you need to begin, or check out my online baby-led feeding course for parents, based on my best-selling BLW book. I’m here to support you every step of the way.
And if you're looking for personalized nutrition support or have a specific nutrition-related concern, know that I am currently accepting new clients in my virtual private practice and happy to connect with you there. Thanks for reading!
Thank you to my Bronx JPVAMC Dietetic Intern, Kitty Zheng, for her contributions to this blog post.