Hemp seed
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- low
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- high
Iron-rich · not an allergen · no THC
When can babies eat hemp seed?
When to start
Hemp seed is also known as hemp heart. It can be offered once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months.
The hemp plant is a food source, and its fiber goes into clothing, paper, and rope. The crunchy shell of the seed is usually removed before sale. Under it sits the soft white seed, the hemp heart. Oil is pressed from this seed.
Why it matters
Hemp seed has plenty of protein, fat and fiber. The fat includes omega-3 and omega-6. It also supplies folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and vitamin B6. It also has a little calcium.
These nutrients give energy for growth and exploring. They help the gut microbiome, the developing brain, red blood cells, fluid balance, and immunity. They also help with taste perception and bone density.
How do you prepare hemp seed for babies?
Use hulled seeds. Stir them into vegetable purée, porridge, or yogurt. Roll slippery foods in them. Add them to bread, muffin, or pancake recipes. Hemp oil can go into purées and sauces.
Loose, dry seeds scatter in the mouth. That can cause gagging or coughing. Serve the seeds inside a food such as applesauce, yogurt, or batter.
Hemp milk
Before 12 months, hemp milk is not served as a drink. Until then, the liquids are breast milk and formula, plus a small amount of water in an open cup after 6 months. As an ingredient cooked into a solid food, it is fine from 6 months.
After 12 months you can offer it as a drink. As a plant milk for toddlers, though, hemp is not the most nourishing pick. Fortified soy or pea milk carries more key nutrients.
Preparation by age
The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.
6 months
6 months · Stirred into soft foodsmash
Stir hulled hemp seeds into vegetable purée, warm oat porridge, or yogurt. You can also mix hemp seed oil into purées or sauces. Do not serve the seeds dry and loose, because they scatter in the mouth.
6 months · Slippery food rolled in seedsstrip
Roll slippery foods, such as avocado strips, in hulled hemp seeds. The seeds give the surface some grip and add a little iron.
12 months
12 months · In bread, muffins, and pancakesslice
Add hulled hemp seeds to bread, muffin, or pancake batter. The seeds stay together in the batter, so they do not scatter in the mouth. You can share these from the family table.
12 months · Smoothies, sauces, and porridgemash
Blend the seeds into smoothies, or stir them into warm cereal and other dishes. Hemp seed oil can be drizzled over sauces, marinades or salad dressings.
Is hemp seed a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: low
The risk is low. Loose, dry seeds can scatter in the mouth and cause gagging or coughing. Mix the seeds into yogurt, purée, or batter.
The choking risk with hemp seed is low. In theory any food can cause choking, though. Prepare it to suit your child's age and development.
Dry seeds scatter in the mouth and can cause gagging or coughing. Mix the seeds into yogurt, applesauce, or batter. Sit with your baby while they eat and stay within reach.
Is hemp seed a common allergen?
Allergy to hemp seed is uncommon. Even so, treat it like any new food and begin with a small amount. If your baby reacts in no way, build up gradually.
No THC
Hemp is a close botanical relative of marijuana. The seeds do not contain THC, the active compound in marijuana. Traces can get on the seeds during harvest and processing. That is why seeds sold as food are tested with care.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about hemp seed
Can babies safely eat hemp seeds?
Yes. The seeds contain no THC. Seeds sold as food are tested for trace contamination.
Can I give hemp milk?
Not as a drink before 12 months. As an ingredient in food it is fine from 6 months. After 12 months it can be a drink, but fortified soy or pea milk is more nourishing.
Why do the seeds scatter in the mouth?
Hemp seeds are small and light. Served dry, they spread around the mouth. Stirred into yogurt, purée, or batter, they stay together.
Sources for this page
- Rodriguez-Leyva D, Pierce GN. (2010). The cardiac and haemostatic effects of dietary hempseed. Nutrition and Metabolism. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-7-32
- Verduci E, D’Elios S, Cerrato L, Comberiati P, Calvani M, Palazzo S, et al. (2019). Cow's Milk Substitutes for Children: Nutritional Aspects of Milk from Different Mammalian Species, Special Formula and Plant-Based Beverages. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu11081739
- Dünya Sağlık Örgütü. (2023). Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6-23 months of age.
- NHS. (n.d.). Preparing food safely for babies.
Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides
Medical note
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.
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Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com