Spinach
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- low
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- high
Leafy green, washed and cooked
When can babies eat spinach?
Spinach can be offered once baby is ready for solids, around 6 months.
Where it comes from
Spinach comes from West Asia. It has two main types: savoy with crinkled, curly leaves and flat-leaf with smooth leaves. Other leafy greens cooked in a similar way are also called spinach in English, such as pui in India, komatsuna in Japan, and kangkong in the Philippines.
Nutrition
Spinach is not as iron-rich as once claimed. Fresh spinach holds some iron, but its oxalates cut iron absorption. Cooking it and eating it with a vitamin C food helps absorption. It is very rich in vitamin K and polyphenols, which support bones, blood, and cells. It also has B vitamins and carotenoids that support eyesight.
How do you prepare spinach for babies?
Wash the spinach. Leafy greens like fresh spinach can carry a higher risk of E. coli infection, and washing lowers it.
At six months stir finely chopped cooked spinach into soft foods or patties. At nine months give thin ribbons or pieces within a meal. At one year serve it cooked or raw. Spitting may continue at this age, while swallowing grows.
Serve homemade spinach purée right away. Do not give baby leftovers that have sat in the fridge more than a day or two, because nitrate can rise with poor storage.
Nitrates
Offer vegetables with nitrates (arugula, beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, squash) as part of a varied diet. Self-feeding babies do not eat much solid food. Nitrate worries are usually unnecessary.
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 · How to prepare as a puréemash
Cut: Finely chopped
Chop cooked spinach finely and stir it into a vegetable purée, oat porridge, or yogurt. Leaf bits cling to the tongue and palate, so mixing them into a soft food rather than serving them alone cuts down on gagging. You can also fold it into egg strips or meatballs. Offer a vitamin C food alongside to help iron absorption.
9 months
9 months · How to servestrip
Cut: Finely chopped
Cut cooked spinach into thin ribbons and stir it into the meal. Finely chopped raw spinach can also be offered at this age. It is normal for leaf pieces to stick in the mouth and cause harmless gagging.
12 months
12 months · How to servestrip
Serve spinach cooked or raw, alone or within a meal. As molars come in, the child chews the leaf more easily. You can spear a piece of spinach on a fork and rest it next to the plate for your child to pick up.
Is spinach a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: low
Leaf bits can cling to the tongue and palate and cause harmless gagging. Mix into soft foods. Stems are edible, though baby may spit them out until chewing improves.
Properly prepared spinach carries a low choking risk. In theory, any food can cause choking.
Bits of raw or cooked spinach can stick to the tongue or palate and cause harmless gagging. Prepare it to suit the age, set up a safe eating space, and stay beside your baby.
Is spinach a common allergen?
Spinach is not a common allergen. Allergy to it is rare but has been reported. People allergic to latex may also be allergic to spinach or get oral allergy syndrome. That means short-lived itching, tingling, or burning in the mouth, with no dangerous reaction expected.
Histamine
Spinach is naturally high in histamine. Some histamine-sensitive people can get symptoms that look just like an allergy after eating a lot of it.
When introducing
As with any new food, give a small amount for the first few meals. Raise it slowly if there is no reaction.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about spinach
Is spinach rich in iron?
Not as much as people think. It has some iron, but oxalates reduce absorption. Cooking it and serving a vitamin C food helps.
Should I worry about nitrates in spinach?
No. Vegetables with nitrates fit in a varied diet. Serve homemade purée right away, and do not keep leftovers past a day or two.
Can I give baby raw spinach?
From nine months, finely chopped raw spinach can be offered. Wash it well first.
Sources for this page
- 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.
- CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition. (n.d.). Choking Hazards.
- Ancuceanu R, Dinu M, Hovaneţ M, Anghel A, Popescu C, Negreş S. (2015). A Survey of Plant Iron Content—A Semi-Systematic Review. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu7125535
- Yadav SK, Sehgal S. (2002). Effect of Domestic Processing and Cooking Methods on Total, HCl Extractable Iron and in vitro availability of Iron in Spinach and Amaranth Leaves. Nutrition and Health. doi:10.1177/026010600201600205
- Ferrer M, Redón B, Bartolomé B, Michavila A. (2011). Food allergy to spinach in an infant. Allergologia et Immunopathologia. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2010.10.001
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