Puréed butternut squash is a popular early nutrient for brand-new eaters. But if you're introducing solids in the form of baby-led weaning or your baby is ready to graduate from spoon-fed purées, you might be wondering when this orange veggie is safety to add to baby'due south carte du jour — and how best to serve information technology.

When can babies accept butternut squash?

If you're spoon-feeding your little 1 purées, you tin introduce butternut squash anytime afterward your infant starts solids, unremarkably around 6 months. And in fact, many parents who go the spoon-feeding route make this versatile veggie 1 of their child'due south very offset foods!

Planning on introducing butternut squash as a finger nutrient, baby-led weaning-style? Your new nosher can sink her teeth (or rather, gums) into the sweet veggie every bit soon every bit she's capable of self-feeding — once she's at to the lowest degree 6 months.

How to prepare butternut squash for your baby

Steamed, baked or roasted butternut squash all work for babies and young toddlers. Just brand sure the squash is cooked until very soft — if you can smush information technology easily between your fingers, your mini muncher volition be able to interruption the veggie down with her gums or emerging teeth.

Make sure to remove the difficult outer pare and any stringy or fibrous bits earlier cooking. Both can be tough for new eaters to manage and could be a choking hazard.

While many butternut squash recipes call for ingredients like brown sugar or honey, information technology's best to steer clear of added sweeteners (even every bit part of veggie dishes) before your cutie's 2d birthday. (And never serve honey to babies nether i.) Stick with flavoring your babe or toddler's squash with herbs or spices instead, like a pinch of sage, cumin, cinnamon or nutmeg.

Continue Reading Below

The tips below tin assistance parents determine how to serve butternut squash at unlike stages, but keep in listen that all babies develop at their own footstep. Speak with your pediatrician before start baby-led weaning, and talk to him or her if you take any concerns about your child's oral-motor skills, chewing skills, swallowing skills or if you're unsure whether or not your baby is ready for sure food preparations.

How to set up butternut squash for a 6-month-one-time

butternut squash 6 months new

Piece peeled and roasted, steamed, or baked butternut squash into thin, fry-like strips for your baby to palm and glue. Slicing the squash with a crinkle cutter before cooking makes for a fun shape — and can aid your baby get a better grasp.

You tin too offering puréed or mashed squash on a preloaded spoon for her to pick up and try serving herself.

How to prepare butternut squash for a 9-month-old

butternut squash 9 months

Dice peeled and roasted, steamed, or baked butternut squash into small pieces for your baby to practice picking up with her developing pincer grasp.

How to set up butternut squash for 12 months and older

butternut squash 12 months

Give your new toddler a risk to develop her fork skills past spearing small cubes of roasted, steamed or baked squash (still peeled, of form!).

She can also use her fork or a spoon to practice digging into a baked or roasted squash half. Simply keep an eye out for whatever stringy $.25 or rogue seeds.

Butternut squash recipes for babies and toddlers

1 of the all-time things about butternut squash is how information technology sits right in between sweet and savory — which means there are lots of delicious ways to serve it. Simply retrieve to ever innovate 1 nutrient at a fourth dimension, particularly tiptop allergens similar eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, dairy and seafood.

A few tot-approved butternut squash ideas to endeavor:

  • Spiced butternut squash oven chips. Toss peeled, diced squash strips with olive oil and sprinkle with sweet paprika. Bake until soft and gilded.
  • Butternut squash pancakes or muffins. Fold shredded butternut squash into whole grain pancake or muffin batter.
  • Butternut squash-bean cakes. Make mini veggie patties with mashed butternut squash and black beans. Pan-fry or bake until golden.
  • Butternut squash quesadillas. Spread mashed butternut squash on a whole grain tortilla. Tiptop with cheese, fold and pan-fry until golden. Piece into strips or wedges.
  • Mashed butternut squash. Mash steamed butternut squash with unsalted butter and a pinch of cinnamon.
  • Butternut squash-coconut soup.Sauté onions and garlic in olive or kokosnoot oil. Add peeled, diced butternut squash cubes and coconut milk; simmer until squash is soft. Blend until smooth.
  • Butternut squash noodles. Steam or eddy spiralized butternut squash noodles until soft. Toss with browned butter and finely chopped sage. Cut the noodles into small pieces or let your tot catch the long strands.

What are the benefits of butternut squash for babies and toddlers?

Butternut squash is chock-total of vitamin A, which keeps your little one'south immune system in fighting form and promotes healthy vision. It'due south also rich in vitamin C, which enhances assimilation of iron — a mineral tots don't always get plenty of.

Other butternut benefits? The starchy veggie is a source of complex carbohydrates, which are a good source of fuel for your baby or toddler'south encephalon. The cobweb will assist stave off constipation, besides.

Tin can babies be allergic to butternut squash?

Butternut squash allergies are not considered common. Notwithstanding, it'south always a skilful idea to wait for signs of a possible reaction — especially when you're serving information technology for the first time.

Your baby or toddler might have a nutrient allergy if, soon after eating (within minutes to a few hours), she experiences:

  • Hives
  • Itching
  • Pare, lip or natural language swelling
  • Sneezing
  • Wheezing
  • Throat tightness or trouble swallowing
  • Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or diarrhea
  • Trouble breathing

Call your doctor right away if your child experiences symptoms of an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction may be more than severe or possibly life-threatening (called anaphylaxis) if multiple areas of the body are affected. In the rare event that your child shows signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction like trouble breathing or swallowing, phone call 911 right abroad.

Is butternut squash a choking hazard for babies?

Chunks of raw veggies are a peak choking gamble for children. Brand sure you're preparing butternut squash safely by always roasting, steaming or baking it until it's soft enough to smush betwixt your fingers, and offer it in a safe size for your kid'southward age (in long strips for the youngest eaters, then small-scale, bite-sized pieces one time your child has developed her pincer grasp).

Make certain, too, to always supervise your young child when she's eating, sit her upright during mealtimes and never offer food while she'southward reclining, walking, sitting in a car seat or playing.

When information technology comes to butternut squash, your new eater doesn't accept to stick to merely purées (although you certainly can't become wrong by serving up some mashed or puréed butternut). The sweet orange veggie makes for a tasty early finger food, too. But make sure to have extra on manus for when your baby or toddler gobbles it upwards — and signals for more.