How To Serve Greens for Baby Led Weaning (2024)

Leafy greens, from Swiss chard, to collard greens, to beet greens, are nutritious additions to your little one's diet! Help them learn to love healthy greens from a young age by serving them from the start. Here is how to serve greens using a baby led weaning approach.

Leafy greens are some of the most nutrient-dense vegetables out there! It's good not only to eat them as an adult, but to include them in your child's diet so that they can reap the nutritional benefits and learn to love leafy greens later on. Some leafy greens are a little less mainstream and can be harder to incorporate into family meals (and baby's meals), but don't stress! Here is how you can serve all kinds of greens to your baby using a baby led weaning approach - including kale, chard, mustard greens, collard greens and beet greens!

Looking for other leafy greens? See my guides for serving spinach and cabbage.

When Can Babies Eat Greens?

Babies can eat leafy greens as soon as they are developmentally ready for solids, about 6 months of age. If you're using a baby led weaning approach, leafy greens can be a challenging texture for little ones. Raw greens tend to stick to the tongue and roof of the mouth and can cause gagging. To prevent this and to ensure safety be sure to cut and prepare greens properly.

Greens have a bitter flavor that can be less acceptable to babies and children (as well as adults!). Some research suggests that exposing babies to vegetables like leafy greens early and including them in the diet often can increase acceptability of these foods later on² - meaning less picky eating when it comes to healthy foods. So if you can offer greens often, go for it!

How To Serve Greens for Baby Led Weaning

1. Cooked and Finely Chopped (6+ months)

Serve cooked greens finely chopped. Since baby is using a scooping or raking motion to pick up food at this age, you can mix finely chopped, cooked greens into a scoopable food, such as mashed potatoes or rice and serve on a pre-loaded spoon; or serve finely chopped, cooked greens in a pile and allow baby to try to scoop them up with his fist. He may not get much in his mouth, and that's ok! You can also fold cooked, chopped greens into an omelet, scrambled eggs, or cook into a frittata.

2. Cooked and Shredded or Chopped (9+ months)

When baby starts to develop a pincer grasp, using the thumb and index finger to pick up small pieces, and eating skills improve, you can cut greens slightly larger. Go with shredded if you are still nervous about size, or if you are using a cooking method that yields less tender greens, such as sautéing. Chop a little larger if greens are cooked until very tender. Baby may gag over larger pieces, so calmly coach baby to spit out the food if needed.

3. Raw, Shredded or Bite Sized Pieces (12-18+ months)

At 12 months, you can start serving more tender greens, such as beet greens, raw. Shred them for salad, or cut into bite size pieces the size of your thumb nail. Don't forget the dressing - baby wants flavor too! For tougher greens, you may decide to wait until closer to 18-24 months to serve greens raw. You can also choose to continue serving cooked greens as outlined above.

Best Cooking Methods for Babies

Because raw greens can be difficult for babies to chew and move around the mouth, cooking is required for little ones younger than 12 months, especially for tougher greens like chard and collard greens. Here are some baby-friendly cooking methods for greens.

Steaming

Steaming helps greens retain their nutrients, but it can also be the most bland, which doesn't help with the flavor aspect for either adults of babies. Place chopped greens in a steamer basket in a pot of boiling water, without the water touching the basket. Cover and cook until greens are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Chop the greens more finely after cooking to the appropriate size for baby.

Sautéing

Sautéing greens is quick and more flavorful than steaming because you can add garlic or other flavors. Heat a bit of olive oil or other oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add minced garlic if you like. Add the chopped greens and any other seasonings you like and cook, stirring, until wilted and soft. Add a splash of water or broth to the pan to keep the greens soft and not crispy, if needed. For this method, you can shred the greens up small before cooking.

Steam-Sautéing

A combination of the two methods above, this method is easy, flavorful, and helps retain moisture for more tender greens. Start by sautéing the greens in a bit of oil (add garlic or minced onion if you like), then add a splash of water and cover then pan with a lid. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the greens are tender. Add any other seasonings you like and chop more finely if needed after cooking.

Stewing

Stewing is a popular way to cook some greens, such as collard greens, especially in the southern US. Start by heating a bit of oil (or even bacon fat for more flavor) in a large pot. Add a little minced onion or garlic and cook until fragrant, then add your chopped greens. Cover with water or broth, add any seasonings you like, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or more. This will make the greens very soft and tender for baby! After cooking, you can cut the greens into smaller pieces, if needed.

Ready to get started with baby led weaning? Get my 100 First Foods Checklist and Allergen Checklist Bundle today!

FAQ

Resources:

1. USDA FoodData Central ↩︎
2. Complementary Feeding Strategies to Facilitate Acceptance of Fruits and Vegetables: A Narrative Review of the Literature ↩︎