Baby and toddler recipes
🥕 Steamed carrot sticks with a pinch of cumin
Thick carrot batons steamed until very soft and dusted with a little ground cumin, an easy early finger food. Raw carrot is a choking risk for babies, so cooking until squishy is the key step.
Makes about 8 sticks
Method
- Cut each carrot into thick batons about the size of an adult finger; thicker batons hold together better once soft.
- Steam for 10 to 12 minutes until a knife slides in with no resistance.
- Toss gently with a few drops of oil and a light dusting of cumin.
- Cool to warm. Test a piece before serving: it should squash easily between your thumb and finger.
Serving it to your baby
Never serve raw carrot sticks or chunks to babies. At 6 to 8 months, large soft batons are easiest to grip. From 9 months, offer thin soft coins cut in half or small cubes. Always stay with baby while they eat and keep them sitting upright.
For the rest of the family
Roast the adults' carrots with cumin seeds, a little honey and salt (honey only for those over 12 months).
Storing and reheating
Cool, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Freeze on a lined tray, then bag up, for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven until hot through, then cool before serving. Never reheat more than once.
Weaning with OBubba
Plan meals and log what your baby loved.
OBubba keeps a record of every food your baby has tried and spots the allergens for you, so you always know what is next. Free to download.
Questions parents ask
Can babies eat raw carrot?
Not as sticks or chunks, as hard raw vegetables are a choking risk for young children. Finely grated raw carrot is fine from around 6 months stirred into food.
How soft should steamed vegetables be for baby?
Soft enough to squash easily when you press with your thumb and finger, or against the roof of your mouth with your tongue. That is the texture baby's gums can manage.
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).