First foods database

🥬 Cabbage for babies: when and how to serve it

Can babies eat cabbage? Yes, from about 6 months. Cooked until soft, cabbage has a gentle flavour, adds vitamin C and folate, and getting babies used to slightly bitter greens early can help them accept a wider range of vegetables later.

From 6 monthsTake care with shape and texture

Good source of: Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Fibre

How to serve cabbage by age

6 to 9 months

Steam or boil shredded cabbage until very soft and blend into other vegetables such as potato or carrot. For finger food, offer large, soft cooked leaves your baby can hold and suck.

9 to 12 months

Chop soft cooked cabbage finely and mix into mash, pasta or rice. Try bubble-and-squeak style patties made without salt.

12 months and up

Offer shredded cooked cabbage in stir-fries, stews and soups. Very finely sliced raw cabbage in coleslaw can come later once chewing is strong.

Choking safety

Raw cabbage is tough and stringy and can be hard to break down, so serve it well cooked. Cut cooked strips small or offer whole large leaves rather than mid-sized pieces that could sit in the throat.

Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).

Good to know

Easy ideas

Goes well with

🥔PotatoFrom 6 months🥕CarrotFrom 6 months🧈ButterFrom 6 months · Milk🫘LentilsFrom 6 months

Recipes with cabbage

🥕Cabbage and carrot mini pancakesFrom 10 months · Snack · 22 min🥞Cabbage and tofu okonomiyaki pancakesFrom 9 months · Lunch · 35 min🥟Pork and cabbage steamed dumplingsFrom 12 months · Lunch · 45 min

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Questions parents ask

Can babies eat cabbage?

Can babies eat cabbage? Yes, from about 6 months. Cooked until soft, cabbage has a gentle flavour, adds vitamin C and folate, and getting babies used to slightly bitter greens early can help them accept a wider range of vegetables later.

Can babies eat raw cabbage?

Wait until your child is a confident chewer, usually toddlerhood, and slice it very finely. For babies, cook it soft.

Does cabbage cause gas in babies?

It can cause some wind, as many fibre-rich vegetables do. This is normal and usually settles as your baby's gut gets used to new foods.

Sources

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).