First foods database
🍈 Honeydew melon for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat honeydew melon? Yes, from about 6 months. Ripe honeydew is soft, mild and very juicy, so it is refreshing in warm weather and gives a good dose of vitamin C.
Good source of: Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B6, Water
How to serve honeydew melon by age
6 to 9 months
Mash very ripe honeydew with a fork. For finger food, offer long wide slices with the rind removed, or with a little rind left on as a handle as long as baby cannot bite it off. Choose a melon that smells sweet at the stem end and gives slightly when pressed.
9 to 12 months
Offer small soft pieces of ripe melon for pincer grip practice.
12 months and up
Serve slices or chunks, alone or in fruit salads.
Choking safety
Underripe melon can be firm and slippery. Choose ripe fruit, remove all seeds and offer large strips or small soft pieces rather than in-between chunks. Do not let babies chew on the hard rind. Rinse your knife after cutting through the rind.
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
- Wash the outside of melon before cutting, as bacteria on the rind can transfer to the flesh.
Easy ideas
- Melon and mint fruit salad
- Melon slices with yoghurt
- Melon blended into frozen yoghurt
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat honeydew melon?
Can babies eat honeydew melon? Yes, from about 6 months. Ripe honeydew is soft, mild and very juicy, so it is refreshing in warm weather and gives a good dose of vitamin C.
Can babies chew on melon rind?
No, the rind is tough and can break off. If you leave some rind on as a handle, supervise closely and remove it once bitten.
Is honeydew good for teething babies?
Chilled ripe melon slices can feel soothing on sore gums. Some families also offer chilled melon inside a mesh feeder, which is fine under supervision.
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).