First foods database
🥬 Watercress for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat watercress? Yes, from about 6 months, best cooked and blended. Watercress has a peppery flavour that adds a fresh kick to soups and purées, and offers a little calcium and plenty of vitamin K.
Good source of: Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Calcium
How to serve watercress by age
6 to 9 months
Wilt watercress into soups, potato mash or purées and blend until smooth. Leafy raw greens are hard for young babies to manage. Its iron is better absorbed when served with a vitamin C food or alongside meat or fish.
9 to 12 months
Finely chop wilted watercress into omelettes, pasta sauces and mash. Watercress soup with potato is a favourite. Try it blended into a green sauce for fish.
12 months and up
Offer finely chopped raw watercress in sandwiches or salads for confident chewers, or keep it in cooked dishes.
Choking safety
Raw leaves can stick to the roof of the mouth and cause gagging. Wilt and chop finely, or blend into food.
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 well: watercress grows in water.
Easy ideas
- Watercress and potato soup
- Watercress in scrambled egg
- Watercress pesto on pasta (no salt, nuts ground)
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat watercress?
Can babies eat watercress? Yes, from about 6 months, best cooked and blended. Watercress has a peppery flavour that adds a fresh kick to soups and purées, and offers a little calcium and plenty of vitamin K.
Is watercress too spicy for babies?
It is peppery rather than hot. Cooking mellows it, and mixing with potato softens the flavour. Babies who pull a face at first often accept it after several tries.
Can babies eat raw watercress?
It is better cooked for babies. Toddlers can try finely chopped raw leaves.
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).