🥬 Zucchini
Allergen note
Zucchini allergy is rare, which makes it a gentle first vegetable from around 6 months. Serve it cooked and without other new foods the first few times, and watch for rash or vomiting. Older children with pollen allergies occasionally get an itchy mouth from raw zucchini.
How to serve
At 6–8 months, offer steamed or roasted zucchini spears about the length of an adult finger with the skin on for grip, or mash it. From 9–12 months, cut soft pieces into small bites; toddlers can enjoy grated zucchini in omelets, fritters or pasta sauce.
Preparation
Wash and trim both ends; young zucchini can keep their thin skin and soft seeds, but scoop out large seeds from big, overgrown ones. Steam or roast until very tender, with no added salt. If a tiny raw piece you taste is unusually bitter, throw the whole zucchini away, because the bitterness comes from natural toxins that cooking does not destroy.
Texture and choking risk
Raw zucchini is firm, and raw rounds or coins are a choking risk for babies. Cook it until it squashes easily between your fingers, cut rounds into strips or small pieces, and always supervise meals.
Sources: cdc.gov · cdc.gov · healthychildren.org · healthychildren.org · nhs.uk · nhs.uk
Starting ages are typical guidance for healthy, full-term babies who show signs of readiness. Your paediatrician may advise differently, especially where there is a family history of allergy.
Recipes with zucchini
Track first tastes and reactions
Log when your child first tries zucchini, note any reaction and see it in the allergen tracker.
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