Almond Butter
How to serve: Small amount on bread or mixed into foods.
Whole almonds and thick nut butter are choking hazards. Only thinned smooth almond butter is safe.
Momsie › What can my baby eat › 18 months
What can my baby eat at 18 months?
At 18 months, 122 of 122 foods in this guide are safe to offer. Every serving suggestion below is written for the 18 months and over stage. Free, no sign-up, based on NHS weaning guidance.
What changes at 18 months
Nothing new unlocks at 18 months. All 122 foods in this guide are safe to offer, prepared the right way.
Texture and preparation: 18 months falls in the 18 months and over band, so every serving suggestion below is the one written for that stage.
Next change: nothing is being held back any more. Every food in this guide is safe at 18 months, prepared the right way.
Want to compare ages, or check a different month? Use the age slider to move through every stage.
Foods a 18 month old can eat
Amaranth
How to serve: Cooked as a porridge or grain side dish.
Apple
How to serve: Thin raw slices, skin removed.
Apricot
How to serve: Bite-size pieces with skin if very ripe.
Asparagus
How to serve: Spears or small pieces — chewing well established.
Avocado
How to serve: Small wedges or cubes they can self-feed.
Banana
How to serve: Small bite-size chunks they can pick up themselves.
Barley
How to serve: Cooked barley served as part of their meal.
Beef
How to serve: Small soft pieces — meatballs, patties, or minced mixed into family meals.
Beetroot
How to serve: Bite-size roasted cubes as a colourful finger food.
Bell Pepper
How to serve: Thin raw strips or small diced pieces.
Black Beans
How to serve: Mashed or lightly mashed beans served with their meal.
Blackberry
How to serve: Halved — soft enough for most toddlers.
Blueberry
How to serve: Whole blueberries are manageable for most toddlers at this stage — supervise and assess readiness.
Bok Choy
How to serve: Bite-size pieces — crisp stems soft enough when stir-fried.
Broad Beans
How to serve: Cooked whole beans with skins, served as finger food they can handle.
Broccoli
How to serve: Small bite-size florets.
Brown Rice
How to serve: Regular cooked rice served with their meal.
Brussels Sprouts
How to serve: Halved roasted sprouts as a finger food.
Buckwheat
How to serve: Cooked buckwheat served as part of their meal.
Butter
How to serve: Use in cooking, on toast, or stirred into meals.
Butter Beans
How to serve: Lightly mashed or whole soft beans from around 12 months.
Butternut Squash
How to serve: Bite-size cubes they can pick up with a pincer grip.
Cabbage
How to serve: Soft cooked pieces as part of a meal or mixed into stews.
Cantaloupe
How to serve: Bite-size pieces as a refreshing finger food.
Carrot
How to serve: Bite-size pieces — soft enough to chew.
Cauliflower
How to serve: Bite-size florets they can pick up.
Celery
How to serve: Soft cooked celery sticks with strings removed, or mixed into soups and stews.
Raw celery is a high choking hazard for babies and toddlers — always cook until very soft. The stringy fibres must also be removed before serving.
Cheddar Cheese
How to serve: Small cubes or strips for easy finger eating.
Cherry
How to serve: Pitted halves — child must be chewing well.
Whole cherries are a severe choking hazard. Always pit and halve before serving.
Chicken
How to serve: Small soft pieces they can chew independently.
Chicken Liver
How to serve: Tiny pieces mixed into mashed foods — strong flavour goes a long way.
Chickpeas
How to serve: Mashed or flattened chickpeas — never serve whole before 12 months.
Coconut
How to serve: Soft fresh coconut pieces as finger food, or coconut-based dishes.
Cod
How to serve: Small flaked pieces — check for bones each time.
Corn
How to serve: Small soft kernel pieces — chewing must be established.
Whole corn kernels are a choking hazard. Blend or mash before serving.
Cottage Cheese
How to serve: Mixed into meals or served with soft finger foods.
Couscous
How to serve: Normal serving as a side dish.
Cream Cheese
How to serve: Spread on toast, crackers, or used as a dip.
Cream of Wheat
How to serve: Normal porridge serving.
Cucumber
How to serve: Thin slices or sticks with or without peel.
Dates
How to serve: Halved or quartered dates, pitted, as a sweet finger food treat.
Duck
How to serve: Small bite-size pieces — use leg meat which stays tender.
Edamame
How to serve: Mashed or halved beans — never whole before 12 months.
Whole edamame beans can be a choking hazard. Always remove from pods and mash before serving.
Egg
How to serve: Pieces of soft scrambled egg or omelette strips.
Eggplant
How to serve: Bite-size roasted pieces.
Fennel
How to serve: Soft fennel pieces as finger food or sliced into a meal.
Fig
How to serve: Bite-size pieces with skin on.
Garlic
How to serve: Use freely in all cooked family meals as a flavouring ingredient.
Ginger
How to serve: Use in all family meals as a flavouring. Babies who accepted it early will enjoy ginger-flavoured foods.
Goat Cheese
How to serve: Normal spread or crumbled into food.
Grape
How to serve: Quarter grapes lengthways until at least 5 years old — whole grapes remain a choking hazard.
Greek Yogurt
How to serve: Greek yogurt as a side, dip, or breakfast.
Green Beans
How to serve: Bite-size pieces they can pick up independently.
Haddock
How to serve: Flaked haddock in family fish dishes, fish cakes, or pasta. Always check for bones.
Always check thoroughly for bones before serving fish to babies. Even boneless fish fillets can contain small pin bones — run your fingers along the flesh and remove any you find.
Halibut
How to serve: Small bite-size flaked pieces.
Kale
How to serve: Small tender pieces — remove tough stems.
Kefir
How to serve: Serve from a cup or mixed into meals.
Kidney Beans
How to serve: Mashed or lightly crushed beans served with meals.
Kiwi
How to serve: Bite-size pieces including skin if preferred.
Lamb
How to serve: Small tender pieces — lamb mince patties, kofta, or slow-cooked shredded lamb.
Leek
How to serve: Thinly sliced soft leek in cooked dishes.
Lemon
How to serve: Use lemon freely in all family cooking. Many children love the sour taste.
Lentils
How to serve: Soft lentils served as part of a meal — dal or stew.
Mackerel
How to serve: Mackerel in family dishes — pate on toast, pasta, or fish cakes.
Check mackerel thoroughly for small pin bones before serving. Mackerel is an oily fish with a distinctive strong flavour — serve in small amounts initially.
Mango
How to serve: Small bite-size chunks they can manage independently.
Millet
How to serve: Cooked millet served alongside their meal.
Mozzarella
How to serve: Small bite-size pieces or melted on food.
String cheese and large mozzarella pieces can be a choking hazard. Cut into very small pieces.
Mung Beans
How to serve: Normal serving in soups, curries, or as a side.
Mushroom
How to serve: Small sliced cooked pieces.
Navy Beans
How to serve: Normal serving in dishes.
Nectarine
How to serve: Bite-size pieces as a juicy finger food.
Oats
How to serve: Regular porridge with added toppings.
Onion
How to serve: Onion in all cooked family meals — stews, soups, sautéed vegetables.
Orange
How to serve: Orange segments cut in half as finger food — they can handle this well.
Papaya
How to serve: Small bite-size pieces they can self-feed.
Parmesan
How to serve: Use freely as a seasoning — parmesan adds umami flavour to many family dishes.
Always finely grate parmesan over food. Never offer chunks of hard cheese to babies as they are a choking hazard. Finely grated parmesan melts into food safely.
Parsnip
How to serve: Bite-size roasted pieces as a finger food.
Peach
How to serve: Bite-size chunks they can self-feed.
Peanut Butter
How to serve: Small amount of smooth peanut butter on bread.
Whole peanuts are a severe choking hazard. Only smooth peanut butter thinned with water or breast milk is safe.
Pear
How to serve: Bite-size pieces with skin removed.
Peas
How to serve: Lightly squashed peas — many toddlers can manage these, but continue to flatten as a precaution.
Pineapple
How to serve: Bite-size pieces as a finger food.
Pinto Beans
How to serve: Normal serving or in soft dishes.
Plum
How to serve: Bite-size pieces with or without skin.
Polenta
How to serve: Polenta served as a side, fingers, or mixed with toppings.
Pomegranate
How to serve: Whole arils as a finger food or mixed into yogurt and oats.
Pork
How to serve: Small tender pieces — well cooked.
Potato
How to serve: All forms — mash, jacket potato, wedges, or diced in stews.
Prunes
How to serve: Chopped soft prunes as a snack or in baked goods and porridge.
Pumpkin
How to serve: Bite-size pieces.
Quinoa
How to serve: Cooked quinoa served alongside their meal.
Raspberry
How to serve: Whole berries as a finger food.
Rice Cakes
How to serve: Whole rice cake as a finger food — chewing well established.
Ricotta
How to serve: Used in cooking or as a spread.
Salmon
How to serve: Small flaked pieces — check for bones each time.
Sardine
How to serve: Small pieces mixed into pasta or rice dishes.
Semolina
How to serve: Normal porridge or semolina pudding serving.
Shrimp
How to serve: Small bite-size pieces when chewing is well established.
Soya
How to serve: Whole soft, shelled beans they can pick up, lightly squashed.
Whole soya beans (edamame) are a choking hazard. Remove them from the pod and squash or skin the beans for babies and younger toddlers.
Spelt
How to serve: Normal grain serving.
Spinach
How to serve: Chopped pieces mixed into meals.
Split Peas
How to serve: Normal serving as a soup or purée.
Steak
How to serve: Small, soft, tender pieces sliced across the grain, or shredded into family meals.
Strawberry
How to serve: Bite-size pieces they can self-feed — supervise at all times.
Swede
How to serve: Swede in stews, roasted in the oven, or mashed as part of family meals.
Sweet Potato
How to serve: Bite-size wedges, skins removed.
Teff
How to serve: Cooked as a porridge or mixed into other foods.
Tilapia
How to serve: Small bite-size flaked pieces.
Tofu
How to serve: Small cubes they can pick up with a pincer grip.
Tomato
How to serve: Small pieces raw or cooked.
Trout
How to serve: Trout in family dishes — pan-fried fillet, fish cakes, or pasta.
Check trout very carefully for small pin bones before serving — trout is known to have many fine bones. Run your fingers along the flesh in all directions to detect them.
Tuna
How to serve: Small flaked pieces in pasta, rice, or sandwich fillings.
Turkey
How to serve: Small soft pieces they can manage independently.
Turnip
How to serve: Bite-size roasted pieces.
Watermelon
How to serve: Bite-size pieces — they can self-feed easily.
White Beans
How to serve: Normal serving — whole, mashed, or in soups.
Whole Milk
How to serve: As a main drink alongside water from 12 months.
Whole Wheat Bread
How to serve: Small sandwiches or normal bread portions.
Whole Wheat Pasta
How to serve: Small pasta shapes they can pick up.
Yogurt
How to serve: Yogurt with a variety of toppings they can explore.
Zucchini
How to serve: Bite-size pieces they can self-feed.
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General information based on NHS weaning guidance, not medical advice. Always stay with your baby while they eat. If you have concerns about allergies, choking or your baby's development, speak to your health visitor or GP.