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Carrots for babies

How to serve it at 6, 9 and 12 months.

The CDC lists carrots to offer babies 6 to 12 months, while raw carrot is on both the CDC's and the AAP's choking lists. Cooked soft is the way to serve them. A choking hazard on both lists. Not a major allergen.

Checked October 29, 2026.

How to serve carrots at 6, 9 and 12 months

Serving carrots, following the CDC and AAP texture and choking guidance
AgeHow to serve it
About 6 monthsCook until very soft and mash or puree.
About 9 monthsCooked soft carrot, mashed or in soft pieces no larger than one-half inch.
About 12 monthsCooked soft and cut small; raw carrot sticks stay a hazard.

Every baby is different. Start the same way for every food: your baby sits up, you are right there, and the pieces match what they can do.

Is carrots a choking hazard?

It is named on both the CDC's choking list and the AAP's choking page. The AAP says to cut food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch, to have children sit while they eat, and to watch every meal.

Is carrots an allergen?

It is not one of the nine major food allergens the FDA names.

Even so, try one new single-ingredient food at a time, so you can tell what a food does (CDC).

Where this comes from

Named by: CDC: Foods and Drinks to Encourage; CDC: Choking Hazards; AAP: Choking Prevention. The serving steps follow the CDC's texture advice and the AAP's finger-food and choking pages.

Call your pediatrician if…

Your pediatrician knows your child. Call them if you have a worry about a food, a reaction or choking. The AAP and the CDC have more:

Peabody editors write these pages from the sources below. We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice for your child.

Sources