Whenever we post about green salads we get questions about how and when young children can eat salads, too – let's dig in!
The biggest issue with salad is the safety of the greens. If we give a toddler raw leafy greens before they have a good chewing pattern established, they may just swallow the lettuce pieces whole. Lettuce leaves may be soft, but they do require lots of great chewing with teeth to break down (unlike many other foods that can be chewed successfully with just the gums).
Here are some simple guidelines:
- 6+ months: Start with soft salad toppings like a tomato strip/wedge, avocado strip/wedge and cooked carrot. Avoid raw leafy greens for now, but you can serve them cooked (like kale cooked in an omelet) or blended up (like spinach blended into muffin batter). Our Infant Course will help you learn to safely serve these foods to babies 6+ months!
- 12+ months: Offer crunchy lettuce like romaine cut near the stem in shredded pieces (see image below) with a dressing/dip like olive oil, ranch or vinaigrette. Crunchy lettuce helps your child feel the texture in their mouth, and a tart, vinegar-based dressing may awaken their taste buds and help them feel food in their mouth even better. You can also experiment with lettuce wraps at this age.
- Once your toddler is chewing raw, leafy greens well (usually 18-24+ months): Serve assembled salads with soft toppings and salad dressings.
Below is an image that shows you how to cut romaine so it's crunchy and easier for your young toddler to chew.
A few additional tips to help your child learn to love salads:
- Eat salads often if you want your child to eventually eat them too! Kids learn to eat by watching us, and oftentimes they're more willing to try them if they see us eating them first.
- If serving salads, make sure to have other foods on the plate too. Don't expect your toddler to eat just a chicken Caesar salad as their only meal - most just aren't there yet! Salads can be overwhelming for new eaters, and many toddlers simply won’t eat them for a long time. Remember, exposure, exposure, exposure.
- Dressing can make all the difference! When salads taste good, kids are more likely to eat them. Plus, dressings provide fat that can help your child's body absorb its fat-soluble nutrients.
- Don't sleep on Caesar salads! Many people think Caesar isn't as "healthy" as other veggie-filled salads because it's made from romaine, Parmesan cheese, croutons and dressing...but Caesar salad is an amazing way for many toddlers to start loving green salads. (We actually call it a "gateway" salad!) Plus, romaine lettuce is very nutrient-rich, and enjoying Caesar salad helps kids become more comfortable with other types of green salad.
We hope this helps inspire you to try green salad with your little ones!