Bone broth
Homemade and unsalted, it's a handy cooking liquid. Shop-bought broth and stock cubes are too salty for babies.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat bone broth from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve bone broth by age
6 months+
Cooked into food
Make broth at home with no salt or stock cubes, and use it in place of water to cook or thin your baby's food. Strain it well so no bones or bone pieces are left. Broth isn't a drink for babies: breast milk or formula stays the main drink.
- Size
- Used as the cooking liquid for purées, mashed vegetables or soft grains, or to thin them on a pre-loaded spoon.
- Check before serving
- Run a spoon along the bottom of the strained broth and feel for any small, hard bone pieces.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Thick, soft soups and stews
Use homemade unsalted broth for soups, stews, risotto or lentils. Keep soups thick enough to scoop, and cook vegetables and meat until soft.
- Size
- Soft pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), in a thick soup or stew made with broth.
- Check before serving
- Squash a piece of vegetable or meat from the soup between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily.
12 months+
Family soups and stews
Your toddler can share soups and stews made with homemade broth. Take out their portion before you season the rest. If you use shop-bought broth, choose a low-salt one and use only a little: the NHS says children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2 g of salt a day, from all their food.
- Size
- Soft pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) in soups and stews.
- Check before serving
- Still do the squash test on pieces of vegetable and meat.
18 months+
Soups, stews and sauces
Keep using homemade broth in family cooking: soups, stews, sauces and grains. Serve it as part of a meal with foods like meat, beans, lentils and vegetables, not in place of a meal.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or as part of a dish.
- Check before serving
- Stir the bowl and check the temperature in the middle before serving. Soup holds its heat.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare bone broth
- 1
Wash your hands. Put the bones, vegetables rinsed under running water, and cold water in a large pot. Don't add salt or stock cubes.
- 2
Bring it to a boil, then simmer gently, skimming the top now and then. Strain it through a fine sieve and check for small bone pieces.
- 3
Cool it quickly: divide it into shallow containers so it chills fast, then put it in the fridge (USDA FSIS).
- 4
Reheat what you need to at least 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot and at a rolling boil, then let it cool before you cook it into or stir it through your baby's food.
How much to offer
Use broth as a cooking liquid, a few spoonfuls at a time, in food your baby already eats. It isn't a drink for babies or a replacement for breast milk, formula or meals. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.
Common mistakes
Using stock cubes or shop-bought broth
The NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy in your baby's food or cooking water, as they're often high in salt. Ready-to-serve chicken broth has about 371 mg of sodium per 100 g (FoodData Central), close to 1 g of salt, which is the NHS limit for a whole day under 1.
Giving broth in a bottle or in place of milk
The NHS says not to put anything other than breast milk, formula or water in a bottle. Broth doesn't replace breast milk, formula or meals, and the FDA advises parents not to make or feed homemade infant formula.
Leaving bone pieces in
The CDC lists bones in meat or fish as a choking hazard. Strain broth through a fine sieve, and check soups and stews before serving.
Cooling the whole pot on the stove
USDA FSIS says a big pot of soup takes a long time to cool, giving bacteria time to multiply. Divide it into shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking.
Questions parents ask
Can bone broth be a choking hazard for babies?
Strained broth is a low choking risk. Small bones and bone pieces are the hazard: the CDC lists bones in meat or fish as a choking hazard, so strain broth through a fine sieve and check soups and stews before serving. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to bone broth?
Meat and chicken broth is not a common allergen. Fish broth contains fish, and shellfish broth contains shellfish, which are both common allergens, so offer fish or shellfish on its own first. Celery, often used in stock, is on the NHS list of foods that can cause allergies. Shop-bought broths can contain other ingredients, so read the label.
Is bone broth healthy for babies?
Broth is mostly water. Ready-to-serve chicken broth has about 0.6 g of protein and 371 mg of sodium per 100 g, and reduced-sodium versions still have about 231 mg (FoodData Central). Most of the nutrition in a broth-based meal comes from what you cook in it, like meat, beans and vegetables.
Is bone broth good for babies?
It's a useful cooking liquid when it's homemade and unsalted, and it can add flavor to your baby's food. We found no official source that says bone broth has special health benefits for babies, so think of it as part of a meal, not a supplement or a replacement for breast milk, formula or food.
Can I use shop-bought broth or stock cubes for my baby?
Not for babies under 1. The NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy, as they're often high in salt, and babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day. From 12 months, if you use shop-bought broth in family cooking, choose a low-salt one and use only a little: the NHS limit for ages 1 to 3 is no more than 2 g of salt a day.
Can I give my baby broth to drink?
Not as a drink. Breast milk or formula is the main drink in the first year, with sips of water from about 6 months (AAP), and the NHS says not to put anything other than breast milk, formula or water in a bottle. Use broth in food instead.
If your baby refuses bone broth
- Broth is an ingredient, not a must. If your baby doesn't like food cooked in it, water works just as well.
- Try it another way: cooked into rice, lentils or mashed vegetables, rather than as a thin soup.
- Thin soups are hard to manage at first. Thicken them with mashed vegetables, or offer soft finger foods to dip.
- Eat the same soup yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing bone broth
- Cool broth quickly in shallow containers, and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking (USDA FSIS).
- Homemade broth keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Frozen in small portions, it keeps for 2 to 3 months (USDA FSIS: soups and stews). Rice dishes made with broth, such as risotto, are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
- Reheat broth, soups and stews only once, to at least 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot and at a rolling boil, then let them cool before serving. Throw away what's left in your baby's bowl.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- NHS: Drinks and cups for babies and young children
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- AAP: Recommended drinks for children age 5 and younger
- CDC: Choking hazards
- FDA: Do not make or feed homemade infant formula to infants
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- USDA FSIS: Freezing and food safety
- USDA FoodData Central: Soup, chicken broth, ready-to-serve
- USDA FoodData Central: Soup, chicken broth, less/reduced sodium, ready to serve
- Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
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