Celery

How to serve celery by age

6 months+

Very soft-cooked sticks, strings removed, or mashed into food

Peel the strings off the outside of the stalk with a vegetable peeler, cut it into finger-sized sticks, and simmer until very soft. Or blend cooked celery into soups, lentils or sauces. Never offer raw celery.

Size

Sticks about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or blended into soft foods.

Check before serving

Squash a stick between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily, with no strings left behind. If you feel strings or have to press hard, peel and cook it longer.

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+

Finely chopped in cooked dishes

Peel off the strings, chop the celery finely, and cook it until very soft in rice, lentils, soups or pasta sauce.

Size

Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), finely chopped.

Check before serving

Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger, with no stringy bits.

12 months+

Finely chopped in family meals

Serve celery cooked soft in soups, stews and sauces. Take your toddler's portion out before you add salt, stock cubes or celery salt.

Size

Small soft pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), finely chopped.

Check before serving

Still do the squash test, and check for strings.

18 months+

Soft-cooked celery in family dishes

Keep serving celery cooked until soft and finely chopped into family meals. Raw celery sticks are not for young toddlers: they're crunchy and stringy. See the US vs. UK note below.

Size

Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or finely chopped into dishes.

Check before serving

Still do the squash test and the string check, even in stews.

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 celery

1. 1

   Separate the stalks and rinse them under running water, rubbing off any dirt at the base.

2. 2

   Trim the ends, then run a vegetable peeler down the outside of each stalk to remove the tough strings.

3. 3

   Cut into finger-sized sticks (6 months) or chop finely (9 months+). Simmer or steam for about 10 to 15 minutes, until very soft. Don't add salt.

4. 4

   Do the squash test and check for strings, then let it cool before serving.

5. 5

   First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.

How much to offer

For the first taste, offer a small amount: a stick or a spoonful mixed into a food your baby already knows. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses celery

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Try it finely chopped and cooked into soups, lentils or pasta sauce instead of as a stick.
• Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
• Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing celery

• Keep raw celery wrapped in the fridge.
• Cooked celery keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Rice dishes are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
• Cooked celery, or soups and sauces made with it, can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let it cool before serving.
• 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).