Corn

How to serve corn by age

6 months+

Blended or mashed corn

Cook sweet corn kernels until very soft, then blend them, or mash them hard with a fork, with a little breast milk, formula or water. Serve on a pre-loaded spoon, or stir into mashed potato, sweet potato or iron-fortified cereal.

Size

Blended or mashed until no whole kernels are left, served on a pre-loaded spoon or stirred into a soft food.

Check before serving

Look closely and run a spoon through it: there should be no whole kernels left.

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+

Mashed corn

Mash cooked corn with a fork until every kernel is broken up and no whole kernels are left. Stir it into soft foods your baby can scoop or pick up, like mashed beans or rice.

Size

Mashed with a fork so every kernel is broken up and no whole kernels are left, in pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Check the bowl before serving: no whole kernels.

12 months+

Mashed, in family dishes

Keep mashing corn and mix it into family meals like rice, pasta, soups and scrambled egg. Cut the kernels off the cob first; don't hand your toddler a cob.

Size

Mashed corn mixed into dishes, in bites about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Check the plate before serving: no whole kernels.

18 months+

Mashed or blended, in family meals

Toddlers still choke on whole kernels. Keep mashing corn, or blend it into soups and sauces. Make sure your toddler sits down to eat, and stay with them.

Size

Bite-sized portions about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), with every kernel mashed or blended.

Check before serving

Check the plate before serving: no whole kernels.

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 corn

1. 1

   If you're using fresh corn, rinse the cob under running water after removing the husk and silk, then cut the kernels off with a knife. Frozen corn and no-salt-added canned corn work too.

2. 2

   Boil or steam the kernels until very soft, about 5 to 8 minutes. Don't add salt.

3. 3

   Blend them, or mash them firmly with a fork, until no whole kernels are left (6 months). From 9 months, a rougher fork mash is fine, as long as every kernel is broken up.

4. 4

   Let it cool, then check the bowl for any whole kernels before serving.

How much to offer

Start with a teaspoon or two of mashed corn. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of licking and dropping is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses corn

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Try it blended into a soup, or mashed into potato or sweet potato.
• 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 corn

• Keep fresh corn in the fridge, at or below 40°F (4°C).
• Cooked corn 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.
• Mashed corn can be frozen in small portions and used within 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge, use it within 24 hours of thawing, and reheat it 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).