Dill

How to serve dill by age

6 months+

Finely chopped and cooked into soft food

Rinse fresh dill, pull the soft fronds off the stems and chop them very finely. Stir a small amount into a hot dish and cook it for a minute or two so it softens. A pinch of dried dill, with no added salt, works too.

Size

Feathery leaves finely chopped, with no stems, cooked into mashed or soft foods, such as potato, flaked fish or lentils.

Check before serving

Look through your baby's portion. There should be no stems, whole sprigs or long strands of dill.

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, cooked into dishes

Cook chopped dill into flaked fish (once fish has been introduced on its own), mashed potato, scrambled egg (once egg has been introduced), or soft cooked carrots and peas.

Size

Finely chopped and mixed into food, with pieces of the food itself no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Check there are no stems or whole sprigs in your baby's portion.

12 months+

Chopped into family meals

Stir chopped dill into fish cakes, potato salad made without added salt, soups and yogurt dips. Take your toddler's portion out before you add salt, stock cubes or seasoning mixes.

Size

Finely chopped into family dishes, in small soft pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) or smaller.

Check before serving

Still check for whole sprigs and tough stems.

18 months+

Chopped dill in family dishes

Keep chopping dill finely and mixing it into food. Leave whole sprigs used as a garnish off your child's plate.

Size

Finely chopped and mixed into dishes, in bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) or smaller.

Check before serving

Still check for whole sprigs and tough stems.

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 dill

1. 1

   Rinse the dill under plain running water, then pat it dry with a clean towel. There's no need for soap or produce wash.

2. 2

   Pull the soft fronds off the stems, and throw away the stems and any slimy or yellow bits.

3. 3

   Chop the fronds very finely.

4. 4

   For babies under 1, stir a small amount into a dish while it cooks and heat it for a minute or two so the dill softens. Don't add salt. Let the food cool before serving.

How much to offer

Start with a small pinch of chopped dill in a food your baby already knows, as you would in a family dish. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Dill is a flavor, so there's no amount to aim for.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses dill

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Use less dill and mix it into a food your baby already enjoys.
• 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 dill

• Keep fresh dill in the fridge, and rinse it just before you use it. Keep dried dill in a closed jar somewhere cool and dry.
• Cooked dishes with dill keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Freezer times depend on the dish, so follow the food page or recipe for what you cooked. Reheat cooked dishes only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving. Cooked rice has stricter rules: cool it within 1 hour, eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once. See the rice page.
• 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).