Pork chop

How to serve pork chop by age

6 months+

Braised strips that fall apart, or finely minced

Braise a shoulder (blade) chop, covered, in water or unsalted liquid until it falls apart, take out the bone, then pull the meat into finger-length strips along the grain. Grilled or pan-fried loin chops are usually too firm to squash: mince the meat very finely, or blend it with a little cooking liquid, and stir it into mashed potato or vegetables. Never cubes or chunks.

Size

Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or very finely minced and mixed into mash.

Check before serving

Squash a strip between your thumb and finger. It should fall apart into soft shreds. If it's springy or you have to pull hard, cook it longer or mince it.

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+

Small soft shreds or finely minced

Offer small shreds of braised chop for pincer-grasp practice, or finely minced grilled chop stirred into rice, pasta or a soft sauce.

Size

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

Check before serving

Each shred should squash flat between your thumb and finger. Leave out any chewy, fatty or gristly bits.

12 months+

Thin strips cut small, or shredded

Cut the meat off the bone, slice it very thinly across the grain, then cut the slices into small pieces. Braised chops can be shredded with a fork. Take your toddler's portion out before you add salt, a rub or a sauce.

Size

Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or shredded.

Check before serving

Each piece should be thin and small, with no gristle, fat or chewy chunks. If it's tough to bite with your front teeth, chop it finer.

18 months+

Thin pieces in family meals

Serve thinly sliced pork chop cut small with mashed potato, rice or vegetables, still without a salty rub. Chops are lean and can be chewy, and the AAP lists chunks of meat among foods to avoid or change for young children, so keep cutting it small. Have your child sit down to eat.

Size

Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

No bone, no chunks and no long, chewy strips.

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 pork chop

1. 1

   Check the label. Some chops are sold "with added solution", which adds salt: choose plain chops for your baby. Don't rinse raw pork: USDA FSIS says it isn't necessary, because cooking destroys any bacteria on the surface. Wash your hands, board and knife after handling it.

2. 2

   For strips, braise shoulder or blade chops, covered, in water or unsalted liquid until the meat falls apart with a fork. Don't add salt, stock cubes or a rub.

3. 3

   For grilled or pan-fried chops, cook them to at least 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part, checked with a food thermometer, then let them rest for 3 minutes. For babies, mince the meat very finely; from 12 months, slice it thinly across the grain and cut it small.

4. 4

   Let it cool, then remove the bone and any fat and gristle. Do the squash test before serving.

How much to offer

Start with a strip or two, or a spoonful of minced pork mixed into mash. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of sucking and chewing with little swallowed is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses pork chop

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Try another form: minced into mash, shreds in a soft sauce, or braised strips.
• Moisten dry pork with a little of its cooking liquid, breast milk or formula.
• Eat some 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 pork chop

• Keep raw pork chops on the bottom shelf of the fridge in a sealed container, and cook or freeze them within 3 to 5 days.
• Cooked pork keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, or 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Pork blended into a baby purée keeps 1 to 2 months in the freezer (FDA). Thaw it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours of thawing.
• Reheat cooked pork 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).