Smoothie
Ripe fruit and plain yogurt, blended thick. A spoonable part of a meal, not a drink to sip all day.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat smoothie from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve smoothie by age
6 months+
Thick blend on a pre-loaded spoon
Blend ripe banana or another soft ripe fruit with plain, full-fat yogurt until completely smooth, keeping it thick enough to stay on a spoon, like a purée. Thin it with a little breast milk, formula or water if needed. No honey, sugar, syrup or juice. Offer it with a meal, once your baby has had yogurt on its own.
- Size
- A teaspoon or two on a pre-loaded spoon, or as a dip for soft finger foods about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Rub a little between your thumb and finger. It should be completely smooth, with no lumps of fruit, ice or seeds.
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 spoonfuls or a dip
Keep it thick and serve it in a bowl with a spoon your baby can grab, or as a dip. Once your baby has had each on its own, you can blend in a little smooth nut butter, finely ground nuts or finely ground seeds.
- Size
- Spoonfuls, or a dip for soft finger foods. Any fruit served alongside in pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Rub a little between your fingers: there should be no grit or bits of nut or seed.
12 months+
Bowl and spoon, or a diluted drink with a meal
Blend whole fruit with plain yogurt or whole milk. A thick blend works best in a bowl with a spoon. If you serve it as a drink, dilute it (1 part smoothie to 10 parts water): the NHS says undiluted smoothies are for children aged 5 and over. Serve it at a meal, then put it away, rather than in a cup your toddler carries around: the NHS says giving smoothies at mealtimes rather than between meals helps reduce the risk of tooth decay.
- Size
- A few spoonfuls of a thick blend in a bowl. As a drink, a few sips of smoothie diluted with water (1 part smoothie to 10 parts water) from a small open cup, with a meal.
18 months+
Smoothie bowl, or a diluted drink with a meal
Keep smoothies occasional and at mealtimes, and keep a drink-style smoothie diluted until age 5 (NHS): whole fruit is still the everyday choice. Skip toppings that are choking hazards, such as whole or chopped nuts, whole seeds and granola, and quarter small round fruit like blueberries lengthwise.
- Size
- A thick smoothie in a bowl, with soft fruit pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) on top. As a drink, diluted (1 part smoothie to 10 parts water) in a small open cup with a meal.
- Check before serving
- Squash each topping piece between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily.
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 smoothie
- 1
Wash your hands and rinse fresh fruit under running water. Remove any pips, stones and hard skin (NHS).
- 2
Blend soft ripe fruit, such as banana, mango, peach or berries, with plain, full-fat pasteurized yogurt until completely smooth. Use whole fruit, not juice.
- 3
Thin with breast milk, formula or water for babies under 1, or whole milk from 12 months. Don't add honey, sugar, syrup or sweetened yogurt.
- 4
Add nuts or seeds only as a little smooth nut butter, or finely ground, and only once your baby has had each on its own.
- 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
Start with a spoonful or two, with a meal. A smoothie is one way to serve fruit and yogurt, not an extra drink: the NHS counts the sugars released when fruit is blended as free sugars, the kind to cut down on. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.
Common mistakes
Sipping from a cup all day
The NHS says sugars are released when fruit is blended, and that giving smoothies at mealtimes rather than between meals helps reduce the risk of tooth decay. Serve it with a meal, then put it away.
Adding honey, sugar or juice
No honey before 12 months, in any form (CDC). Ripe fruit is sweet enough: US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4, and the AAP and CDC say no juice before 12 months.
Using raw milk or unpasteurized juice
The CDC says not to give children unpasteurized juice, milk or yogurt, which can carry bacteria that cause severe diarrhea. Use pasteurized yogurt and milk.
A spoonful of nut butter or whole seeds
The CDC lists chunks or spoonfuls of nut and seed butters, and whole or chopped nuts and seeds, as choking hazards. Blend a little smooth nut butter, or finely ground nuts or seeds, right into the smoothie.
Where US and UK guidance differ on smoothie
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
For babies under 1, the AAP says that apart from mashed banana, most fruits should be cooked until soft. If you follow US advice, use banana, or cook other fruit until soft and let it cool before blending. The AAP and CDC say no juice before 12 months, so blend whole fruit. The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines call on parents to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says soft ripe fruit can be mashed or blended for babies from around 6 months. It says babies under 12 months don't need fruit juice or smoothies, and if you give them, to dilute them (1 part to 10 parts water) and keep them to mealtimes. It says undiluted smoothies are for children aged 5 and over (no more than about 150 ml a day, with meals), and the NHS foods-to-avoid page counts the sugar in smoothies among the sugars to avoid for children aged 4 and under. If you follow UK advice, serve a thick fruit and yogurt blend on a spoon, like a purée, and if your toddler has it as a drink, dilute it (1 part to 10 parts water) and serve it with a meal.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can smoothie be a choking hazard for babies?
A completely smooth smoothie is a low choking risk. Lumps of fruit or ice, whole seeds, nut pieces and blobs of nut butter are the risks: the CDC lists whole or chopped nuts and seeds, and chunks or spoonfuls of nut butter, as choking hazards. Blend until smooth, have your child sit upright, and stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to smoothie?
Most smoothies contain milk, from yogurt or milk, one of the most common food allergens in young children. Other allergens depend on what you add, such as peanut or tree nut butters, tahini (sesame), or soy yogurt or soy drink. Offer each allergen on its own first, then add it to a smoothie once your baby has had it without a reaction. Most reactions happen within minutes to 2 hours, but with cow's milk allergy symptoms can take up to 3 days to appear (NHS).
Is smoothie healthy for babies?
It depends on what goes in. Plain whole-milk yogurt has about 3.5 g of protein and 121 mg of calcium per 100 g, and raw banana about 12 g of sugars and 2.6 g of fiber per 100 g (FoodData Central). The NHS counts the sugars in blended or puréed fruit as free sugars, unlike the sugars in whole fruit.
Is a smoothie better than juice for my baby?
It keeps the whole fruit, and the AAP and CDC say no juice at all before 12 months. But the NHS still counts the sugars released by blending as free sugars, which can cause tooth decay, so serve smoothies at mealtimes and keep whole or mashed fruit as the everyday choice.
Can I add peanut butter to my baby's smoothie?
Yes, once your baby has had peanut on its own without a reaction. Blend a little smooth peanut butter right in, so there are no chunks: the CDC lists chunks or spoonfuls of nut butter as a choking hazard.
Are shop-bought smoothies OK for babies?
Read the label. Skip any made with juice or with added sugar or honey, and use only pasteurized ones (CDC). A homemade blend of whole fruit and plain yogurt lets you keep it thick, plain and with meals.
If your baby refuses smoothie
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Plain yogurt is sour. Use very ripe fruit, then use less fruit over time.
- Try another form: the same fruit and yogurt unblended, or as a dip for soft fruit.
- 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 smoothie
- Blend only what your child will have at one meal, and serve it straight away.
- Keep yogurt and milk in the fridge, at 40°F (4°C) or below (USDA FSIS).
- Pour your child's portion into their own bowl or cup, and throw away what they leave.
- 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:
- Your baby has had any reaction to dairy, nuts, seeds or another ingredient, even a mild one. Stop offering it until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after a smoothie made with yogurt or milk. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that cow's milk can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- 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.
Offered smoothie?
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Helpful guides
Sources
- NHS: Drinks and cups for babies and young children
- NHS: Sugar: the facts
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Feeding your baby from around 6 months
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- AAP: Starting Solid Foods
- AAP: Recommended drinks for children age 5 and younger
- CDC: Foods and drinks to avoid or limit
- CDC: Choking hazards
- HHS: Fact sheet on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Yogurt, plain, whole milk
- USDA FoodData Central: Bananas, raw
- USDA FSIS: How long can you keep dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese in the refrigerator?
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
Free printable: The First 100 Foods checklist
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