Soup

Q: When can babies eat soup?

From around 6 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Thick, homemade and unsalted, soup is a cozy way to share family meals.

Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review

Quick answer

Babies can eat soup from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 6 monthsLow choking risk as servedNot a common allergen

How to serve soup by age

6 months+

Thick soup on a pre-loaded spoon

Make soup at home with no salt or stock cubes, and blend or mash it thick. Load a spoon for your baby to hold, or let them scoop it with their fingers. Offer soft-cooked vegetable sticks, or toast fingers once wheat has been introduced, to dip. Check the bread label for honey, which isn't safe before 12 months.

Size: Thick enough to stay on a pre-loaded spoon, with soft dippers about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Tip the spoon: the soup should stay on it. Stir and check the temperature in the middle of the bowl; it should feel only just warm.

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.

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 soup

1
Wash your hands, and rinse vegetables under running water before peeling and chopping them. Take all bones and skin off any meat or fish.
2
Simmer everything in water or homemade unsalted broth until very soft, with any chicken cooked to 165°F (74°C). Don't add salt, stock cubes or gravy. For a creamy soup, stir in a little milk (see the US vs. UK note on milk for babies under 12 months).
3
Blend or mash it thick, or thicken a thin soup with mashed potato or lentils. Take your baby's portion out before you season the rest. Our butternut squash soup, red lentil soup, minestrone, chicken noodle soup, and sweet potato and coconut soup recipes have the full method.
4
Spread your baby's portion in a shallow bowl and stir: soup holds heat. Check it's only just warm before serving.
5
If the soup has an ingredient that can trigger allergies, such as celery, wheat or milk, offer that food on its own first.

How much to offer

Start with a few spoonfuls. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of mess is normal at first, so serve soft dippers alongside to make it easier.

Common mistakes

Using stock cubes or canned soup

The NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy in your baby's food, as they're often high in salt. Canned chicken noodle soup made up with water has about 335 mg of sodium (about 0.8 g of salt) per 100 g, so a 200 g bowl has about 1.7 g of salt, more than the NHS limit of less than 1 g a day for babies. Stock made from a cube has about 326 mg of sodium (about 0.8 g of salt) per 100 g.

Serving it hot

Soup holds heat and can scald. The AAP says not to carry your baby and hot soup at the same time, and to stir microwaved food well or let it stand so the heat spreads evenly. Check your baby's portion is only just warm.

Serving thin, runny soup

Thin soup mostly runs off the spoon and is hard for a new eater to manage. Blend it thick, or thicken it with mashed vegetables, lentils or potato.

Leaving hard or round pieces in

The CDC lists whole beans, whole corn kernels, tough chunks of meat and bones in meat or fish as choking hazards. Cook every piece until it squashes easily, mash beans and corn, and check for bones.

Where US and UK guidance differ on soup

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The CDC says not to give cow's milk before 12 months. If you follow US advice, use breast milk or formula instead.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, but shouldn't be given as a main drink until 1 year.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

Questions parents ask

Can soup be a choking hazard for babies?

Smooth, thick soup is a low choking risk. The pieces in it are the hazard: the CDC lists whole beans, whole corn kernels, tough or large chunks of meat and bones in meat or fish as choking hazards. Cook every piece until it squashes easily, mash beans and corn, and check for bones. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to soup?

Soup isn't one allergen, so check what's in it. Celery, often used in soups and stock, is on the NHS list of foods that can trigger allergies. Noodles, pasta and flour-thickened soups contain wheat (egg noodles contain egg too), creamy soups contain milk, and fish or shellfish soups contain those allergens. Introduce each allergen on its own first, one at a time and in small amounts, and read labels on shop-bought soup.

Is soup healthy for babies?

Most of the nutrition in soup comes from what you cook in it, like meat, beans, lentils and vegetables. Canned chicken noodle soup made up with water has about 1.2 g of protein and 335 mg of sodium (about 0.8 g of salt) per 100 g, and even reduced-sodium ready-to-serve chicken noodle soup has about 186 mg (about 0.5 g of salt).

When can babies eat soup?

From around 6 months, made at home with no salt or stock cubes. Keep it thick enough to load a spoon, cook any pieces soft enough to squash, and serve it only just warm.

Can babies have canned soup?

It's best to make soup at home for babies. Canned chicken noodle soup made up with water has about 0.8 g of salt per 100 g, and the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g a day. For toddlers, choose low-salt or reduced-sodium soup, serve a small portion, and keep it occasional: the NHS limit for ages 1 to 3 is no more than 2 g a day.

How do I thicken soup for a baby?

Blend it with less liquid, simmer it uncovered for a few minutes, or stir in mashed potato, sweet potato or cooked lentils. It should stay on a spoon when you tip it.

If your baby refuses soup

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try it thicker, as a dip for soft vegetable sticks or toast fingers.
Offer the soft pieces from the soup as finger food.
Eat the same soup 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 soup

Cool soup quickly: a big pot cools slowly, so divide it into shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking (USDA FSIS).
Soup keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Soups with rice are the exception: cool them within 1 hour, keep them in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat them only once.
Soup can be frozen in small portions for 2 to 3 months, with or without meat. If you've blended a soup with meat, chicken or fish smooth for your baby, treat it as a meat purée and use it within 1 to 2 months. Reheat only once, to a rolling boil or 165°F (74°C), then let it cool before serving. Throw away what's left in your baby's bowl.
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 child scalds their mouth or skin with hot soup. Cool a skin burn under cool running water straight away, and don't use ice. The AAP says burns of the mouth or hands should get immediate medical attention. If they have any trouble breathing, 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 soup?

Add it to your first 100 foods.