Taro

How to serve taro by age

6 months+

Soft-cooked sticks or mashed taro

Peel the taro, cut it into finger-sized sticks and boil until very soft all the way through. Or mash cooked taro with a little breast milk or formula and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon. Thin the mash so it isn't thick and sticky. Never offer raw or undercooked taro.

Size

Sticks about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or mashed.

Check before serving

Squash a stick between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily. If you have to press hard, cook it longer.

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 pieces or lumpy mash

Chop soft-cooked taro into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or stir lumpy mashed taro into lentils, stews or soups.

Size

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

Check before serving

Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger.

12 months+

Soft-cooked pieces or in dishes

Serve boiled or baked taro with family meals, mashed, or simmered in soups, curries and stews. Leave salt out of your toddler's portion.

Size

Small soft pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Still do the squash test: soft enough to flatten with gentle pressure.

18 months+

Soft pieces or in family meals

Keep serving taro cooked until soft, in pieces or mashed into family dishes. Skip taro chips and crisp fried taro, which are hard, crunchy and usually salted.

Size

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

Check before serving

Still do the squash test, especially if you've browned cooked taro in a pan afterward.

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 taro

1. 1

   Buy taro sold as food from a shop. Scrub it under running water, then peel off all of the thick brown skin.

2. 2

   Cut it into finger-sized sticks (6 months), or chunks if you'll mash it.

3. 3

   Boil for about 20 to 30 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance and the pieces start to fall apart. Don't cut the cooking short, and don't add salt. Long baking, until soft all the way through, also works.

4. 4

   Do the squash test, then mash or chop as needed and let it cool before serving.

How much to offer

Start with one or two sticks or a spoonful of mash. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of licking, squashing and dropping is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses taro

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Try another form: soft sticks, lumpy mash, or mashed into lentils or stews.
• 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 taro

• Store whole, uncut taro somewhere cool and dry, and cook it soon after buying.
• Cooked taro keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
• Cooked taro sticks or mash can be frozen and used within 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge, use them within 24 hours of thawing, and reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them 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).