Herbs and spices for babies

Optional, not essential

Babies don’t need herbs or spices. Breast milk or formula and plain, simple food give them everything they need. But a little gentle flavor can help your baby get used to the food your family eats, and it’s an easy way to add taste without salt.

US and UK advice is worded differently:

• US (AAP): all fresh foods for babies should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning. The AAP doesn’t give an age for herbs or spices.
• UK (NHS): don’t add salt or sugar, including stock cubes and gravy. The NHS’s general (adult) salt advice suggests flavoring food with herbs, spices, black pepper, garlic, chili or lemon juice instead of salt, and its weaning recipes use mild spices and herbs from 6 months.

So on this site, herbs and spices are optional from about 6 months. If you follow US advice closely, leave them out of your baby’s portion, or ask your pediatrician.

What NHS baby recipes use

The NHS weaning recipes show how small the amounts are:

• From 6 months: a dhal for 8 baby portions uses half a teaspoon each of chili powder and ground turmeric, garlic purée and a little fresh coriander (cilantro). The NHS calls it a way to introduce your baby to mild spices.
• From 7 to 9 months: a beef curry for 4 portions uses a quarter teaspoon each of turmeric and mild curry powder, and a quarter teaspoon or a pinch of mild chili powder. A vegetable pasta sauce uses a pinch of dried mixed herbs.

That’s a pinch per baby portion, cooked into the dish.

Good ones to start with

Each food page shows the safe form by age:

• Fresh herbs: basil, parsley, cilantro, mint
• Warm, mild spices: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, sweet paprika, ginger
• Family basics: cooked garlic, and a tiny pinch of finely ground black pepper

How to add them safely

• Cook them in. Stir ground spices into food while it cooks, so they mix in fully. On this site, herbs for babies under 1 are cooked into the dish by default.
• Chop fresh herbs very finely, or blend them into a sauce. Don’t give whole leaves. Rinse fresh herbs under running water first (FDA).
• A pinch, not a spoonful. Never offer dry ground spice on its own or from a spoon.
• Take out whole spices. Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs and whole nutmegs are hard, and the CDC advises avoiding hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Remove them before serving your baby’s portion. Dried rosemary needles are hard and sharp, so use dried rosemary only ground to a fine powder, or cook it in as a whole sprig and lift it out. With nutmeg, a small pinch only, and keep the jar and any whole nutmegs out of reach.
• One new spice at a time, in a food your baby already knows, so you can see how they get on.
• Take your baby’s portion out first if the family dish is getting extra heat, salt or sauce. See family meals with your baby.

Watch for hidden salt and sugar

Seasoning products are an easy place for salt to hide. The NHS says not to use stock cubes or gravy for babies, and lists soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and brown sauce as sauces that can be high in salt.

Check labels and skip these for your baby:

• seasoning blends, rubs and spice mixes with salt
• garlic salt, celery salt and onion salt
• stock cubes, bouillon and gravy granules
• curry pastes and sauces from a jar
• cinnamon sugar and sweetened spice mixes (the NHS says to avoid sugar up to age 4)

See salt and sugar for babies.

Going slowly with chili

No official source sets an age for chili heat. Start very mild:

• Use mild chili powder, as the NHS recipes do, and only a small amount spread across a whole dish. Sweet paprika is another gentle choice.
• Add hot chili, chili flakes and hot sauce to the adults’ plates after your baby’s portion is out.
• If your baby seems upset by a dish, go back to a milder version and try again another time.

Hot paprika and smoked paprika can be hot. Check the label, and start with sweet paprika.

Lead in spices

The FDA says lead is often found in spices, including cinnamon, from the environment where they’re grown or processed. It can also be added on purpose to spices such as turmeric, paprika and cinnamon, likely for economic gain.

In 2023, apple cinnamon fruit purée pouches were recalled after they were found to contain harmful levels of lead and chromium; the FDA names the cinnamon as the source of the lead. The FDA has since listed several brands of ground cinnamon in a public health alert for elevated lead.

What you can do:

• Check your cupboard against FDA alerts and recalls. The FDA says these products keep for a long time, so check your home and throw away any listed product.
• Buy from brands and shops you trust, and be wary of spices with no clear label or brand (our suggestion, not an FDA rule).
• Vary your family’s foods. The FDA suggests eating a variety of foods and alternating how often you serve the same food, so no one food adds too much of a contaminant.
• Keep amounts small. A pinch in food is the usual amount.

If you think your child has eaten a recalled spice, talk to your pediatrician. The FDA says most people have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure. See heavy metals in baby food.

Allergies and rashes

The AAAAI says true allergy to spices is very rare. A red rash where a spice touches the skin, such as cinnamon, is usually irritation, not allergy. Severe reactions have been reported rarely, with spices including oregano, thyme, coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper.

Two label checks matter:

• Sesame can be part of spice mixtures, and it’s a major allergen (AAAAI). If your child has a sesame allergy, read every blend label.
• Peanut has rarely been found as a filler in spices, leading to past FDA recalls of cumin (AAAAI). If your child has a peanut allergy, buy from a brand you trust and watch for recalls.

Severe signs after eating are an emergency: trouble breathing or wheezing; lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell; or a baby who turns pale, floppy or unresponsive (NHS). If your baby has an epinephrine (adrenaline) auto-injector, use it first, then call. Call 911.Call 999.Call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia). Keep your baby lying down, never standing or walking (on their side if they’re vomiting, head and shoulders a little raised if breathing is hard). See signs of anaphylaxis. For a mild rash or tummy upset, stop the spice and talk to your pediatrician before offering it again.

Where US and UK advice differs

• Whether to season at all. The AAP says fresh baby food should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning. The NHS’s general salt advice suggests herbs and spices instead of salt, and its weaning recipes use them from 6 months. Both say no added salt.
• Raw or cooked herbs. NHS recipes sometimes stir fresh herbs into a dish at the end. This site suggests cooking herbs into food for babies under 1, which fits the AAP’s advice to cook most vegetables until soft.