Smoothies are my go-to solution for ensuring that my son gets plenty of nutrition each day.
What I love about smoothies is that you can squeeze plenty of nutrient-rich foods into a single drink, including many ingredients a young child might not eat on his or her own. For example, leafy lettuces have a tendency to make my son gag, but they blend seamlessly into a smoothie that he’ll gulp down. The same goes for ingredients like chia seeds and avocados– he doesn’t necessarily love them on their own, but he’ll happily enjoy them in liquid form.
In each smoothie, I aim to include the following three categories.
- Fruit, which is loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber
- Greens, which are high in iron and folate
- Healthy fats, which are necessary for brain development
The fruit ensures that the overall smoothie tastes good, and then I sneak as many other healthy things into each drink as I can. Here are a few of my favorite ingredients from each category:
The amount of these ingredients can vary in each smoothie, but the general ratio I use looks something like this:
1 cup water
1 cup frozen fruit
1-2 handfuls of leafy greens
1 serving of fat (i.e. 1 teaspoon oil, 1/4 avocado, 1 tablespoon nut butter)
Extra add-in, such as dates, fresh ginger, or cinnamon
Below you’ll find a few of my favorite combinations to help you get started, but the possibilities are endless!
Additional Tips
- Make sure you’ve introduced all of the ingredients to your child separately, before putting them in a smoothie, to make sure you’ve ruled out any possible food allergies.
- Rotate the ingredients you use often, to ensure your child gets a variety of nutrients.
- The smoothie recipes above make roughly 12 ounces total, which fits into two Squeasy Snacker pouches. I use these reusable pouches daily and can’t recommend them enough. Made with food grade silicone they are easy to transport for snacking on the road, and they give my son the independence to feed himself– which is very important to him at this age! Plus, they don’t spill when you drop them, which is a nice bonus for keeping my home and car clean.
As I mentioned above, it’s important to make sure your child doesn’t have any allergies to the ingredients you use, but otherwise these smoothies are all appropriate for babies 6 months and older. (The AAP recommends not giving solids to babies until they are at least 6 months of age.)
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Reader Feedback: Please feel free to ask any questions or share your favorite smoothie combinations in the comments below!
This is so great! Our little man just turned 6 months old today and we are getting ready to start solids soon. I love smoothies and can’t wait to start making them for him. My favorite combo right now is banana, pineapple and mango with kale and full-fat coconut milk. So delicious and tropical! Thanks for the great recipes.
I’ve been doing the same. The two new ingredients I’ve been using for my 1 year old’s smoothie is dandelion greens and frozen figs. Different, but with the right combination is delicious!!
Whats the right combination? My 13mo old has mild anemia and dandelion greens and figs are both high in iron so I was thinking about incorporating them into a smoothie!
Love this post!
Hey Megan I love your website. Thanks for all the recipes you share with us. Have you tried making then in advance and refrigerate them? I know the fresher the better but sometimes there is just no time. How long do you thing will last in the fridge?
My son goes through them pretty fast (about four 6-ounce smoothies a day), and I only have 3 squeasy bottles at the moment, so I can only make them about a day in advance before they’re gone. I imagine they’d last up to 3 days before going bad, though, if you have enough bottles for storing them!
Such a good idea – i wouldn’t have thought of smoothie for young babies but makes total sense and a great way to get healthy fats into them and simple for mum! Great shout I may try some of the recipe for myself 🙂
Hi Megan,
Do you soak your chia seeds, especially if you’re feeding them to your little ones? If so, for how long?
No, I don’t soak them ahead of time– they break down completely in the Vitamix. However, if you’re not using a high-speed blender, it would probably be a good idea to let them soak for at least 15 minutes to help them break down easier.
Great! Thanks!
I Love your website! I reference it almost daily and try something new.
How sweet and content your little man looks with that smoothie. I love all the combinations.
I am having such a difficult time finding the frozen Thai young coconut. My Whole Foods does not carry it. Any tips for where to buy it? I find the fresh coconuts so difficult to work with. Thanks!
You can buy it directly from the company’s website at a pretty good discount! http://www.exoticsuperfoods.com/products/young-thai-coconut-meat
Great recipes! I bought this frozen coconut meat, but am disappointed that is says to consume immediately after opening, when we only need 1/4 cup for the smoothies. What do you do with the rest? Or, do you keep it refrigerated after open and if so, for how long have you been able to keep it? I didn’t realize it was so quickly perishable! Thanks for any suggestions.
I keep it refrigerated after opening– we use it up in about 3-4 days, and it still seems to be fine after that amount of time.
Would you ever use almond milk or coconut water instead of plain water? Thanks for all of these recipes!
I don’t usually have raw coconut water on hand, but I would use that if I had it. (I wouldn’t give him pasteurized coconut water, though, because those taste gross to me!) I don’t use almond milk because I’d rather use plain water and add almonds or almond butter to the mix, so he’ll benefit from those nutrients along with the fiber.
Thanks so much! I’m mixing up a banana protein smoothie right now for our one-year-old son. Let’s see how it goes!
Thanks for the great smoothie combos…I’m going to post these on my fridge! My daughter loves smoothies!
I was actually going to post this on my nanny business page, but the nut butters and coconut worry me for a baby under one year. I love the smoothie recipes, and the Squeasy pouch looks wonderful…I would just hold off on any nut butters, coconut milk, coconut, etc until age one.
Actually, recent studies have suggested that introducing common allergenic foods earlier in infancy can prevent allergies to those foods later on in life– my doctor cited a study done in The New England Journal of Medicine that mentioned peanut allergies significantly decrease when peanuts are introduced in infancy. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/feeding-infants-peanut-products-could-prevent-allergies-study-suggests/?_r=0
Yes, I have seen that article. Just so early to know for sure. It’s very encouraging news though! Thanks for your great recipes! My own kids are teens, and we’ll be trying these 🙂
This is awesome! I am buying those pouches now from Amazon. I love the idea of making a smoothie for myself and then having our daughter share it. Thank you!
Just started introducing fruits to my six month old, this week banana is on the menu! I have already purchased x2 squeasy bottles because of your recommendation, I cannot wait to try the smoothie recipes!
I would like to ask about a teething biscuit/husk recipe, did you make one for your son? The store teether foods contain sugar/salt. Can you recommend a product to try please?
Can I ask how you are managing to counteract the fruit acids on the babies tooth enamel? I had to stop allowing my children smoothies after our dentist and the dental nurse from hospital said only to drink them rarely and always using a straw as the enamel erosion is far worse with smoothies than most other things.
Have you tried ground flax seeds in smoothies? I put them in my own smoothies and oatmeal, but I’m not sure if there is a reason to avoid them for babies. Thanks.
I put chia seeds in my smoothies all the time, but I rarely use flax. (Only because I don’t care for the taste and texture as much) As far as I know, I haven’t heard anything bad about using them for babies, once you’ve established there are no allergies.
Hi, I just wanted to say thanks for mentioning those squeezer snacker bottles. I’ve bought so many sippie cups recently trying to find one my one year old will enjoy trying smoothies from. This looks like it might do the trick.
I hope they work for you!
Hi,
There recipes look great!
I noticed that you always use fresh greens in your smoothies. Would you ever try frozen ones, especially spinach? Thanks!
I think frozen would be fine! I’ve never tried it myself, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work similarly to the fresh stuff.
I meant *These*
Megan, I know this post is a few months old, but at the time, you said your guy was going through about 4 of these 6oz pouches a day…was he eating other things in addition to that or just the smoothies? How old was he when he started taking in that much each day? Thanks!
I honestly can’t remember when he started drinking 24 ounces a day… sometime after he hit 12 months I think. He definitely eats other food, too! But, when he drinks these smoothies I never worry about him eating “enough.” I usually use these smoothies as supplements, when we’re out on a walk or going for a drive, so he usually sits down to 3-4 meals, too– but all of his meals are just a variety of simple whole foods, such as blueberries, almond butter, chicken, raw goat cheddar, lentils, eggs, etc.
I’m curious what kind of plan you followed in introducing solids to your little guy. What did you introduce first? Did you do purees or baby led weaning?
These two posts explain more:
https://detoxinista.com/2014/05/healthy-baby-food-introducing-solids/
https://detoxinista.com/2014/08/the-dos-donts-of-baby-food/
Hello !
thanks for sharing such healthy and delicious recipes ! Your blog inspires me to be my best self possible everyday ! I was wondering, do you juice the greens before putting them in the blender with the frozen fruits and liquids ? If not, do you achieve a smooth texture anyway ? My niece is quite picky on texture and won’t eat anything «that has little pieces in it». Thanks !
I don’t juice the greens, but I do have a Vitamix, which pulverizes everything in seconds. A normal blender won’t do that!
hi megan!
thanks for these great smoothie ideas & your new “toddler purchases” post!
do you have any recipes that would be an alternative for items like cheerios?
Not yet. We give our son fresh fruit, like blueberries, in lieu of finger food snacks like cheerios or crackers.
These are great!but does the fruit have to be frozen? I only have fresh fruit so I was wondering will it make a difference in consistency? Thanks so much for these. My baby tired one and loved it.
No, the fruit doesn’t have to be frozen! We just use it for his smoothies because it’s usually more affordable than fresh and it’s already peeled and chopped. 🙂
Thank-you for this post. It has given me some good ideas, as well as, the sun butter due to allergies in our home. My daughter is enjoying the apple cinnamon smoothie as we speak…subbed out apple with applesauce and banana as that is what we had on hand 🙂 Thanks!
Thank-you for this post ..I’m gonna try them with my daughter .. I have a question can we use 2% or whole milk to make smoothie’s instead of milk? is milk okay to use with all fruits?
Thank you so much for this post! My son is now 1 and he loves those food pouches, which are great when on the go, or in the morning for something really healthy. These recipes will come in super handy!
these are a huge hit every day at our house! my toddler is allergic to peanuts & tree nuts so i’ve started adding quinoa to her smoothies. tons of nutrition & a good way to use up all that leftover quinoa in the freezer!!
I was wondering if I should steam the veggies first before making the smoothie??
I don’t, but you certainly can!
Hello,
Thank you for the wealth of information. My daughter is starting solids soon and I am anxious to ensure she is getting the right nutrients. Where and in what form do you buy young coconut meat?
I used to open the shaved young coconuts myself and scoop out the meat, but now it’s really easily available in the freezer section! I prefer Exotic Superfoods brand when you can find it, as they use 100% organic coconuts, but other brands are usually available at Whole Foods, too.
I’ve been making green & fruit smoothies for years. I have one-year-old twins now and have been reluctant to give them uncooked greens/veggies because I’m not sure how to wash them to be sure they are safe. For my husband and me I have been just rinsing them under the faucet. Do you have any suggestions or am I worrying too much?
Thanks so much!
Or maybe I didn’t worry enough?? Honestly, that was something that didn’t concern me, and I always felt like raw was best nutrition-wise, so I always used raw leafy greens, fruits and veggies. (And I always just rinse them… no crazy cleaning technique, either!)
I would never give my baby or anyone else in my house unwashed fruit or vegetables. I recommend cleaning all your fruits and vegetables in a water and vinegar solution. Even the veggies that claim they are “Triple Cleaned” on the package. Cleaning produce with vinegar helps kill bacteria to ensure your fruits and vegetables are safe for consumption. You can make a safe homemade produce wash by mixing one part vinegar with three parts water. You can let produce sit in a bowl of the solution for 5-10 minutes and then rinse with cold water and drain using colander.
I have been making smoothies for my 15 month old for a while now and recently he just doesn’t wanna eat solids so this smoothie is helping. I don’t think a smoothie is a meal and wanted to know what I should give with it so it could possibly be one?? Is this a posability?
Can I mix formula milk into the smoothie? My toddler doesn’t like milk on its own. But once mixed with formula milk, how long can it be kept in the fridge for?
You’re welcome to try it! I never keep a smoothie longer than 24 hours, because I think the taste starts to go off, but you can keep them longer by freezing them into popsicles for later.
Your baby is not suppose to have strawberries at 6months of age.
I am making this smoothie for our snack time ! My 4 years old like it ! And my 11/2 was not so sure about the texture . They couldn’t test the flavour of the veggies so that was a win win . #detoxinistachalkenge
Hi! My 8 month old daughter was really interested in having sips of my smoothie this morning. I was really happy because I’d love if I could start making her smoothies. I was wondering if you know if its safe for babies to have small amounts of spirulina and chia seed? (They were both in my smoothie. She only had a few sips and if I made one for her I’d obviously put a lot less of both ingredient. I was just curious what your thoughts are. Thank you!
As long as you’ve ruled out allergies, I don’t think small tastes of your smoothies would be a big deal. My own gut instinct probably wouldn’t put spirulina in a smoothie made for just a baby, but I think chia seeds would be totally fine.
Thanks for some great smoothie recipes, will be trying them soon on my toddler, I am sure she will love them!
I have an 11 month old who is a fabulous eater so far and has never turned her nose up at anything I’ve offered her. I’m looking to drop a bottle and replacing with morning tea. Would these smoothies suit for morning tea or more of a breakfast/lunch meal.
Thank you
I think you can use them however you see fit. My kids always grazed when they were little, so this could have been a meal or snack for them.
i Always buy the drink “Naked” always love it. This time I bought a drink similar to it (by the way I bought the green vegan one) because I wanted to try it. Which it led my son of 1 and my daughter of 9 months to cry for a drink so I went and gave them a sip. After drinking the smoothie I read the ingredients and didn’t realize it had spirulina, now I’m worrying about giving them a drink since it has spirulina included. What should I do?
So it’s ok for a baby to have raw spinach in smoothie form? My grandson is nine months old my daughter is really into smoothies and she has already introduced him to several fruits but wasn’t sure about a raw veggie