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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:
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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!
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?
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.
Thanks for some great smoothie recipes, will be trying them soon on my toddler, I am sure she will love them!
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.
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
Your baby is not suppose to have strawberries at 6months of age.
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.
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?
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.
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.