Sugar snap peas for babies

When can babies have sugar snap peas?

From around 6 months, steamed soft with the string removed.

How do you serve sugar snap peas to a baby?

The shape is what makes a food safe, and it changes as your baby’s grip and chewing change. Find your baby’s age band.

1. 1

   6–8 months

   String them, steam for five or six minutes until a pod bends easily, and serve whole one at a time.

2. 2

   9–11 months

   Soft whole pods or halved lengthways.

3. 3

   12–18 months

   Steamed pods, or raw once your child is chewing well — around 18 months for most.

4. 4

   18–24 months

   Raw or cooked. Family portions.

Is sugar snap peas a choking hazard for babies?

Raw sugar snaps are crisp and can snap into hard fragments — steam until floppy for the first year. Remove the tough string along the seam. Peas inside the pod are already contained, which is safer than loose peas.

Whatever you serve, stay within arm’s reach, keep your baby upright in a supportive seat, and never let them eat in a moving car, buggy or carrier. Gagging is loud and normal. Choking is silent.

Is sugar snap peas a common allergen?

Sugar snap peas is not one of the nine most common food allergens. Any food can trigger a reaction, though, so offer it on its own the first time and watch for hives, vomiting, swelling or a change in breathing over the next two hours.

Is sugar snap peas healthy for babies?

Sugar snaps are high in vitamin C, which helps iron absorption from plant foods in the same meal, and carry more protein than most vegetables. Because the pod is edible, they need no shelling and no shaping.

Common questions about sugar snap peas

Reference material

Guidance on this page follows the sources listed below.

• • NHS — Your baby's first solid foods
• • USDA FoodData Central — nutrient values