Tomato

Also called tomatoes, tamatar, thakkali, tameta

Safe from6 months

AllergenNot common

Iron-richNo

Rich inVitamin C

How to serve, by her age

Smooth cooked mash

We can start her on soft cooked tomato, peeled and deseeded, then mashed smooth. A ripe tomato cooked soft slips out of its skin easily, and once you scoop out the seeds, it mashes to a smooth purée. If it is thick, a little of its own cooked juice loosens it.

Once she is taking it, you can also stir that soft tomato through her dal or khichdi. Keep it plain, with no added salt while she is little.

Soft pieces and slices

Now she can pick up soft pieces herself, like thin slices or large soft wedges of ripe raw tomato, or take it cooked into her food. If you offer cherry tomatoes, always quarter them lengthways and never serve them whole, as their round, slippery shape can block her throat.

Pinching up these small pieces is good practice for the pincer grasp that self-feeding needs. Watch for any loose skins, and show her how to spit them out.

Spoon, fingers, or both? ›

Chopped family pieces

From around a year, tomato joins her family meals, chopped soft into her dal, sabzi or khichdi, or cooked into the everyday base the family eats. Lift out her portion before the salt and whole spices go in.

Cherry and grape tomatoes are still quartered and never served whole, right through the toddler years. A little tomato most days sits happily alongside her other foods.

Spoon, fingers, or both? ›

About tomato

Tomato is a gentle first vegetable she can start from six months. The ICMR-NIN counts it among the vitamin-C foods, and that vitamin C helps her body take up the iron in everyday dal and spinach eaten in the same meal.

The doubts we clear

CHOKINGWill she choke on tomato?

Whole cherry and grape tomatoes are small, round and slippery, so a baby can swallow one and it can block her throat. Always quarter them lengthways and never serve them whole, at every age. For the early months, cook the tomato soft, then peel, deseed and mash it smooth.Choking vs gagging ›

MYTHCooked soft, tomato does well as an early food from six months. You do not have to wait months for its tartness to settle or worry that it is too acidic for her.

Its sourness does not harm her tummy. A red mark where the tomato touches her mouth or chin is a harmless contact reaction to the acidity, not an allergy or a sign the food is too strong for her. Watch her over the next few days, as you would with any new food. There is no need to wait past six months.

Questions moms ask

A red rash came up around my baby's mouth after tomato purée. Is it an allergy?

That red ring is scary, but it is usually just where the tomato's acid touched her skin, not an allergy, and it fades. If she struggles to breathe, her lips, face or tongue swell, or a rash races over her body, get emergency help now. For milder signs like vomiting, loose motion, or hives that stay put, ask your paediatrician.Starting egg, nuts and other allergens ›

We started mixing tamatar into my 8-month-old's dal and now she seems gassy. Is the tomato to blame?

A little gas is common as her tummy learns any new food, and it usually settles in a few days. If the discomfort keeps up or she seems unsettled, your paediatrician can help you look at what else changed.

Everyone gives a warm tomato soup during colds. Can I give it to my 9-month-old?

Yes, a soft cooked tomato soup is comforting for a 9-month-old. Keep it soft and plain, no added salt for her portion, with soft vegetables she already eats cooked in. Her appetite often dips with a cold, so give as much or as little as she wants, and see your paediatrician if she stays off her feeds.Colds, coughs and feeding ›

Do I really need to peel and deseed every tomato before giving it to her?

In the early months we peel and deseed tomato just to keep it smooth for a new little mouth. It is a texture step, no more than that. Once she is handling soft lumps well, the skin and seeds can stay right in.

Should I try baby-led weaning with tomato?

You can do a mix with tomato. At six months, offer soft cooked tomato mashed onto a spoon. By around nine months she is ready for small soft pieces and quartered cherry tomatoes to pick up on her own. The IAP places that same shift, mash giving way to self-fed finger pieces, right around nine months.Spoon, fingers, or both? ›

How much tomato, and how often? Is a little every day okay?

A little every day is completely fine. Tomato is an everyday food, and a spoonful or two cooked into her dal, khichdi or sabzi on most days is plenty. It is not a food you need to limit, it works alongside her iron foods instead of crowding them out. Give as much as she happily takes.How much she should eat ›

How do I balance the sour, tangy taste without adding salt or sugar?

There is no need for salt or sugar to soften the taste. No added salt, and no added sugar under two. Many babies need a few tries before they accept a sour taste, so keep offering small amounts without forcing. Most babies take to it in their own time.Salt, sugar and honey ›

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Every page is checked against ICMR-NIN, IAP and WHO guidance.

Sources: IAP, ICMR-NIN and 3 more sources ›

Educational only, and never a replacement for your paediatrician. Read the full note ›