28/11/2023
Credit to the writer :
Noodles and pasta may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, typically around 6 months.
The details:
1️⃣ Most types have ample carbohydrates for energy, but specific benefits vary depending on what the noodles are made of.
2️⃣ Pasta and noodles are not a common choking hazard, although they can cause gagging. Serving with a sauce (even just a bit of cooking oil) can make bites of pasta easier to move around in the mouth.
3️⃣ Depending on type, either can contain common allergens such as wheat and egg. Read the label before serving.
By age:
➡️ 6-8 mos: Offer large pieces of flat, wide noodles or whole pieces of large, tubular pasta (penne, rigatoni, ziti). Chop flat or thin noodles into sections no longer than a few inches (up to 8 cm) and serve in a bowl for baby to scoop. Any type of noodle is fine: buckwheat, egg, rice, glass noodles made from mung bean or sweet potato, and many more. Thicker, tubular noodles with a diameter the size of a drinking straw should be cut lengthwise to reduce choking risk
➡️ 9-11 mos: Serve smaller pieces of pasta: large, tubular pastas cut in half, macaroni, quartered ravioli. Chop noodles into bite-sized pieces for baby to practice picking up with their developing pincer grasp.
➡️ 12-18 mos: Feel free to go back up in size to full pieces of pasta. At this age, toddlers may be more adept at working with long noodles of various kinds without any modifications, although you can certainly continue to cut the noodles into smaller strands as needed. Model how to pick up noodles with a fork or chopsticks, then let the toddler try with an age-appropriate utensil. Don’t worry if the child still prefers to scoop noodles with their hands: consistent and accurate utensil use tends to come after 24 months of age.
➡️ 18-24 mos: Explore a wide variety of pasta shapes and dishes. This is a great time for toddlers to practice with trainer chopsticks or a fork.