How to Serve Oranges to Baby
Learn how to serve this citrusy, vitamin C-packed fruit to baby with our helpful guide. Oranges are full of essential nutrients and minerals, perfect for boosting immune function and supporting healthy babies and toddlers. Serve oranges as a baby food puree or for baby-led weaning starting at 6+ months.
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Orange Baby Food
Want to give your baby all the healthy nutrients that oranges have to offer, but not sure how? I’ve got you!
Then, this complete guide on how to feed orange to your baby is for you!
Below, you will find everything you need to know about cutting and serving oranges to your little one—the health benefits, how to serve oranges for baby-led weaning or as a puree, how to store these recipes, FAQs, and so much more!
First time making homemade baby food? Then, I would suggest that you start by reading our very in-depth guides – Guide on how to Make Homemade Baby Food if you are starting with purees, or this Complete Guide to Baby-Led Weaning if you decide to do baby-led weaning from the get-go. And be sure to check out my best-selling cookbook, Little Foodie: Baby Food Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste for even more information and recipes!
Reasons to Love Orange for Baby
- delicious baby food purees – 6+ months
- great for baby-led weaning – 6+ months
- also great for the finger food stage – 9+ months
- full of essential nutrients for baby
- easy stage one and combination puree
- different ways for baby to eat – spoon-fed or self-feed
- easy to prepare
Benefits of Oranges for Baby
Oranges are an excellent food to serve your baby, whether in puree form or BLW form, since they contain many nutrients that growing babies need.
- Oranges are known for their vitamin C content, which they should be, since one cup supplies over 100% of the daily value. Vitamin C helps support the immune system and aids iron absorption when paired with a high-iron food.
- They are also a good source of fiber, which helps with digestion, constipation, and establishing a healthy gut microbiome.
- They also contain various other vitamins and minerals like folate, copper, and calcium.
How to Pick Oranges
Here’s a few pointers on how to choose the best oranges:
- Color: Ripe oranges will have vibrantly colored skin. Look for those without any soft spots, signs of decay or wrinkling.
- Weight: Choose oranges that feel firm to the touch and have a heaviness to them. This ensures juicy ripeness.
- Smell: Pick up the orange and give it a little scratch and sniff – the more fragrant the aroma, the better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oranges can be introduced to your baby as soon as they are ready to start solid foods, which is typically around 6 months of age. It is recommended to wait to introduce the top eight allergen foods to your baby once a few other well-tolerated foods have been introduced, but otherwise, foods can be introduced in any order, so choose whatever you are most excited for your baby to have.
Yes, when peeled and divided into sections with the membranes still intact, oranges can pose a choking risk, so you need to remove the membranes or cut into wedges with the peel on (and seeds removed).
While oranges are not necessarily a common allergen, sensitivities to citrus have been reported. As with any food, start with a small portion and be aware of any signs that might be an allergic reaction after introducing it.
No. Oranges are rich in soluble fiber, as well as some insoluble fiber, both of which are helpful for healthy digestion.
Tools Needed
These tools will make it a lot easier for you to serve oranges to your baby. For more of my favorite kitchen tools, make sure to check out my shop.
- High chair
- Suction bowl or baby bowl
- Baby spoon
- Bib with catch pocket
- Sleeved bib
- Blender or food processor
- Steamer insert with lid
- Freezer tray
- Storage containers for fridge
- Stasher bag
- Reusable pouches
- Easy to hold fork and spoon
- GOOtensils
Orange Baby Puree
To make a yummy orange baby puree, we love blending steamed apples with a freshly squeezed orange until smooth. You can also add in fresh orange juice or chunks of orange to steamed sweet potatoes, broccoli, pears, mangos, or mashed avocado.
Oranges for Baby-Led Weaning
Oranges are a great first food for your baby and an excellent source of vitamin C. Make sure to prepare oranges appropriately for babies and toddlers to minimize choking risks.
- 6+ months – thin slices or wedges with peel on, membranes removed: Cut oranges into large wedges with the peel on and seeds removed. Your baby can easily grasp these wedges and suck and munch on the fleshy part. You can also supreme an orange by removing the pith and membranes so that you can offer it in slices. Search “how to supreme an orange” on YouTube for a quick tutorial. Another way to serve oranges to your baby is by loading a self-feeding spoon with an Apple Orange Puree and handing it to your baby.
- 9-18 months – small, diced pieces, membranes removed: Serve oranges in bite-sized pieces at this age, with membranes removed, so that your baby can work on using their pincer grasp. You can also continue to serve slices of oranges with the membrane and seeds removed to work on taking bites off larger pieces.
- 18-24+ months – slices or wedges with peel on, membranes on or removed: Depending on your baby’s chewing skills, you can try serving larger pieces of orange with the membranes on, such as an orange cut into roughly 1/8ths. Or you can continue to supreme the fruit and serve oranges in diced pieces or larger wedges with the peel on.
Storage Instructions
Orange Puree
Refrigerator
You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer
This puree can be frozen for up to 4 months.
- Spoon puree into a freezer storage container – do not overfill.
- Place the lid on the storage container or cover it with a piece of saran wrap and label it with the date and recipe name.
- Place the tray into the freezer and let freeze completely – preferably overnight.
- Pop out the baby food cubes and place them in a zip-lock baggie or stasher bag – don’t forget to re-label the baggie or stasher bag for future reference.
Baby-Led Weaning
You can cut oranges in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Combination Purees
While Orange Baby Puree is great by itself, it’s also super easy to mix and match with other nutrient-dense baby food purees. Give these fun flavor combos a try!
More Orange Recipes for Baby
SALMON + ORANGE BABY FOOD PUREE
Hidden-Veggie Carrot & Orange Popsicles
Immune Boost Puree for Baby + Toddler
Expert Feeding Tips
- Make sure to wash your oranges if you plan to serve them cut into wedges with the peel left on.
- If you are going to supreme an orange to cut the membranes away from the fruit, consider doing so with 1-2 whole oranges at a time. This way you can save leftovers in a container in the fridge and serve small amounts as needed for baby’s meals over a few days’ time.
- Search “how to supreme an orange” on YouTube for a quick tutorial. This is easier to do with a large orange, versus small mandarin oranges.
- Although canned oranges are fine, try to offer both canned and fresh oranges in your mealtime rotation. Canned oranges often contain added sugar and are softer, while fresh oranges contain more fiber and a more challenging texture that will promote chewing skills. If buying canned or packaged oranges, look for “no sugar added” or “packed in 100% juice” versus “packed in syrup.”
- Remember to serve citrus fruits such as oranges with a high iron food to help increase absorption.
Get the recipe: Oranges for Baby (puree & baby-led weaning)
Ingredients
Orange Puree with Apple
- 3 large apples, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 orange
Orange for Baby-Led Weaning
- 1/2 orange
Instructions
Orange Puree with Apple
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2" of water to a boil over high heat. Add a steamer basket and add the apples, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Reserve steamer water.
- Add apples to a blender. Then squeeze half an orange (roughly 3 tablespoons) of orange juice into the blender. You can also cut up chunks of the orange (without the peel) and place them in the blender along with the apples, but some of the pulp will remain in the puree, making the puree slightly chunky.
- Puree on medium-high for 60-90 seconds or until completely smooth. You may have to add 2-4 tbsp of reserved water to your puree.
Orange for Baby-Led Weaning
- Cut orange and serve to your baby's age and eating abilities. 6+ months – thin slices or wedges with peel on, membranes removed: Cut oranges into large wedges with the peel on and seeds removed. Your baby can easily grasp these wedges and suck and munch on the fleshy part. You can also supreme an orange by removing the pith and membranes so that you can offer it in slices. Search "how to supreme an orange" on YouTube for a quick tutorial. Another way to serve oranges to your baby is by loading a self-feeding spoon with an Apple Orange Puree and handing it to your baby. 9-18 months – small, diced pieces, membranes removed: Serve oranges in bite-sized pieces at this age, with membranes removed, so that your baby can work on using their pincer grasp. You can also continue to serve slices of oranges with the membrane and seeds removed to work on taking bites off larger pieces. 18-24+ months – slices or wedges with peel on, membranes on or removed: Depending on your baby's chewing skills, you can try serving larger pieces of orange with the membranes on, such as an orange cut into roughly 1/8ths. Or you can continue to supreme the fruit and serve oranges in diced pieces or larger wedges with the peel on.
Notes
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