By Jo Lenz, Registered Dietitian (HCPC registered), in conversation with Mulu, founder of V&Me · Published July 2026

Do not avoid rice. It is a staple, and babies should be getting at least three different carbohydrates across the week. The way to serve it is with some form of liquid so it is easier to manage: mixed into a sauce, as a stickier variety that holds together, mashed down, or cooked with more liquid like a congee or porridge for younger babies. That is registered dietitian Jo Lenz's answer to one of the trickiest texture questions parents put to V&Me, in conversation with founder Mulu.

Why is rice so difficult for babies?

Because it can be very loose and hard to control in the mouth, which is exactly why parents push back on it. It scatters, it goes everywhere, and it feels like nothing is actually being eaten. Jo's answer is that this is not a reason to leave it out. It is a reason to change how you serve it while your baby builds the skill.

How to serve rice at each stage

• Younger babies, around 7 to 9 months. Serve it with more liquid, like a congee or more of a porridge, so it is easier to manage. You can also simply mash rice, depending on how much water it has absorbed. Your cooking method changes how easy it is to handle.
• Mixed into a sauce. Rice folded into a sauce, or served with something that comes with a sauce, holds together and is much easier to eat.
• A bit older. Stickier varieties of rice that form together are easier for a baby to pick up and manage, before moving on to rice just as it would normally be served.

Free texture progression guide download

A simple guide designed by Jo Lenz, ready to be printed and stuck to the fridge.

The principle behind it, which applies to couscous too

Foods like rice and couscous will be messy. Some will be on the floor, in the high chair, everywhere to begin with. But the more you offer a food like that, the more your baby learns how to eat it, and if you shy away from it, which Jo knows is common, you are just delaying their ability to get to grips with it. As they get more adept over time, the mess gets less.

Role modelling helps enormously here. Eating rice in front of your baby, showing them how to chew it and how much to put in their mouth, is really important. They are watching and learning from you.

Why variety of carbohydrates matters

Jo's target from the conversation: at least three different carbohydrates across the week for babies, even more if you can. That variety, alongside texture, is what builds a child who eats everything rather than the same rotation on repeat. It is the same principle as everywhere else in weaning: repeated exposure, low pressure, keep offering. Our full texture progression guide is here.

Tricky textures, handled for you

Our menu is built to do this work: a different meal every day, cooked fresh each morning in our Battersea kitchen with grains and textures served the way Jo describes for each stage, delivered across London. See this week's menu.

FAQs

Q: Can babies eat rice?‍

A: Yes, and they should not avoid it. Rice is a staple, and babies should get at least three different carbohydrates across the week.

Q: How do I serve rice to a 7 to 9 month old?‍

A: With some form of liquid so it is easier to manage: as a congee or porridge consistency, mixed into a sauce, or mashed. Stickier varieties that hold together suit slightly older babies.

Q: Is the mess from rice and couscous a problem?‍

A: No. Mess is part of learning. The more you offer these foods, the more adept your baby becomes and the less mess there is over time.

This article is based on a recorded conversation between Jo Lenz, registered dietitian, and Mulu, founder of V&Me. It is general guidance, not a substitute for individual medical advice. If you are concerned about your baby's feeding, speak to your GP, health visitor or a paediatric dietitian.

Jo Lenz is a registered dietitian with 19 years of experience, including 13 years in the NHS, and has worked with V&Me since it began. V&Me cooks fresh baby and toddler meals every morning in its Battersea kitchen and delivers across London.