Spare ribs may be introduced as soon as baby is ready for solids, which is generally around 6 months old. Whole ribs are fantastic teethers and you’re likely to see a baby go at them for a good 10 minutes. The long, thick bone and tough meat make it easy for babies to hold and can be a particularly good food for young eaters with special needs or who need jaw strengthening.

Yes. Along with fat, iron, and protein, which babies need oodles of at this stage in their lives, spare ribs have a decent amount of B-vitamins. In particular, they have vitamins B1 (aids cognitive development), B3 (cell development and function), and B6 (brain function). Lastly, spare ribs have high amounts of selenium, which is essential for immune defense and thyroid development.

Unlike short ribs (which are beef) spare ribs are the side ribs from a pig. They are big and flat, with meat all around the bone. Commonly used in American and Chinese cuisines, spare ribs are easy to make and fun for the whole family.

★ Tip: Be careful with rib seasonings! Spare rib recipes tend to call for barbecue sauce, salt, and sugar, which are not ideal for babies younger than age 2, and homemade recipes sometimes call for honey, which is not safe for babies younger than 12 months old because it can cause infant botulism. The good news is that spare ribs are delicious on their own and need little—if any—sauce to be tasty.

Spare ribs are safer for young babies than say, a chunk of meat on its own would be. However, chunks of meat that may be pulled off a rib—and especially chunks that are on the small to medium size—can be choking hazards. Baby is likely to just suck or gnaw on a rib, getting small bits of meat at a time, but pull off any loose pieces of meat and gristle before serving and watch baby as they eat to be safe. Also keep in mind that some ribs, depending on how they have been cooked, can become brittle and easily breakable, especially at the edges. We strongly recommend checking and testing your ribs prior to offering by attempting to bend them, and push on the edges. Strong, firm bones are the way to go. If the bone breaks easily, crumbles at the edges, or splinters, the risk for bone to break off in baby’s mouth increases. If a piece of meat gets pulled off that concerns you, coach the child to spit it out by sticking out your own tongue dramatically.

For more information, visit our section on gagging and choking and familiarize yourself with common choking hazards.

No. Allergies to pork are rare, though studies have shown that there is a relationship between cat allergies and pork allergies (cat serum albumin cross-reacts with pork albumin).1 Basically, if a baby is allergic to pork, it may actually stem from an allergy to cats.