First foods database
🫒 Olives for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat olives? Yes, from about 6 months in small amounts, but they are salty and a choking risk. Choose pitted olives, rinse them and cut them into quarters lengthways.
Good source of: Vitamin E, Iron, Healthy fats
How to serve olives by age
6 to 9 months
Rinse pitted olives to remove some of the brine, then chop very finely and stir into pasta sauces, hummus or tomato dishes. Avoid offering whole olives. A little goes a long way for flavour, so use one or two olives in a whole family dish.
9 to 12 months
Offer finely chopped or quartered pitted olives as an occasional flavour in family food. Olive tapenade is salty, so keep to a thin scrape on toast.
12 months and up
Cut olives lengthways into quarters until at least 5 years. Olives can be part of a Mediterranean-style plate in small amounts.
Choking safety
Whole olives are round and slippery and can block a child's airway. Always use pitted olives, check for stray stones, and cut lengthways into quarters for under-5s.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Olives are high in salt. Rinse them and offer small amounts only.
- Check for stones even in pitted olives.
Easy ideas
- Finely chopped olives in tomato pasta sauce
- Olive and feta flecks in couscous
- Olives blended into hummus
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat olives?
Can babies eat olives? Yes, from about 6 months in small amounts, but they are salty and a choking risk. Choose pitted olives, rinse them and cut them into quarters lengthways.
Are olives too salty for babies?
They are salty, so keep them small and occasional. Rinsing helps a little.
How do I cut olives for a toddler?
Use pitted olives and cut them lengthways into quarters.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: How to stop a child from choking
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).