Pickles

Choking risk

Pickles are a moderate choking risk - they stay firm and crunchy, and a round slice is exactly the coin shape that can seal a small airway.

Chop them into small pieces, never coins, spears, or a whole pickle. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Cucumber is not a common food allergen, so a true allergy to a plain pickle is rare.^[1]

The brine is where to look instead. Jarred pickles routinely carry garlic, dill, mustard seed, or celery seed, and bread-and-butter styles add sugar, so read the label if your child has known allergies.

Start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.

If baby refuses

Sour and salty together is a lot to meet at once, and it usually takes many tries. Stir a little finely chopped pickle through a dish they already like rather than offering a piece on its own, and keep the amount the same each time rather than building it up. This is a taste, not a portion.

Food safety

Pickles are preserved in salt and stay salty after rinsing: dill pickles run about 810 mg of sodium per 100 g, so one large 4-inch pickle carries close to 1,100 mg.^[5] A 1 to 3 year old should stay under 1,200 mg for the whole day, which that single pickle very nearly is.^[3]

Don't add salt to food in the first 12 months, and keep it low through the toddler years.^[2] A reduced-sodium jar and a quick rinse both help, and refrigerator pickles made at home let you cut the salt right down. Plain cucumber is the everyday way to serve the same vegetable.