HeySolids
Choking risk
A whole cherry or grape tomato is a high choking risk - it is a round, slippery, airway-sized ball, a shape both the CDC and AAP name among the riskiest for young children.
Cook cherry and grape tomatoes soft and mash them rather than serving them raw. Serve larger tomatoes as big, soft, peeled wedges to grip and suck. Never offer any tomato whole. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.
Allergens
Tomato is not a common food allergen, so a true food allergy to it is rare.[3]
Many babies get a harmless red rash where tomato juice touches the skin around the mouth. This is irritation from the natural acid, not an allergy, and it fades on its own; ripe tomatoes are gentler and a quick wipe after meals helps.
Start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.
If baby refuses
The tart taste and slippery skin can put some babies off. Use fully ripe tomatoes, peel and deseed them, or cook tomato into a simple sauce, which softens both the flavor and the texture and is often better accepted.
How to serve
6+ months old
Large soft wedge
Cut a large, ripe tomato into big, soft wedges for baby to grip and suck - peel the skin first, or cook it soft, so it's easier to manage. Cooked tomato, or foods served in a simple low-salt tomato sauce, also work well.
Cherry and grape tomatoes are a choking hazard because of their small round shape, so at this stage cook them soft and mash them rather than serving them raw. Never serve them whole.
How to cook
Very ripe tomatoes need no cooking, though softening helps. To peel, score a small X in the skin, dip briefly in just-boiled water until the skin loosens, then cool before serving. Tomato also simmers into a smooth sauce.
9+ months old
Quartered cherry tomato
A cherry tomato cut into 4 lengthwise
Cut cherry tomatoes into quarters lengthwise - never serve them whole or halved, as their round shape is a choking risk. Quartered, they're good for pincer-grasp practice.
Tomato skins can be a little slippery, so some gentle gagging as baby learns is normal. Cooking tomatoes into a soft sauce is another easy way to serve them.
How to cook
Serve raw once quartered lengthwise, or cook into soft sauces. Peeling the skin still helps if baby finds it tricky.
24+ months old
By 2, most toddlers can handle tomato in almost any form - slices, wedges, or small bite-sized chunks.
Cherry and grape tomatoes are the exception: keep quartering them lengthwise, since a whole or halved one is still a round, airway-sized choking risk at this age. Choose large, ripe cherry tomatoes if you can, and cut smaller ones into quarters.
Tomato goes into everything now - pasta sauces, salads, sandwiches, and mixed dishes - so it's an easy one to build meals around.