Canned peaches
Soft, ready to serve and easy to keep in the cupboard. Pick peaches packed in water or juice.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat canned peaches from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve canned peaches by age
6 months+
Drained strips or mash
Choose peaches canned in water or juice, with no added sugars. Drain them in a sieve and throw the liquid away. Cut halves or thick slices into finger-sized strips, or mash them and serve on a pre-loaded spoon. Too slippery? Once oats have been introduced on their own, roll the strips in finely ground oats.
- Size
- Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or mashed.
- Check before serving
- Squash a strip between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Small soft pieces
Cut drained canned peach into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or stir it into oatmeal or plain full-fat yogurt (once dairy has been introduced on its own).
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger.
12 months+
Small pieces or in dishes
Offer small pieces of drained canned peach on their own, in fruit salad, or on oatmeal or yogurt. Keep choosing water or juice packs: syrup-packed peaches have added sugar.
- Size
- Pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Never serve whole halves. Cut every piece small.
18 months+
Bite-sized pieces or in dishes
Serve drained canned peach as a snack, in fruit salad, or baked into oatmeal and muffins. Peaches in light or heavy syrup still wait: US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4. Make sure your toddler sits down to eat, and stay with them.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Cut whole halves and slices into bite-sized pieces.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare canned peaches
- 1
Check the can before you open it. Don't use a can that is bulging, leaking, rusted or deeply dented (a dent you can lay your finger into), or one that spurts liquid when opened.
- 2
Read the label: look for peaches in water or in 100% juice, with 0 g of added sugars, and no sugar, syrup or juice concentrate in the ingredients.
- 3
Drain the peaches in a sieve and throw the liquid away.
- 4
Cut them into finger-sized strips (6 months) or small pieces (9 months+), or mash them. Don't add sugar.
How much to offer
Start with one or two soft strips, or a teaspoon or two of mash. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of squashing and dropping is normal at first.
Common mistakes
Choosing peaches in syrup
Light and heavy syrup are added sugar. In FoodData Central, peaches in heavy syrup have about 18.6 g of sugar per 100 g, against about 4.8 g for peaches in water. US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4.
Thinking draining fixes syrup-packed peaches
Draining helps, but not enough: drained peaches from heavy syrup still have about 14.7 g of sugar per 100 g. Pick water or juice packs instead.
Serving whole halves
The CDC lists whole pieces of canned fruit as a choking hazard. Cut halves into strips for babies and small pieces from 9 months.
Using a damaged can
USDA FSIS says to throw away cans that are bulging, leaking or deeply dented, or that spurt when opened, without tasting the food. Swollen cans can be a sign of botulism bacteria.
Where US and UK guidance differ on canned peaches
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The AAP says babies under 12 months should not have juice, and from 12 months up to age 3, only 100% fruit juice, no more than 4 oz (120 ml) a day, in a cup. Drain canned peaches and throw the liquid away rather than counting it as that juice.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says to choose canned fruit in natural juice or water with no added sugar, and to avoid food and drink with sugar, including fruit juice, for children aged 4 or younger. Drain the can and throw the liquid away.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can canned peaches be a choking hazard for babies?
Canned peaches are soft, but they're slippery, and the CDC lists whole pieces of canned fruit as a choking hazard for young children. Cut them into finger-sized strips or small pieces for your baby's stage, and stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to canned peaches?
Peach is not a common allergen. See our peach page for more on peach and pollen food allergy syndrome.
Are canned peaches healthy for babies?
Per 100 g of fruit and can liquid together, peaches canned in water have about 4.8 g of total sugars and peaches canned in juice about 10.3 g, against about 18.6 g in heavy syrup. Sodium is very low in all of them, about 3 to 6 mg per 100 g (under 0.02 g of salt), far below the NHS high-salt line of 1.5 g of salt per 100 g. They give a little fiber (about 1.3 g per 100 g) and are not a major source of iron.
Are canned peaches OK for babies?
Yes, from around 6 months, if they're packed in water or juice with no added sugars, drained, and cut to the right size. They're already cooked: canned food is heat-processed in the sealed can, so canned peaches are soft without more cooking.
Peaches in juice or in syrup: which should I buy?
Water first, then juice, never syrup for children aged 4 and under. Syrup is added sugar, and the FDA also counts sugars from concentrated fruit juice as added sugars. The NHS suggests canned fruit in natural juice or water with no added sugar, and advises avoiding food and drink with sugar, including fruit juice, for children aged 4 or younger, so drain the juice and throw it away. In FoodData Central, peaches in water have about 4.8 g of sugar per 100 g and peaches in juice about 10.3 g.
What should I look for on the label?
On the front: "in water" or "in 100% juice", and "no added sugars". On a US Nutrition Facts label, Added Sugars should say 0 g; amounts are per serving. On a UK label, the NHS calls 5 g of total sugars or less per 100 g low and more than 22.5 g high. Check the ingredients for sugar, syrup or juice concentrate. Sodium should be close to zero: the USDA figures are 3 to 6 mg per 100 g, and the NHS calls 0.3 g of salt (0.1 g of sodium) or less per 100 g low.
Can my baby drink the juice from the can?
Drain it and throw it away. It isn't a measured drink, and syrup is added sugar. The AAP says no juice before 12 months, and the NHS advises avoiding fruit juice for children aged 4 and under, because of the sugar. See the guidance note below.
If your baby refuses canned peaches
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try a different form: mash instead of strips, or canned peach stirred into oatmeal.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
- Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing canned peaches
- Keep unopened cans in a cool, dry cupboard, ideally below 85°F (29°C). Not above or beside the stove, or under the sink.
- Once opened, move leftover peaches into a covered container in the fridge, at 40°F (4°C) or below, and use them within 3 to 4 days.
- Spoon your baby's portion into their own bowl, and throw away what's left in it at the end of the meal.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- AAP: When can babies start solid foods?
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
- USDA FSIS: Shelf-stable food safety
- FDA: Added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label
- HHS: Fact sheet: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: 5 A Day: what counts?
- NHS: Food labels
- USDA FoodData Central: Peaches, canned, water pack, solids and liquids
- USDA FoodData Central: Peaches, canned, juice pack, solids and liquids
- USDA FoodData Central: Peaches, canned, heavy syrup pack, solids and liquids
- USDA FoodData Central: Peaches, canned, heavy syrup, drained
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