Pickles
Crunchy, sour and very salty. From 12 months, a little finely chopped dill pickle stirred into food.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Children can have pickles from around 12 months. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve pickles by age
12 months+
Finely chopped into soft food
Before 12 months, skip pickles: they're very salty, and babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day (NHS). From 12 months, our suggestion, based on the NHS salt limits, is a slice or two of plain dill pickle now and then, rinsed, patted dry and very finely chopped, then stirred into mashed potato, or into egg or flaked fish once your child has had each on its own. Choose a reduced-sodium dill pickle if you can find one.
- Size
- A slice or two, very finely chopped into pieces well under about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), and stirred into a soft food. Never whole pickles, spears or round slices.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: only tiny, finely chopped pieces, mixed into soft food. No spears, whole gherkins or round slices.
18 months+
Finely chopped in family dishes
Keep pickles to a slice or two, finely chopped into potato salad, a soft sandwich filling or a grain bowl. Have your child sit down to eat. Skip sweet and bread-and-butter pickles: see below.
- Size
- Finely chopped pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) or smaller, mixed into food.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: no spears, whole gherkins, round slices or chunks.
2 years+
Finely chopped, or thin small pieces
Children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2 g of salt a day (NHS), and one large dill pickle has more than that. Keep to a slice or two, cut into thin, small pieces or chopped into food. Pick softer pickles over very crunchy ones, and keep spears and whole pickles for older children.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), finely chopped or cut thin.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: no spears, whole gherkins, round slices or chunks. Stay with your child while they eat.
3 years+
Thin small pieces or chopped
Keep cutting pickles into thin, small pieces. The AAP advises keeping high-risk foods, including raw vegetables, from children until age 4 or older, and pickles are firm and crunchy like raw cucumber, so our suggestion is to keep spears and whole pickles until at least then. The NHS says children aged 1 to 3 should have no more than 2 g of salt a day, and children aged 4 to 6 no more than 3 g, so pickles stay a small extra.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), cut thin, or chopped into dishes.
- Check before serving
- Check the plate before serving: no spears, whole pickles or round slices.
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 pickles
- 1
Choose plain dill pickles, reduced-sodium if you can. Skip sweet and bread-and-butter pickles (added sugar) and very sour, spicy or garlic-heavy ones.
- 2
Our suggestion is to rinse the pickle under running water to wash off some of the salty brine, then pat it dry.
- 3
Cut it into thin slices lengthwise, then chop very finely. Never serve spears, whole gherkins or round slices to young children.
- 4
Stir a small amount into a soft food your child already eats. Don't add salt to a dish that has pickles in it.
How much to offer
None before 12 months. After that, a slice or two, finely chopped, now and then. One dill pickle slice (about 7 g) has about 57 mg of sodium (about 0.14 g of salt), and one large dill pickle (about 135 g) has about 1,090 mg (about 2.7 g of salt), more than the 2 g a day the NHS gives as the most for children aged 1 to 3. Your child decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.
Common mistakes
Handing over a whole pickle or spear
Pickles are firm and crunchy, and toddlers can bite off a chunk they can't manage. The CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard. Chop pickles very finely into soft food instead.
Serving round slices or whole gherkins
Round slices and small whole pickles are a shape that can block a child's airway. Cut them lengthwise into thin strips, then chop them finely.
Choosing sweet or bread-and-butter pickles
They have added sugar: about 18 g of total sugars per 100 g. US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4, so use plain dill pickles.
Letting them drink the pickle juice
Pickle brine is very salty: the USDA home canning guide's dill pickle recipe uses half a cup of salt in 8 cups of water. Don't offer the juice as a drink, and our suggestion is to rinse pickles before chopping.
Questions parents ask
Can pickles be a choking hazard for babies?
Pickles are firm and crunchy, like raw cucumber. Whole pickles, spears, small whole gherkins and round slices are a choking risk: the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables as a choking hazard, and the AAP lists raw vegetables among foods to keep from young children or change. Chop pickles very finely and mix them into soft food, and never give spears or whole pickles to babies and young children. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to pickles?
Cucumber pickles are not a common allergen. Some pickles and relishes contain mustard or mustard seed, and mustard is one of the 14 allergens UK food businesses must tell you about (GOV.UK): check the label. As with any new food, offer a small amount and watch for signs of a reaction.
Are pickles healthy for babies?
Very salty: dill pickles have about 809 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 2 g of salt), and one large dill pickle (about 135 g) has about 1,090 mg of sodium (about 2.7 g of salt), more than the NHS 2 g daily limit for children aged 1 to 3. Sweet and bread-and-butter pickles have about 457 mg of sodium (about 1.1 g of salt) and about 18 g of total sugars per 100 g. Pickles aren't a major source of vitamins, minerals or iron.
When can babies eat pickles?
Not in the first year: they're very salty, and the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day and shouldn't eat salty foods. From 12 months, our suggestion is a slice or two of plain dill pickle, rinsed and very finely chopped into food, now and then.
Can my toddler hold a pickle spear?
It's best not to. Spears are firm and crunchy, and a toddler can bite off a chunk. The AAP advises keeping high-risk foods, including raw vegetables, from children until age 4 or older, so our suggestion is to keep chopping pickles until then.
Are sweet pickles OK for toddlers?
Sweet and bread-and-butter pickles have added sugar (about 18 g of total sugars per 100 g). US guidelines and the NHS say to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under, so stick to plain dill pickles.
Are homemade pickles safe for toddlers?
Only if they're made and stored carefully. The CDC says homemade foods that are improperly canned, preserved or fermented are common sources of foodborne botulism, and points to the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning for tested instructions. Don't use home-canned food if you don't know whether safe canning steps were followed. If in doubt, throw it out, and never taste it to check (CDC).
If your baby refuses pickles
- Your child doesn't need pickles, so there's no need to keep offering them.
- If they like the sour taste, try a little finely chopped pickle mixed into mashed potato or egg.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Children copy what they see.
- Save repeated tries for everyday foods: many children need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing pickles
- Once opened, keep pickles in the fridge, covered in their liquid (the CDC says to refrigerate canned or pickled foods after opening), and follow the label for how long they keep.
- Homemade pickles that have fully fermented keep in the fridge for about 4 to 6 months (USDA). Throw them out if they turn soft or slimy or smell bad (USDA), or if a jar is leaking, bulging or spurts liquid when opened (CDC). Never taste them to check.
- Dishes made with chopped pickles, such as potato salad, keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- 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:
- Your child has eaten home-canned or home-fermented food and then has trouble swallowing or breathing, drooping eyelids, blurred or double vision, slurred speech or muscle weakness: call your emergency number. The CDC says botulism is a medical emergency. Tell the doctors what your child ate.
- 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
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- CDC: Choking hazards
- AAP: Choking prevention for babies and children
- USDA FoodData Central: Pickles, cucumber, dill or kosher dill
- USDA FoodData Central: Pickles, cucumber, sweet (includes bread and butter pickles)
- HHS: Fact sheet: resetting federal nutrition policy (2026)
- GOV.UK: Understanding food labelling: allergen labelling
- CDC: Home-canned foods (botulism prevention)
- CDC: Symptoms of botulism
- USDA: Complete guide to home canning, guide 6: fermented foods and pickled vegetables
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
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