Quick answer
Babies can taste olives in small, well-rinsed amounts from around 6 months, once they show the usual signs of readiness for solids such as sitting up with support, good head and neck control, and reaching for food. The AAP, the NHS, and the WHO all recommend starting solids around this age. Because olives are brined and naturally high in sodium, treat them as a flavor mixed into other foods rather than a food your baby eats by the handful, and always serve them pitted and quartered lengthwise, never whole.
When can babies eat olives?
Babies can taste olives in small, well-rinsed amounts from around 6 months, once they show the usual signs of readiness for solids such as sitting up with support, good head and neck control, and reaching for food. The AAP, the NHS, and the WHO all recommend starting solids around this age. Because olives are brined and naturally high in sodium, treat them as a flavor mixed into other foods rather than a food your baby eats by the handful, and always serve them pitted and quartered lengthwise, never whole.
Many families reasonably wait until closer to 12 months to introduce olives, and that is a perfectly sound choice. Olives are not a nutritional staple at this age, and the NHS advises keeping salt to a minimum for babies and toddlers under 24 months. If you do start early, rinse the olives well under running water, keep portions to one or two quarters, and skip stuffed or marinated varieties entirely.
See our first foods for baby guide for more ideas.
Safety Tips
- ✓Never serve a whole olive to a baby or toddler. Olives share the round, slippery shape that makes grapes one of the top choking hazards, so whole olives should wait until at least age 4.
- ✓Always use pitted olives and still check each one with your fingers before cutting, since jars labeled pitted can contain stray pits or hard fragments.
- ✓Quarter olives lengthwise from top to bottom rather than slicing them into rounds, because crosswise coins keep the dangerous circular shape.
- ✓Rinse olives well under running water and keep portions small, since brined olives are high in sodium and the NHS advises minimal salt for children under 24 months.
- ✓Skip stuffed and marinated olives, which add pimento, garlic, chili, seasoning oils, and extra salt, and always supervise your baby seated upright, never eating while walking, lying down, or riding in a stroller or car.
Select Baby's Age
How to cut olives for a 6 month old
At 6 months, start with plain pitted olives and rinse them well under cool running water to wash away as much of the salty brine as you can. Check each olive with your fingers for pit fragments even if the jar says pitted, then quarter it lengthwise from top to bottom so you get four thin wedges about 0.5 cm wide and 2 cm long, never crosswise rounds. These quarters are too small for a 6 month old's whole-fist grasp to manage on their own, so the safest way to serve them is as flavor: finely chop or mash one or two quarters and stir them into mashed avocado, vegetable puree, plain whole-milk yogurt, or unsweetened oatmeal. Keep the amount to one or two quarters per meal because of the sodium, never offer a whole or halved olive, and always keep your baby seated upright and within arm's reach while eating.
6 month baby feeding schedule for more tips.
Olive recipe ideas for babies
Once your baby has tried a few rinsed olive quarters, use these simple low-salt ideas to work their savory flavor into everyday meals. See our baby recipes.
- ★Finely chopped rinsed olives folded into soft scrambled eggs.
- ★Olive quarters stirred into pasta with olive oil and soft roasted vegetables.
- ★Minced rinsed olives mashed into avocado and spread on toast strips.
- ★Chopped olives baked into a soft zucchini and egg frittata cut into fingers.
Explore our baby-led weaning food list and first foods for baby for more inspiration.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can babies eat olive?
Most babies can eat olive from around 6 months when starting solids. Always serve it in a safe size and texture appropriate for your baby's age and development.
How do you cut olive for baby led weaning?
For babies around 6 months, olive should be cut into large pieces that are easy to grasp with their hands. As babies develop their chewing skills, the pieces can gradually become smaller.
How to serve olive baby led weaning?
For BLW, cut olive into strips or wedges that babies can hold. The texture should be soft enough to mash easily with gentle pressure.
Can babies choke on olive?
olive can become a choking hazard if served in small round or hard pieces. Cutting it into larger soft pieces appropriate for baby-led weaning helps reduce choking risk.
How should olive be served to a 6 month old?
At around 6 months, olive should be served in large soft pieces that babies can hold with their hands.
Is olive safe for baby led weaning?
olive can be included in baby-led weaning when cut into safe shapes and soft textures that babies can hold and gum.
How small should olive be cut for older babies?
From around 9 months, babies typically use a pincer grasp, so olive can be cut into smaller pea-sized pieces. Continue ensuring pieces are soft enough to mash and watch for any choking risk shapes.
Should olive be cooked or raw for babies?
Cook olive until easily mashable when raw textures are too firm for babies to gum. Soft ripe fruits are often offered raw, while firmer foods are typically steamed, roasted, or boiled until tender.
Can olive be served as a finger food at 6 months?
Yes, olive can be a 6-month finger food when cut into long graspable strips and softened to a mashable texture. Always supervise meals and adjust shape as your baby's chewing skills develop.
How to cut olive for a 7 month old?
At 7 months babies still use a palmar (whole-hand) grasp. Cut olive into long strips about 2-3 inches long and finger-width thick, with part sticking out of the fist for chewing. Soft enough to mash between two fingers.
How to cut olive for an 8 month old?
At 8 months babies are refining grasp and may begin pincering. Continue offering olive in 2-inch strips alongside a few small pea-sized pieces to practice the pincer grasp. Cooked until easily mashable.
How to cut olive for a 9 month old?
At 9 months most babies have developed the pincer grasp. Cut olive into pea-sized pieces (about ½ inch / 1.5 cm) for self-feeding practice. Continue avoiding round, hard, or sticky shapes; soft enough to mash with mild pressure.
How to cut olive for a 10 month old?
At 10 months babies eat a wider variety of textures. Offer olive in pea-sized pieces or small bite-sized cubes (½ inch / 1.5 cm). They can manage slightly firmer textures, but pieces should still mash easily.
How to cut olive for a 12 month old?
From 12 months babies eat in pieces about ½ inch (1.5 cm). Round foods (grapes, cherry tomatoes) must still be quartered until age 4 due to choking risk. Soft enough to chew without much molar work.
Can babies eat olive for breakfast?
Yes - olive can be part of a balanced baby breakfast when prepared in baby-safe shapes. Pair with a protein, healthy fat, or whole grain (eggs, yogurt, oats, nut butter on toast) for a complete morning meal.
verifiedSources & References
This guide is informed by current guidelines from leading health organizations:
Get cutting guides + your baby's meal plan
Safe cuts for every food and age, a feeding schedule that grows with your baby, and 350+ recipes to match - all in one app.
Try Nibli today to start planning your baby's meals.
