grapes
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Food Type: Fruit
Age Suggestion: 9 months +
Nutrition Rating:
Common Allergen: No
(Peanut)
Poop Friendly: Yes
Are grapes
healthy
for babies?
Yes. Grapes contain fiber for gut health, plus some B-vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin K to fuel a baby’s growing body. Like other colorful fruits and vegetables, grapes are packed with powerful antioxidants called phytonutrients that support cell health and help offset risk of disease. Green and red grapes can offer more antioxidants than black, blue, orange, pink, purple, yellow, or white grapes.
Grapes are packed with natural sugars, which is why they are often processed to make candy, jam, molasses, and other sweet food products.
How to prepare grapes for your baby!
Every baby develops on their own timeline. The preparation suggestions below are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional, one-on-one advice from your pediatric medical or health professional, nutritionist or dietitian, or expert in pediatric feeding and eating. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen here.
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6 to 9 months old: Wait until a baby has developed the pincer grasp (where the pointer finger meets the thumb) and can pick up quartered grapes independently. While these skills tend to develop closer to the 9-month mark, some babies may be ready earlier. Regardless of age, quarter grapes lengthwise to reduce the risk of choking. You do not need to remove the skin but go ahead and remove it if it makes you nervous and be sure to remove any large seeds.
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9 to 12 months old: Offer quartered grapes (cut lengthwise from stem to bottom) for baby to pick up independently. Leave the skin on if you like, but make sure to remove any large seeds. If your baby is having a hard time picking up the quartered pieces, wait a couple more weeks. Don’t be surprised if baby spits out the skin; this is normal and in fact, a critical skill of learning to eat.
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12 to 24 months old: Continue to offer quartered grapes (cut lengthwise from stem to bottom) for your toddler to pick up independently. Leave the skin on but do remove any large seeds. If you feel your child is ready, you can offer grapes that have been cut in half (cutting lengthwise is best) though know that there is still some level of risk.
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24 months old and up: When you feel your child has mature eating skills (moves food around in the mouth well, chews food before swallowing, etc.), consider offering whole grapes in a safe and supervised setting. If you have not yet offered grapes halved lengthwise, you may want to begin with this size before progressing. For whole grapes, we suggest demonstrating chewing with the molars prior to offering the grape: open your mouth, place the grape on your teeth and explain “I am using my teeth to crush this grape.” You may want to consider holding the grape for your child to practice biting—hold at the corner of the mouth and allow your child to close their teeth on the grape. Coach your child to push hard to break through the grape skin. Do not offer whole grapes if your child is not sitting at the table and supervised until you are confident that your child will chew and swallow without coaching.
It's a fact!
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics record the cultivation of purple grapes, and history attests to the ancient Greeks, Cypriots, Phoenicians, and Romans growing purple grapes both for eating and wine production. The growing of grapes would later spread to other regions in Europe, as well as North Africa, and eventually in North America.. Today, most of the world’s cultivated grapes are turned into wine. The rest are eaten fresh as table grapes, dried to make raisins and sultanas, or processed into oil, vinegar, and sweet food products like candy, jam, jelly, molasses, syrup, and more. Most processed grape products are not appropriate for babies and toddlers for different reasons, but fresh table grapes are a great way to introduce this ancient staple food to a baby.