Blueberries

The round shape of blueberries makes them a potential choking hazard. Read on to learn how to prepare them for babies and toddlers.

Blueberries may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.

Blueberries grow around the globe, with Canada and the United States producing most of the world’s supply, though it wasn’t always this way. Blueberries descended from tundra plants that emerged across the Northern Hemisphere after the Ice Age. Many varieties of “blue” berries exist within this plant family, including bilberry (from Asia and Europe) and huckleberry (from North America) which are often colloquially called blueberries.

Yes. Blueberries are a good source of fiber and offer small amounts of plenty of other nutrients, such as vitamin E to protect cells from damage, vitamin K for healthy blood, and vitamin C, which helps our bodies absorb iron from plants – so try serving blueberries alongside iron-rich plant foods like lentils, beans, nuts, and seeds. Blueberries are also among the fruits highest in antioxidants, including anthocyanins, which protect our cells from damage and support heart health, blood sugar regulation, immunity, and gut health.

★Tip: Hold off on rinsing blueberries until you are ready to eat them. Blueberries stay freshest in the refrigerator without rinsing.

Not necessarily. Wild blueberries offer similar nutrients as the larger high-bush blueberries, although they tend to contain more antioxidants. Wild blueberries tend to be much smaller (about the size of a toddler’s thumbnail) which makes them a slightly higher choking risk and harder to modify. That said, if you have access to wild blueberries, enjoy! Just flatten them before serving to reduce the choking risk.

No, blueberries are not a common allergen, although allergies to blueberries have been reported. Individuals who are sensitive to blueberry may also react to lingonberry and cranberry, which are closely related. Blueberry contains a lipid transfer protein (LTP) allergen that is known to cross-react with LTPs of a number of other foods, especially stone fruits such as peach, apricot, and cherry. This protein may also cross-react with raspberry, grape, chestnut, hazelnut, maize, barley, asparagus, carrot, and lettuce.

As you would when introducing any new food, start by offering a small amount during the first few servings. If there is no adverse reaction, gradually increase the amount served over future meals.

Yes. Blueberries are small, round, and often firm, qualities that increase the risk of choking. To reduce the risk, prepare and serve blueberries in an age-appropriate way as described in the How to Serve section. As always, make sure you create a safe eating environment and stay within an arm’s reach of baby during meals. 

Learn the signs of choking and gagging and more about choking first aid in our free guides, Infant Rescue and Toddler Rescue.

Once an older baby or toddler is taking bites and not stuffing their mouth with food, they can typically manage fresh whole blueberries in a safe eating environment. For most, this will be after the first birthday. That said, major healthy advisory bodies consider whole blueberries a common choking hazard until age four because of their round, firm shape. You may decide to work your way up to whole blueberries by flattening them a little less each time you serve them.

Yes, but only after the dried blueberries have been rehydrated in hot water until fully softened, to reduce choking risk. Hold off on serving unmodified dried blueberries until sometime after the second birthday, when the child has molars for chewing more challenging textures and is consistently chewing well and not stuffing their mouth, as dried fruit is challenging to chew and a potential choking hazard.