My thirteen month old twins love dried cranberries, apricots and cherries. Is it OK to give them? The ones I buy are from Trader joes, no added sugar.
Dried cranberries and cherries are considered a choking hazard for children under 4, as are raisins, whole grapes, popcorn, coin sliced raw carrots, etc. Ask your pediatrician about this--I'm surprised they didn't give you a list of these foods!
Yes, as long as the pieces are small enough to not be a choking hazard. The no sugar added ones are actually really good for them.
I worry about choking on dried fruit. Also, dried fruit is very high in calories compared to fresh fruit -- fresh is best.
hi, my name is K. and I am a certified clinical nutritionist. At 13 months children can start eating most foods. With dried fruit you would want to watch for any sulfur processing (usually done to commercial grade fruit). This processs can sometimes cause allergic reactions and the chemicals aren't great in anyone's body. Dried fruits contain concentrated fructose so small amounts are okay but not in large quantity. As long as they are chewing them and you don't see them coming out whole in the stool you are probably safe in feeding them to your children.
