Whole grain bread for babies
How to serve it at 6, 9 and 12 months.
The CDC lists whole grain breads for babies 6 to 12 months, and its choking list names breads with seeds, nut pieces or whole kernels. Wheat is one of the nine major allergens. A choking hazard on the CDC's list. A major allergen (wheat).
Checked October 29, 2026.
How to serve whole grain bread at 6, 9 and 12 months
| Age | How to serve it |
|---|---|
| About 6 months | Plain, soft, whole grain bread in finger-shaped strips, torn small, with an adult watching. |
| About 9 months | Soft bread in small pieces no larger than one-half inch. |
| About 12 months | Soft plain bread in small pieces; avoid seeds, nut pieces and whole kernels. |
Every baby is different. Start the same way for every food: your baby sits up, you are right there, and the pieces match what they can do.
Is whole grain bread a choking hazard?
It is named on the CDC's choking list. The AAP says to cut food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch, to have children sit while they eat, and to watch every meal.
Is whole grain bread an allergen?
It contains wheat, one of the nine major food allergens the FDA names.
The AAP says there is no evidence that waiting beyond 4 to 6 months prevents food allergy, and that new foods go in one at a time. See introducing allergens for the AAP and NIAID guidance, and ask your pediatrician if your baby has severe eczema or an allergy.
Where this comes from
Named by: CDC: Foods and Drinks to Encourage; CDC: Choking Hazards. The serving steps follow the CDC's texture advice and the AAP's finger-food and choking pages.
Call your pediatrician if…
Your pediatrician knows your child. Call them if you have a worry about a food, a reaction or choking. The AAP and the CDC have more:
Peabody editors write these pages from the sources below. We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice for your child.
Sources
- CDC: Foods and Drinks to Encourage (6 to 24 month olds) (checked October 29, 2026)
- CDC: Choking Hazards (checked October 29, 2026)
- CDC: Tastes and Textures (checked October 29, 2026)
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: Choking Prevention for Babies and Children (checked October 29, 2026)
- CDC: When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods (checked October 29, 2026)
- FDA: The FASTER Act, Sesame Is the Ninth Major Food Allergen (checked October 29, 2026)
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: When to Introduce Egg, Peanut Butter and Other Common Food Allergens to a Baby (checked October 29, 2026)