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Crackers for babies

How to serve it at 6, 9 and 12 months.

The CDC lists whole grain crackers for babies 6 to 12 months, and its choking list names crackers with seeds, nut pieces or whole kernels. Choose ones that dissolve easily in saliva. A choking hazard on the CDC's list. A major allergen (wheat).

Checked October 29, 2026.

How to serve crackers at 6, 9 and 12 months

Serving crackers, following the CDC and AAP texture and choking guidance
AgeHow to serve it
About 6 monthsOnly plain crackers that dissolve easily with saliva, with an adult watching.
About 9 monthsPlain crackers that dissolve easily; no seeds or nut pieces.
About 12 monthsPlain crackers; still 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 crackers 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 crackers 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