Pasta for babies
How to serve it at 6, 9 and 12 months.
The CDC lists whole grain pasta for babies 6 to 12 months, and the AAP names well-cooked pasta as a soft finger food. Wheat is one of the nine major allergens. Not on the CDC's or AAP's choking lists. A major allergen (wheat).
Checked October 29, 2026.
How to serve pasta at 6, 9 and 12 months
| Age | How to serve it |
|---|---|
| About 6 months | Cook it very soft and chop it small into food, or offer soft finger-shaped pieces once your baby sits up. |
| About 9 months | Well-cooked pasta in small pieces. |
| About 12 months | Well-cooked pasta, cut if it is a large shape. |
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 pasta a choking hazard?
It is not named on the CDC's or AAP's choking lists, but the CDC says its list may not include every hazard, so the size and texture rules still apply. 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 pasta 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; AAP: starting solid foods (finger foods). 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)
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: When Can Babies Start Solid Foods? Readiness and Feeding Tips (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)