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Popcorn for babies

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

Popcorn is on both the CDC's and the AAP's choking lists, and the AAP says to avoid it for babies under 1 year. A choking hazard on both lists. Not a major allergen. At about 6 months: Not served. At about 9 months: Not served.

Checked October 29, 2026.

How to serve popcorn at 6, 9 and 12 months

Serving popcorn, following the CDC and AAP texture and choking guidance
AgeHow to serve it
About 6 monthsNot served.
About 9 monthsNot served.
About 12 monthsNot served; the AAP says to keep high-risk foods away until about age 4, depending on your child.

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 popcorn a choking hazard?

It is named on both the CDC's choking list and the AAP's choking page. 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.

Hold off until a child chews well, usually about age 4 (AAP).

Is popcorn an allergen?

It is not one of the nine major food allergens the FDA names.

Even so, try one new single-ingredient food at a time, so you can tell what a food does (CDC).

Where this comes from

Named by: CDC: Choking Hazards; AAP: Choking Prevention; 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