Bagel
Dense, chewy and a family favorite. Toast it lightly and cut it into narrow strips.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat bagel from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve bagel by age
6 months+
Lightly toasted narrow strips
Split a plain bagel, toast it lightly until pale golden, and cut it into narrow strips. Serve it plain or with a thin layer of something soft your baby already eats, like mashed avocado. Bagels are denser and chewier than bread, so if your baby is brand new to finger foods, you may like to start with toast strips and offer bagel once they're managing those.
- Size
- Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Press a strip between your thumb and finger. It should feel soft inside and tear easily. If it's hard or crisp, toast it more lightly next time. If it's very chewy or springs back like rubber, cut thinner strips, or offer toast strips for now.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Small toasted pieces or strips
Offer small pieces of lightly toasted plain bagel for pincer-grasp practice, or keep serving narrow strips with a thin soft spread, such as pasteurized cream cheese or a thin layer of smooth nut butter once nuts are introduced.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should be soft inside, not hard, crunchy or very chewy.
12 months+
Strips and small bagel sandwiches
Serve lightly toasted bagel in narrow strips or small pieces, plain or as a small sandwich with soft fillings like mashed egg or cream cheese. Mini bagels are easier to handle, but still cut them into strips. Keep choosing plain bagels with 5 g or less of sugars per 100 g on the label, not seeded or sweet ones.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Press a piece between your thumb and finger. It should be soft, not doughy. If fresh bagel squashes into a sticky ball, toast it lightly first.
18 months+
Family bagels in strips
Share the family's bagels, cut into narrow strips or pieces. Still skip bagels topped with whole seeds, such as sesame, poppy or 'everything' bagels, and sweet ones with raisins, chocolate chips or honey. Have your toddler sit down to eat.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Press a piece between your thumb and finger. It should be soft, not doughy or hard. No whole seeds or raisins.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare bagel
- 1
Choose a plain bagel with no seeds, raisins or honey, and compare labels to pick a lower-salt one. Check the sugars too: pick a bagel whose label shows 5 g or less of sugars per 100 g, the NHS 'low' level. Shop-bought ones with more than that wait until after age 4, because US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4.
- 2
Split it and toast it lightly, to a pale golden color rather than dark brown.
- 3
Cut it into narrow strips about the size of an adult finger. Serve it plain the first time, or add a thin spread of a food your baby already eats.
- 4
First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.
How much to offer
For the very first taste, offer one or two strips. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. A whole bagel is far more than a baby needs, and bagels contain salt: the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day.
Common mistakes
Big chewy chunks or a whole half
Bagels are dense and chewy. Toast lightly and cut them into narrow strips, as UK early years guidance advises for all bread for very young children.
Seeded or 'everything' bagels
The CDC lists breads with seeds as a choking hazard for young children, and UK early years guidance says not to give whole seeds to children under 5. Sesame seeds are also a common allergen. Pick plain bagels.
Sweet bagels: honey, raisins or chocolate
No honey or foods made with it before 12 months (CDC), because of infant botulism. Raisins are on the CDC choking list. After 12 months, honey and sugar are still added sugars, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4.
Using a frozen bagel as a teether
The AAP says not to let your baby chew directly on anything frozen solid, since hard objects might hurt tender gums. Try a rubber teething toy or a damp, chilled washcloth instead.
Questions parents ask
Can bagel be a choking hazard for babies?
Bagels are denser and chewier than most bread, and fresh, soft bagel can clump into a doughy ball. Breads with seeds are on the CDC's list of choking hazards for young children. Toast bagels lightly, cut them into narrow strips or small pieces, and choose plain ones without seeds or raisins. Have your child sit down to eat, and stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to bagel?
Bagels are made with wheat, which can trigger allergic reactions, and they contain gluten. Foods with gluten can be introduced from around 6 months, one new allergen at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. Once wheat is part of your baby's diet and they're fine with it, keep offering it regularly. Toppings and flavors can add other allergens, such as sesame seeds, egg or milk, so check the label and introduce any new ones on their own first.
Is bagel healthy for babies?
Provides carbohydrate for energy and some protein. Plain enriched bagels have about 3.6 mg of iron and 10.6 g of protein per 100 g, but a strip or two is a small amount. They also contain salt: about 422 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.1 g of salt), under the NHS 'high salt' level of 600 mg of sodium per 100 g, but well above its 'low' level of 100 mg. Plain bagels also have about 8.4 g of sugars per 100 g in FoodData Central, above the NHS 'low' sugar level of 5 g, so check the label.
Can babies eat bagels?
Yes, from around 6 months, plain, lightly toasted and cut into narrow strips. Bagels are a wheat food, so start with a small amount and watch for a reaction. Because they're dense and chewy, many parents offer toast strips first. The 2025–2030 US Dietary Guidelines, which are general advice for everyone rather than for babies, say to choose fiber-rich whole grains and cut back on refined carbohydrates such as white bread and flour tortillas.
Can I give my baby a frozen bagel for teething?
We don't suggest it. The AAP says not to let babies chew directly on anything frozen solid, because hard objects might hurt tender gums, and no official source we use recommends frozen bagels. The AAP suggests rubber teething toys, a damp washcloth chilled in the freezer, or gently rubbing your baby's gums with a clean finger.
Are bagels too salty for babies?
Bagels contain about as much salt as bread, so a strip or two is fine, but a whole bagel adds up. The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day, and children aged 1 to 3 no more than 2 g. Compare labels and pick a lower-salt bagel.
If your baby refuses bagel
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try a different spread, or offer toast strips or soft tortilla strips instead for now.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
- Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing bagel
- Store bagels as the package says and use them by the date on the label.
- Toast bagel strips fresh, just before serving.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your baby has had any reaction to wheat, even a mild one. Stop offering it until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
Last offered today. Once bagel is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- Department for Education: Food safety (Help for early years providers)
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- NHS: Food labels
- CDC: Botulism prevention
- HHS: Fact sheet on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
- AAP: Teething pain relief
- USDA FoodData Central: Bagels, plain, enriched, with calcium propionate (includes onion, poppy, sesame)
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
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