When can babies eat chapati?

From around 6 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Chapati

A soft, simple flatbread that's easy to make at home. Cook it soft and cut it into fingers.

Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review

Quick answer

Babies can eat chapati from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 6 monthsMedium choking risk as servedAllergen: Wheat

How to serve chapati by age

6 months+

Soft chapati fingers

Make chapati at home from chapati flour (atta) and water, with no salt, or choose a lower-salt shop-bought one. Cook it on a hot pan until soft and pliable, with no crisp or charred spots, then cut it into narrow strips. Serve it plain, or for dipping into a smooth dal or puree your baby already eats.

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: Bend a strip. It should be soft and flexible and tear easily, with no crisp or crunchy edges.

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.

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 chapati

1
Mix chapati flour (atta) with enough water to make a soft dough. Leave out salt. If you buy chapatis, check the label for wheat and other allergens, and compare labels to pick a lower-salt one.
2
Roll the dough thin and cook it on a hot, dry pan for about 30 seconds to a minute on each side, until cooked through with light brown spots but still soft. Don't let it go crisp. Don't let your child taste or play with the raw dough: the CDC lists raw dough made with uncooked flour as a riskier choice for children under 5, so only serve chapati once it's fully cooked.
3
Let it cool a little, then cut it into narrow strips (6 months) or small pieces (9 months+). Serve it plain the first time.
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. Once wheat is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.

Common mistakes

Cutting big pieces

Chapati is soft but chewy. The NHS says bread, chapatis, naan and other breads should be cut into narrow strips for babies and young children.

Cooking it crisp

The CDC advises avoiding hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Take chapati off the pan while it's still soft and pliable, and trim any crisp or charred spots.

Salting the dough

The NHS says not to add salt to your baby's food. Make your baby's chapatis without salt, or set some dough aside before you salt the rest for the family.

Only offering wholemeal chapati

Chapati flour is usually wholemeal. The NHS says it's not a good idea to give only wholegrain starchy foods to under-2s, because the fiber can fill them up before they get the calories and nutrients they need. Mix in other starchy foods like rice, potato or white bread.

Questions parents ask

Can chapati be a choking hazard for babies?

Soft chapati is chewy, so cut it into narrow strips rather than big pieces: the NHS says bread, chapatis, naan and other breads should be cut into narrow strips. Crisp or charred chapati is hard, and the CDC advises avoiding hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow, so cook it soft and trim crisp edges. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to chapati?

Chapati is made from wheat flour, which can trigger allergic reactions, and it contains 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. If your baby already eats bread or pasta without a problem, plain chapati isn't a new allergen. Chapatis are often brushed with ghee or butter, which contain milk, and some shop-bought ones have other ingredients, so check the label. Once wheat is part of your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.

Is chapati healthy for babies?

Provides carbohydrate for energy, protein (about 11 g per 100 g) and fiber (about 4.9 g per 100 g). Plain chapati has about 3 mg of iron per 100 g, but a strip of about 25 g has about 0.75 mg, so it isn't counted as an iron-rich food. Shop-bought chapati has about 409 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1 g of salt); a whole-wheat frozen one has about 298 mg per 100 g (about 0.7 g of salt). 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. Homemade chapati without salt has much less.

Can babies eat chapati?

Yes. The NHS lists chapatti among the cooked starchy finger foods for babies from around 6 months, and toast, pitta or chapatti fingers among healthy snacks from 12 months. Cook it soft, cut it into narrow strips, and start with a small amount, since it's a wheat food.

Is chapati the same as roti?

Mostly, yes. Both names are used for the same thin, unleavened wholemeal flatbread, and FoodData Central lists them together. Paratha is different: it's layered with ghee or oil and pan-fried, so it's richer and can be crisp at the edges.

What can I serve chapati with?

Smooth or thick dishes your baby can scoop: dal, mashed beans, mashed vegetables or a mild curry from the unsalted family pot. Our mild red lentil dal suggests chapati fingers for dipping from 9 months, once wheat has been introduced.

If your baby refuses chapati

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try it with a dip your baby already likes, such as dal or mashed avocado.
Try a different bread for a while, such as toast or pita strips.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing chapati

Store shop-bought chapatis as the package says, and use them by the date on the label.
Homemade chapatis are best warmed and cut just before serving. Wrap leftovers well so they don't dry out and go hard.
Leftover stuffed parathas keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool 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 chapati and other wheat foods until you've talked to your pediatrician.
Your child has ongoing diarrhea, tummy pain or bloating, or isn't growing as expected, especially if a parent, brother or sister has celiac disease. Ask your doctor whether testing is needed.
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.

Offered chapati?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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