When can babies eat crackers?

From around 12 months, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

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Crackers

Most crackers are salty, so keep them an occasional snack: plain, thin and seed-free.

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

Quick answer

Children can have crackers from around 12 months. Prepare it as shown below.

From 12 monthsMedium choking risk as servedAllergen: Wheat

How to serve crackers by age

12 months+

Plain, low-salt crackers in small pieces

Break a thin, plain, low-salt cracker into small pieces, or spread it with a soft food your toddler already eats, like mashed avocado or pasteurized cream cheese. Choose crackers without seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels, and keep them occasional.

Size: Pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or a thin cracker with a soft spread.
Check before serving: Break a piece and press it between your thumb and finger. Choose crackers that crumble easily, not thick, hard ones.

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 crackers

1
Read the label. Choose plain crackers that are lower in salt and have no seeds, nut pieces, whole grain kernels, honey or added sugar.
2
Break them into small pieces, or add a thin layer of a soft topping your child already eats.
3
Serve a cracker or two with fruit, vegetables or a soft protein food, so crackers aren't the whole snack.
4
If wheat is new for your child, offer it another way first, such as soft toast strips or pasta, so you know how they react.

How much to offer

A cracker or two as part of a snack is plenty, and not every day. The NHS suggests no more than 2 g of salt a day for children aged 1 to 3, and the US Dietary Guidelines call for cutting back on refined carbohydrates such as crackers. Your child decides how much to eat from what you offer.

Common mistakes

Choosing salty crackers

Many crackers are high in salt. The NHS calls a food high in salt if it has more than 1.5 g of salt (0.6 g sodium) per 100 g, and low if it has 0.3 g of salt (0.1 g sodium) or less. Compare labels and pick the lowest-salt one you can find.

Seeded or nutty crackers

The CDC lists crackers with seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels as a choking hazard for young children. Pick plain ones.

Honey or sweetened crackers

Some crackers are made with honey. Never give them to a baby under 12 months: honey can cause infant botulism, even when baked in. After that, honey and sugar are still added sugars, and US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under. Check the label.

Snacking on the move

The CDC advises having your child sit up to eat, not lie down, crawl or walk, and not eat in the car or stroller.

Where US and UK guidance differ on crackers

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The AAP lists small pieces of wafer-type crackers among finger foods for babies who can sit up and bring food to their mouths, as long as they're soft and easy to swallow, and advises limiting processed foods made for adults, because they often contain more salt. If you follow US advice and offer crackers before 12 months, choose plain, low-salt, soft crackers with no seeds, nut pieces or honey, and break them into small pieces. Honey can cause infant botulism, even when baked in.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS lists crackers among salty foods to avoid for babies, who need less than 1 g of salt a day. UK early years guidance says children under 5 shouldn't be given foods high in salt, such as crackers. If you offer crackers to a toddler, check the label: the NHS counts more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g as high, so choose ones well under that, and keep them occasional. For snacks from 12 months, the NHS suggests unsalted and unsweetened rice or corn cakes.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

Questions parents ask

Can crackers be a choking hazard for babies?

Crackers with seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels are on the CDC's list of choking hazards for young children, and the CDC advises avoiding hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Choose thin, plain crackers, break them into small pieces for young toddlers, and make sure your child sits down to eat. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to crackers?

Most crackers are made from wheat, which can trigger allergic reactions, and they contain gluten. Introduce wheat on its own first, in a small amount, with a softer food such as toast strips or pasta. Some crackers contain other allergens too, so check the label. Rice and corn are naturally gluten-free, but rice or corn cakes can still contain wheat or pick up traces of it, so read the label if your child must avoid wheat or gluten.

Are crackers healthy for babies?

Crackers are mostly refined carbohydrate, and most are salty: saltines have about 941 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 2.4 g of salt), above the NHS 'high salt' level of 600 mg of sodium per 100 g. Low-salt saltines have about 198 mg (about 0.5 g of salt). They also contain some iron from enriched flour, but a cracker or two is a small amount.

Can babies eat crackers?

US and UK advice differs. The NHS lists crackers among salty foods to avoid for babies, who need less than 1 g of salt a day. The AAP includes small pieces of soft, wafer-type crackers among finger foods for babies. Either way, soft toast strips are a lower-salt way to offer wheat in the first year. See the note below.

What are the best crackers for toddlers?

Plain, thin crackers that are lower in salt and have no seeds, nut pieces, whole grains, honey or added sugar. For snacks from 12 months, the NHS also suggests unsalted and unsweetened rice or corn cakes. The AAP says rice absorbs more arsenic than other crops and advises a variety of grains, so mix rice cakes with corn cakes and other snacks.

How much salt can toddlers have?

The NHS suggests no more than 2 g of salt a day for children aged 1 to 3, and less than 1 g a day for babies under 1. That includes salt already in foods like crackers, bread and cheese.

If your baby refuses crackers

There's no need to keep offering crackers. They're an occasional snack, and toast strips, fruit and vegetables do the same job with less salt.
If your toddler wants what others are eating, offer a plain, low-salt cracker with a soft topping they already like.
Try unsalted, unsweetened corn or rice cakes instead, and vary the grains.
Eat the same snack yourself. Toddlers 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 crackers

Keep crackers in their sealed pack or an airtight container in a cool, dry place, and use them by the best-before date.
Add soft toppings just before serving, and keep opened spreads in the fridge.
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 child 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.

Offered crackers?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

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