Naan
Soft, pillowy and made for scooping. Toast it lightly, then cut it into strips.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat naan from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve naan by age
6 months+
Lightly toasted strips
Warm plain naan and toast it lightly, until pale golden but still soft, then cut it into narrow strips. Serve it plain, or with a thin layer of something soft your baby already eats, like mashed avocado or a smooth unsalted dal. Offer it once your baby has had wheat on its own, and milk or egg too if the label lists them.
- 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 squashes into a sticky, doughy ball, toast it a little more; if the edges are hard or crunchy, toast it more lightly next time.
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 soft pieces or strips
Tear or cut lightly toasted naan into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or keep serving narrow strips to dip into a smooth curry or dal from the unsalted family pot.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should be soft and tear easily, not doughy or crisp.
12 months+
Naan strips with family meals
Serve naan strips with mild family curries, dal or soft vegetables, taking your toddler's portion out before salt goes in. Restaurant and takeaway naan is often brushed with butter or ghee and is salty, so keep it occasional and offer a strip or two. Garlic naan is fine: it's the same bread with cooked garlic on top.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Press a piece. It should be soft, not doughy, and the edges shouldn't be charred or crisp.
18 months+
Family naan in strips
Share the naan your family eats, cut into strips or pieces. Skip naan topped with whole seeds, such as nigella or sesame seeds, and Peshwari naan, which is filled with nuts, coconut, raisins and often sugar. Cheese and keema (minced meat) naan are fine now and then once your toddler has had the ingredients, with the filling cooked through.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- No whole seeds, nut pieces or raisins on the plate, and no hard, charred edges.
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 naan
- 1
Check the label. Naan is made from wheat, and it may contain egg or milk (including yogurt), so check the ingredient list. Before 12 months, also check there's no honey: the NHS says not to give honey until after 1 year, because of infant botulism. Compare labels to pick a lower-salt one, and choose plain naan without seeds or a sweet filling.
- 2
Warm it in a dry pan or under the grill, or toast it lightly, until warm and pale golden but still soft.
- 3
Cut it into narrow strips (6 months) or small pieces (9 months+). Serve it plain the first time, or add a thin layer of a food your baby already eats.
- 4
Offer naan once your baby has had wheat, and any other allergen on the label (such as milk or egg), on its own. 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 naan is far more than a baby needs, and naan contains salt: the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day.
Common mistakes
Serving big, doughy pieces
The NHS says white bread that isn't chewed properly can form a dough-like ball in the throat, and that bread, chapatis, naan and other breads should be cut into narrow strips. Toast naan lightly and cut it into narrow strips.
Sharing buttery restaurant naan
Restaurant and takeaway naan is often brushed with butter or ghee and salted, and the NHS lists takeaways among the salty foods to avoid for babies. Butter and ghee also contain milk. At home, serve plain naan without extra butter or salt, and keep restaurant naan to a strip or two after 12 months.
Seeded or Peshwari naan
The CDC lists breads with seeds or nut pieces, and raisins, as choking hazards for young children, and sesame is a common allergen. Sweet naans may also contain honey (not before 12 months, because of infant botulism) or sugar, and the NHS says to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under. Pick plain or garlic naan, not naan topped with seeds or filled with nuts and raisins.
Assuming naan is just wheat
Naan may contain egg or milk, including yogurt, and ingredients vary by brand. Read the ingredient list, and introduce each allergen on its own before naan.
Questions parents ask
Can naan be a choking hazard for babies?
Naan is soft and chewy, and fresh naan can squash into a doughy ball: the NHS says white bread that isn't chewed properly can form a dough-like ball in the throat, and that naan and other breads should be cut into narrow strips. Toast it lightly and cut it into narrow strips. The CDC lists breads with seeds or nut pieces as choking hazards for young children, so skip seeded and nut-filled naan, and trim hard, charred edges. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to naan?
Naan is made with wheat, which can trigger allergic reactions, and it contains gluten. Naan may contain egg or milk, including yogurt, so check the label: FoodData Central's plain naan record contains a little lactose, the sugar in milk. Restaurant naan is often brushed with butter or ghee, which contain milk. Foods that can trigger allergy can be introduced from around 6 months, one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. If your baby already eats bread or pasta and dairy without a problem, plain naan isn't a new allergen. Once wheat is part of your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.
Is naan healthy for babies?
Provides carbohydrate for energy and some protein (about 9.6 g per 100 g). Plain naan has about 3.3 mg of iron per 100 g, but a strip of about 25 g has about 0.8 mg, so it isn't counted as an iron-rich food. It also contains salt: about 465 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.2 g of salt).
Can babies eat naan?
Yes, from around 6 months, plain, lightly toasted and cut into narrow strips. Naan is a wheat food and may contain milk or egg, so check the label and offer it once your baby has had wheat, and any of those on the label, on their own. Start with a strip or two.
Can babies eat garlic naan?
Yes. Garlic naan is plain naan with cooked garlic on top, and cooked garlic is fine in family food. It's often brushed with extra butter and salt, so make it at home with plain naan and a little cooked garlic, or keep restaurant garlic naan to a strip or two after 12 months.
Does naan contain milk or egg?
It may contain either. Recipes vary, and FoodData Central's plain naan record contains a little lactose, the sugar in milk. Check the ingredient list and allergen statement every time, and ask at restaurants.
Is naan too salty for babies?
A strip or two is fine. Naan has about 1.2 g of salt per 100 g, and the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g a day and children aged 1 to 3 no more than 2 g, so a whole naan adds up. Restaurant naan is often saltier and buttery.
If your baby refuses naan
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try a dip your baby already likes, such as a smooth dal or mashed avocado.
- Try another bread for a while, such as chapati or toast 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 naan
- Store naan as the package says and use it by the date on the label.
- Warm or toast naan strips just before serving.
- Leftover cheese or keema naan keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Reheat it only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let it 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, milk or egg, even a mild one. Stop offering naan and other foods with that ingredient until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating naan made with milk or yogurt. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that milk can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- 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.
Last offered today. Once naan is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- NHS: Preparing food safely for babies
- CDC: Choking hazards
- 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
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Bread, naan, plain, commercially prepared, refrigerated
- NHS: Coeliac disease
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
More first foods
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