String cheese
A lunchbox favorite, but never the whole stick. Pull it into thin shreds instead.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat string cheese from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve string cheese by age
6 months+
Grated and melted into food
String cheese is firm and rubbery, so don't give a stick, a chunk or rounds at this age. Grate it finely and stir a little into warm mashed potato, vegetables or pasta until it melts, or, once your baby has had wheat, melt a very thin layer onto toast fingers. Check the bread label for honey, which isn't safe before 12 months. Melted cheese can stretch into long strings, so cut any strings short. Let it cool before serving.
- Size
- Finely grated and melted into a soft food, or melted onto soft toast fingers about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Check the cheese has melted completely, with no firm lumps or long rubbery strings, and squash the food between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily.
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+
Thin pulled shreds, cut short
Peel the stick into very thin, wispy shreds, then cut them into short pieces for pincer-grasp practice. Or keep grating it into warm food. Never hand your baby the whole stick, or let them bite pieces off it.
- Size
- Very thin shreds cut into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or grated.
- Check before serving
- Each shred should be thin enough to squash flat between your thumb and finger. If a piece feels thick or springy, pull it thinner or grate it.
12 months+
Thin shreds or short, thin strips
Pull the stick into thin shreds, or cut it lengthwise into thin strips and then into short pieces. Never cut it into rounds, and don't give the whole stick.
- Size
- Thin shreds or short, thin strips about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) long.
- Check before serving
- Still check that pieces are thin and squash easily.
18 months+
Thin strips, never the whole stick
Keep pulling string cheese into thin shreds or cutting it lengthwise into thin strips, then into short pieces. The CDC lists large chunks of cheese, especially string cheese, as a choking hazard, and the AAP lists string cheese too. Don't give the whole stick or cut it into rounds, even for older toddlers, and make sure your child is sitting down while they eat.
- Size
- Thin, bite-sized strips about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or shredded.
- Check before serving
- Still check that pieces are thin, not chunks or rounds.
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 string cheese
- 1
Check the label: choose string cheese made from pasteurized milk, and compare brands for sodium.
- 2
For young babies, grate it finely. For older babies, peel it into very thin shreds and cut them short.
- 3
To melt it, stir grated string cheese into warm food, or melt a thin layer on toast once your baby has had wheat. Let it cool, and test the temperature before serving.
- 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 a small amount: a pinch of grated cheese melted into food. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. String cheese contains salt, so keep portions small and don't add salt to the rest of the meal. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.
Common mistakes
Handing over the whole stick
Babies and toddlers can bite off a large, rubbery chunk. The CDC lists large chunks of cheese, especially string cheese, as a choking hazard. Pull it into thin shreds or cut thin strips first.
Slicing it into rounds
Round pieces can get stuck in a child's airway. Cut string cheese lengthwise into thin strips, then into short pieces.
Thick shreds for young babies
String cheese is springy and hard to chew. At 6 months, grate it and melt it into food. From 9 months, pull shreds very thin and cut them short.
Using it every day as a snack
A 28 g (1 oz) stick has about 196 mg of sodium, which is about 0.5 g of salt. Babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day, and 1 to 3 year olds no more than 2 g (NHS), so one stick is a large share for a baby. Mix it up with lower-salt dairy foods like plain yogurt.
Where US and UK guidance differ on string cheese
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The CDC lists string cheese among safer cheese choices for children under 5 as far as germs go, and lists large chunks of cheese, especially string cheese, as a choking hazard. The AAP lists string cheese as a choking hazard too.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says babies can have pasteurised full-fat cheese from 6 months, choosing lower-salt options, and suggests sticks of hard cheese as a finger food. Because of the CDC choking warning, this page doesn't give the whole string cheese stick at any age it covers (up to 3 years).
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can string cheese be a choking hazard for babies?
Large chunks of cheese, especially string cheese, are on the CDC's choking hazard list, and the AAP lists string cheese too. Never give the whole stick or cut it into rounds. Grate it and melt it into food for young babies, and pull it into thin shreds or thin, short strips once your baby is older. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to string cheese?
String cheese is a milk product, and cow's milk is one of the most common food allergens. Milk products like cheese and yogurt can be introduced from around 6 months, a small amount at a time. Once your baby has had them without a reaction, keep them in your baby's usual diet. Most reactions start within minutes to 2 hours, but with cow's milk allergy, symptoms can take up to 3 days to appear. If your baby has a diagnosed milk allergy, don't offer string cheese unless their doctor says it's OK. If your baby has eczema or another food allergy, or there's a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, the NHS says to talk to your GP or health visitor first.
Is string cheese healthy for babies?
A source of protein and calcium: 100 g of part-skim mozzarella string cheese has about 24 g of protein and 693 mg of calcium. It is fairly salty, with about 699 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.7 g of salt), so 28 g (1 oz) has about 196 mg of sodium (about 0.5 g of salt). It is not a source of iron.
Can babies eat string cheese?
Yes, from around 6 months, if it's made from pasteurized milk and served in a safe form: grated and melted into food at first, then very thin shreds cut short from about 9 months. Never the whole stick.
When can toddlers eat a whole string cheese stick?
The AAP lists string cheese among high-risk foods to keep from children until 4 years of age or older, depending on each child's development, and the CDC lists it as a choking hazard for young children. Until then, keep pulling it into thin shreds or cutting thin strips, and have your child sit down to eat.
Is string cheese healthy for toddlers?
It's a source of protein and calcium, but it's fairly salty. Offer it now and then in thin shreds, alongside lower-salt dairy foods like plain yogurt.
If your baby refuses string cheese
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try it melted: many babies take to it more easily on toast strips or stirred into pasta.
- Let older babies watch you peel the stick into shreds. It can make it more interesting.
- 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 string cheese
- Keep string cheese sealed in the fridge, at 40°F (4°C) or below, and use it by the date on the pack. Once opened, follow the label's advice on how many days it keeps.
- Cooked dishes with string cheese keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Reheat 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 milk products, even a mild one. Stop offering them until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating dairy. 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.
- 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.
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Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- AAP: Choking prevention for babies and children
- CDC: Safer food choices for children under 5
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, mozzarella, part skim (includes string cheese)
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
More first foods
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