Teething crackers
Not a must for sore gums. If you use them, pick unsweetened ones and stay right beside your baby.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat teething crackers from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve teething crackers by age
6 months+
A whole cracker to gnaw, seated and watched
Your baby doesn't need teething crackers, and the NHS says it's best to avoid rusks because nearly all brands contain some sugar. Sweetened shop teething biscuits and rusks wait until after age 4, because US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to then. If you use one, choose one with no added sugar, honey or salt on the label. Sit your baby upright in a high chair and watch the whole time: the AAP warns that chunks can break off easily and lead to choking. Take away any piece that breaks off, and the last small stub.
- Size
- A whole teething cracker or wafer, about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Wet the end and press it between your thumb and finger. It should turn soft and mushy. If it stays hard or snaps into sharp pieces, don't use that kind.
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+
A whole cracker, or soft finger foods instead
Your baby can gnaw a whole cracker while sitting upright, with you right beside them. Many babies this age are ready for soft finger foods that do the same job with more nutrition, such as lightly toasted bread strips or soft-cooked vegetables.
- Size
- A whole cracker your baby holds and gnaws. Take away any piece that breaks off, and the last small stub.
- Check before serving
- Still do the wet-and-press test on any new brand.
12 months+
Now and then, as part of a snack
Most toddlers don't need teething crackers. The NHS says to try not to feed toddlers shop-bought biscuits, rusks and melty snacks, because they can contain a lot of sugar. Sweetened ones wait until after age 4. For sore gums, try a teething ring cooled in the fridge (never the freezer), or chilled soft fruit.
- Size
- A whole cracker your toddler bites from while sitting down, or pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Check the label: no added sugar, honey or syrups, and low in salt.
Cutting photo goes here
18 months+
Family foods instead
By now your toddler can eat family foods cut to size, so teething crackers can go. If back teeth are coming through, offer cool, soft foods your toddler already likes, and skip sweetened teething biscuits and rusks until after age 4: US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to then.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) of family foods.
- Check before serving
- Your toddler should sit down to eat, not walk around with food.
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 teething crackers
- 1
Read the label. Choose teething crackers with no added sugar, honey, syrup (including brown rice syrup) or fruit juice concentrate, and as little salt as you can find. No honey in any form before 12 months.
- 2
Check the grain. Many teething wafers are made from rice: rotate them with other grains and other finger foods.
- 3
If wheat is new for your baby, offer it another way first, such as soft toast strips or pasta, so you know how they react.
- 4
Sit your baby upright in a high chair, hand over one cracker, and stay with them the whole time. Take away any piece that breaks off, whatever its size, and the last small stub.
- 5
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
One cracker now and then is plenty. Teething crackers aren't very nutritious, so they shouldn't take the place of meals or milk feeds. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth.
Common mistakes
Leaving your baby alone with one
The AAP warns that chunks of teething biscuit can break off easily and lead to choking. Stay with your baby, keep them sitting upright, and take away any piece that breaks off and the last small stub.
Choosing sweet ones
The AAP says most teething biscuits contain sugar and salt, and the NHS says nearly all rusks contain some sugar. US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar for children aged 4 and under, so sweetened teething biscuits and rusks wait until after age 4. Before then, use only ones with no added sugar on the label.
Rice every time
Rice takes up more arsenic from groundwater than other crops. The AAP suggests a variety of grains and avoiding brown rice syrup as a sweetener. Rotate rice wafers with other grains.
Using them in place of soothing
A teething ring cooled in the fridge (never the freezer) can soothe sore gums, says the NHS. Never tie a teething ring around your baby's neck.
Where US and UK guidance differ on teething crackers
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The AAP says that if you offer a teething biscuit, watch your baby while they eat it: chunks can break off easily and lead to choking. It adds that these biscuits aren't very nutritious and most contain sugar and salt.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says it's best to avoid rusks because nearly all brands contain some sugar, and suggests a teething ring cooled in the fridge instead. For toddlers, it says to try not to feed them shop-bought biscuits, rusks and melty snacks, because they can contain a lot of sugar.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can teething crackers be a choking hazard for babies?
Teething crackers soften as your baby gnaws, but the AAP warns that chunks can break off easily and lead to choking. Choose ones that turn mushy when wet, keep your baby sitting upright, take away any piece that breaks off, whatever its size, and the last small stub, and stay with your baby the whole time.
Can babies be allergic to teething crackers?
Many teething crackers and rusks are made from wheat, and some also contain milk, egg or soy. Rice-based wafers are often wheat-free, but check the label for every allergen. Introduce wheat on its own first, in a soft food such as toast strips or pasta, before offering a teething cracker made with it.
Are teething crackers healthy for babies?
Teething crackers are mostly refined starch. In USDA data, baby cookies have about 24.2 g of sugars and 300 mg of sodium (about 0.75 g of salt) per 100 g, which is why sweetened ones wait until after age 4. The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day, from all foods.
Are teething crackers safe for babies?
They can be if you choose ones that soften well, keep your baby sitting upright and stay with them the whole time. The AAP warns that chunks can break off easily and lead to choking, and that most teething biscuits contain sugar and salt. The NHS says it's best to avoid rusks because nearly all brands contain some sugar. Before age 4, use only unsweetened ones.
What helps a teething baby instead?
The NHS suggests a teething ring cooled in the fridge (never the freezer), and from 6 months, soft fruit like melon to chew on. Always watch your baby while they eat. See our teething and eating guide.
Are rice teething wafers a problem because of arsenic?
Rice takes up more arsenic than other grains, so rice wafers can contain some. That doesn't mean your baby can't have rice (NHS). The AAP suggests offering a variety of grains and avoiding brown rice syrup as a sweetener, so don't rely on rice snacks every day.
If your baby refuses teething crackers
- There's no need to keep offering teething crackers. A chilled teething ring or soft finger foods do the same job.
- Some babies would rather gnaw a cool teething ring. That's fine.
- Sore gums can make babies eat less for a day or two. Offer their usual soft foods and milk feeds.
- Eat a soft finger food 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 teething crackers
- Keep teething crackers in their sealed pack or an airtight container in a cool, dry place, and use them by the best-before date.
- Throw away any cracker your baby has gnawed or left soggy, rather than saving it.
- 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 wheat-based teething crackers and other wheat foods until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating a rice- or oat-based wafer. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy, and rice and oats are among the most common grain triggers. 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
- AAP: Baby's first tooth: 7 facts parents should know
- NHS: Tips for helping your teething baby
- NHS Best Start in Life: 1 year and beyond
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- CDC: Choking hazards
- AAP: 5 ways to reduce arsenic in your child's diet
- HHS: Fact sheet on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Babyfood, cookies
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
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