Wheat
Toast strips, soft pasta or wheat cereal: simple ways to start a common allergen from around 6 months.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat wheat from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve wheat by age
6 months+
Wheat cereal, toast strips or soft pasta
Pick one simple wheat food for the first taste: wheat infant cereal mixed smooth with breast milk, formula or water; plain bread lightly toasted and cut into narrow strips; or large pasta shapes, such as penne or fusilli, cooked a few minutes past the package time. Serve it plain, with nothing else new in it.
- Size
- Toast strips or large pasta shapes about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or a pre-loaded spoon of smooth wheat cereal.
- Check before serving
- Squash a strip or a piece of pasta between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily, with no firm center. Cereal should be smooth, with no dry lumps.
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 and thicker cereal
Offer small pieces of soft pasta or lightly toasted bread for pincer-grasp practice, thicker wheat cereal or cream of wheat, or couscous stirred into mashed vegetables or a soft stew.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger.
12 months+
Wheat in family meals
Serve wheat the way your family eats it: soft pasta with sauce, toast fingers or small sandwiches cut into narrow strips, soft wraps cut into strips, or couscous. Leave salt out of your toddler's portion, and check bread and cracker labels for salt.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or narrow strips.
- Check before serving
- Still do the squash test on pasta and bread.
18 months+
Family wheat foods, kernels mashed
Keep offering everyday wheat foods. Whole wheat kernels such as wheat berries or farro need cooking until very soft and mashing until no whole kernels are left: the CDC lists whole grain kernels of cooked wheat, plain wheat germ, and breads or crackers with seeds or whole grain kernels as choking hazards for young children. Bulgur is cracked wheat: cook it soft and serve it moist, as on our bulgur page.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or narrow strips.
- Check before serving
- Press a few cooked grains between your fingers. They should squash flat, with no firm, chewy kernels.
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 wheat
- 1
Choose a plain wheat food with nothing else new in it: wheat infant cereal, plain bread or plain wheat pasta, not egg pasta. Check the bread label for honey, which isn't safe before 12 months (NHS), and see our bread page for the salt and sugar check.
- 2
Make it soft. Mix cereal until smooth, toast bread lightly and cut it into narrow strips, or cook pasta a few minutes past the package time. Don't add salt.
- 3
Don't let your child eat raw dough or batter: the CDC lists dough and batter made with raw flour as a riskier choice for children under 5.
- 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 strip or two of toast, a few pieces of pasta, or a teaspoon or two of wheat cereal. 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 and they're fine with it, keep offering it regularly.
Common mistakes
Putting wheat off
The NHS lists foods containing gluten, including wheat, among foods to introduce one at a time from around 6 months, and says that once they're tolerated they should become part of your baby's usual diet. In a large trial in babies with a close relative with celiac disease, starting gluten at 12 months instead of 6 months didn't lower celiac disease by age 5.
Starting with a mixed food
Egg pasta, cheesy toast and multigrain cereals bring in other allergens. Offer plain wheat on its own the first time, so you know what caused any reaction.
Whole wheat kernels or seeded bread
The CDC lists whole grain kernels of cooked wheat, plain wheat germ, and breads or crackers with seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels as choking hazards. Cook and finely grind or mash whole grains, and pick a smooth, plain loaf.
Cutting wheat out on your own
The NHS says not to cut a major food out of your child's diet without advice, because they could miss out on nutrients. If you suspect celiac disease, keep wheat in the diet until your child has been checked: the ACAAI says celiac disease can only be diagnosed while a person is eating gluten.
Where US and UK guidance differ on wheat
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
The CDC says to introduce potentially allergenic foods, including wheat, when you introduce other foods, and the AAP says there's no evidence that waiting to introduce baby-safe foods beyond 4 to 6 months prevents food allergy. The CDC and AAP single out peanut for a talk with the doctor first, for babies with severe eczema or an egg allergy.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS says to introduce foods containing gluten from around 6 months, one at a time. If your baby already has a diagnosed food allergy or eczema, or there's a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, it suggests talking to your GP or health visitor first.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can wheat be a choking hazard for babies?
Soft wheat foods, such as well-cooked pasta, lightly toasted bread strips and smooth wheat cereal, are easy for babies to manage. The CDC lists whole grain kernels of cooked wheat, plain wheat germ, and breads or crackers with seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels as choking hazards for young children, so cook and mash whole grains and choose plain breads. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to wheat?
Wheat is one of the most common food allergens, and it contains gluten. Foods containing gluten, including wheat, can be introduced from around 6 months, one at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction (NHS). Reactions usually start within a few minutes, but can take up to 2 hours. The ACAAI says wheat allergy is most common in children, and about 65% outgrow it by age 12. Many children with a wheat allergy can eat other grains, but not all, so ask your allergist. Wheat allergy is different from celiac disease, a lifelong condition where the immune system reacts to gluten in wheat, barley and rye and damages the gut (NHS).
Is wheat healthy for babies?
Wheat foods provide carbohydrate for energy, some protein, and fiber in whole wheat versions. Plain wheat has only a little iron, but fortified wheat cereals have much more. FoodData Central lists enriched farina (cream of wheat), cooked in water without salt, at about 5.3 mg of iron per 100 g, so 2 tablespoons (about 30 g) give about 1.6 mg. Iron-fortified wheat infant cereal has added iron too. Babies aged 7 to 12 months need 11 mg of iron a day. Amounts vary by brand, so check the label.
When can babies have wheat?
From around 6 months, like other foods. The CDC says to introduce potentially allergenic foods, including wheat, when you introduce other foods, and the NHS lists foods with gluten among those to introduce from around 6 months. Start with a small amount of a plain wheat food.
Should I wait to give wheat if celiac disease runs in our family?
Waiting doesn't seem to help. In a trial of babies with a close relative with celiac disease, those who started gluten at 12 months instead of 6 months developed it later, but by age 5 just as many had it. Talk to your pediatrician or GP about testing, and don't delay wheat without medical advice. See our celiac disease guide.
Is a wheat allergy the same as celiac disease or gluten intolerance?
No. A wheat allergy is a fast immune reaction to wheat protein. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten, with symptoms that build up over time (NHS). The ACAAI says there's no such thing as a gluten allergy, and that gluten intolerance isn't an allergy either. Our wheat allergy guide explains the differences.
My baby has a wheat allergy. Where else is wheat found?
The ACAAI says wheat turns up in cereals, pasta and crackers, and even some hot dogs, sauces and ice cream. It's also in some nonfood items, such as modeling dough, cosmetics and bath products, which food labeling rules don't cover. US labels must name wheat when it's an ingredient. Ask your allergist which other grains are safe.
If your baby refuses wheat
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Offer wheat another way: soft toast strips, a different pasta shape, or wheat cereal.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
- If your baby keeps refusing wheat foods, mention it to your pediatrician at the next check-up, so wheat stays part of their diet.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing wheat
- Keep flour, dry pasta and dry cereal sealed in a cool, dry place.
- Cooked pasta and other cooked wheat dishes keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
- Mix infant cereal just before serving, and throw away any left in the bowl after the meal.
- 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 it until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your child has ongoing diarrhea, tummy pain or bloating, or isn't growing as expected, while eating foods with gluten. These can be signs of celiac disease. Keep gluten in their diet until they've been checked.
- 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 wheat is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.
Add a note (likes, dislikes, any reaction)
Saved in this browser only. Think it was a reaction? See signs of an allergic reaction and when to get help.
Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: When, what, and how to introduce solid foods
- CDC: Choking hazards
- CDC: Safer food choices for children under 5
- AAP: When can babies start solid foods?
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: Coeliac disease
- ACAAI: Wheat allergy
- New England Journal of Medicine: Introduction of gluten, HLA status, and the risk of celiac disease in children (2014)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
- USDA FoodData Central: Cereals, farina, enriched, assorted brands including Cream of Wheat, quick, cooked with water, without salt
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Help your baby enjoy new foods
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
More first foods
Free printable: The First 100 Foods checklist
Tick off foods as your baby tries them. Print it or save it as a PDF, no sign-up needed.