When Can Babies Eat Toast During Baby-Led Weaning?
Pictured - toast strips with nut butter and smashed berries. Please read below before serving nut butter to baby!
Your baby is showing all the signs of readiness for solid foods and you’ve heard that toast is a great baby-led weaning (BLW) food…so now what?
If you’re wondering when it’s safe for babies to eat toast, when to introduce bread, which types of breads to choose for BLW, how to prepare them, and what to top them with, this article will help.
As a pediatric dietitian and mom of three, one of my favorite ways to serve bread to babies and toddlers is to lightly toast it and top it off with a variety of nutritious spreads. Bread is a versatile finger food that can be combined with an endless number of nutrient-rich toppings to help form lots of different balanced baby meals during BLW.
Keep reading to learn about some signs that your baby is ready for toast. You’ll also find suggestions on healthy ways to add nutrients to toast and how best to prepare and serve toast to a baby.
Benefits of toast for babies
Some benefits of toast for babies:
Toast is less likely than bread to fall apart into a squishy mess; it’s also easier for babies to grip
Toast can be easily cut into finger-like shapes that are easier for babies with developed palmar grasp to pick up
Toast is a great vehicle for nutritious spreads (i.e., avocado, ricotta cheese, etc.).
Spreading a thin layer of peanut butter or another nut butter on toast is an easy, convenient, and delicious way to provide an allergen exposure to babies during infancy (which can help reduce the development of food allergies) - this is especially helpful, given that globs of nut butter are a choking hazard and must be modified before serving
Toasted breads (especially 100% whole grain) are safer for babies than untoasted white breads which can easily form a gummy ball in the mouth and increase the risk of choking
When can babies have toast?
At around 6 months of age, your baby may be showing signs that they are ready for complementary foods such as toast. You may notice that your baby is using a “palmar grasp” to grip larger objects in their palms (like teething toys) and bring them up to the mouth.
The palmar grasp is one of the important developmental milestones that indicate readiness for solid foods and an ability to self-feed.
Once a baby is showing all the signs of readiness for solids and has been cleared by the pediatrician to start solids, it is safe to offer toast strips.
When can babies eat white bread?
Whereas whole grain breads are made using grains that retain their original components post-processing (i.e. the bran, germ, and endosperm), white breads are made using refined grains that only contain the endosperm. Many of the nutrients found in the bran and germ are lost in the processing of the grain.
One study showed that refined white flour only contains 42% of the fiber, 17% of the magnesium, 21% of the zinc, 8% of the selenium, and 21% of the vitamin E found in wholemeal flour.
Refined grains in soft white breads are also largely composed of starch, a material that can quickly become sticky when it comes in contact with water or saliva - this is why these breads are more likely to form a gummy ball in the mouth and increase the risk of choking.
For these reasons, whole grain breads are a more nutritious, safer option for babies than soft, white breads.
How to Prepare Toast for a 6-Month-Old Baby:
If you’re wondering how to serve toast to 6- and 7-month-old babies, start by choosing a bread that is low in added sugar and sodium. Whole grain, sprouted breads are great sources of B-vitamins, iron, essential minerals, fiber and protein - and they are my favorite choice for babies.
As a rule of thumb for any of the finger foods offered to your baby, consider the texture, size, and shape.
Consistency (or texture)
When it comes to lightly toasting your bread, you can use a toaster, toaster oven, or even a pan. The dry heat from these devices kick-starts a reaction that allows your bread to brown and stiffen.
Lightly toast the bread so that it does not fall apart in the baby’s hands (too soft), but also does not crack off into pieces (too hard). Once the bread is a light caramel color and still flexible, you know you’re good to go!
Test the consistency using your forefinger and thumb - it should be soft enough to press using minimal force.
Shape
Cutting toast into strips makes it easier for babies to grip. Just make sure the toast strip is longer than the baby’s palm as babies will be unable to access the food inside the fist.
Size
No need to break out the ruler! Toast strips for babies should be about the width and length of 2 adult fingers.
How to Serve Toast to a Baby:
There is no ‘one ideal’ way to serve toast. Take advantage of your baby’s curiosity and find creative ways to use toast as a vehicle for exposure to new tastes, textures, and food groups.
Here are just a few ideas:
Sweet
| Topping | Key Nutrients | Try With |
|---|---|---|
| Greek yogurt | Protein, B-vitamins, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, potassium, calcium |
|
| Nut Butters (spread in a thin layer) | Protein, healthy fats, vitamin E, Zinc |
|
| Mashed Berries | Vitamin C, fiber |
|
| Low-Sodium Soft Dairy Cheeses (e.g. ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese) |
Protein, calcium, vitamin A |
|
Savory
| Topping | Key Nutrients | Try With |
|---|---|---|
| Mashed Avocado | Healthy fats, Zinc, Vitamin C, B-vitamins |
|
| Hummus | Protein, Zinc, Iron, potassium, B-vitamins |
|
| Black Bean Dip | Protein, potassium, zinc, iron, vitamin E |
|
| Tahini | Protein, potassium, fiber, iron, calcium |
|
| Low-sodium soft dairy cheeses | Protein, calcium, vitamin A |
|
When you’re ready to serve, remember that all of this is new to your little one and it may take a few tries before your baby even takes a single bite. That’s okay!
On average, it takes 8-10 repeated exposures to a new food before a baby will accept it.
Pro tip: add spread, butter, olive oil or other fat source, which can also help to moisten breads, and make them easier for babies to swallow.
A big thanks to their parents for kindly sharing with me and allowing me to post!
When can babies have toast with butter?
Butter is a semi-solid dairy product that is made by continuously churning milk until the solids have separated from the liquids (i.e. buttermilk). It’s gotten a bad rap over the years, as the saturated fats in butter have been linked to increasing cholesterol associated with increased heart disease risk in adults.
However, butter is safe for 6+ month old babies who need plenty of dietary fat to support their growing brains and bodies. According to the AAFP, fat restriction is not recommended for babies under 24 months, as they have increased needs associated with this period of rapid growth.
Butter also contains good amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and fats which are needed to support development and growth.
If your baby has a confirmed cow’s milk allergy or intolerance, consult your pediatrician to evaluate whether butter is appropriate and in what amounts.
If you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, download my FREE Baby-Led Feeding Essential Checklist to make sure you have everything you need to get started. You might also want to check out my new online course for parents, based on my best-selling book which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.
Alternatively, if your baby is almost ready to start solids and you’re looking for someone you trust to map out the entire first 12 weeks of your baby’s solid food feeding journey, check out my Safe & Simple 12 Week Meal Plan. Over 30 recipes, weekly shopping lists, tons of balanced baby meals, a complete plan for top allergen introduction, & lots of guidance (with photos) on how to safely serve each food.
Big thanks to my dietetic intern, Jessica Foung for her contributions to this blog post!
