Cookies

Can babies have cookies?

Not the store-bought kind, including the ones sold as teething wafers. Most contain added sugar, which isn't recommended before age 2.

Homemade is the exception - cookies made from oats and mashed banana, with no sugar added, work from around 6 months. Bake them soft rather than crisp, since a hard cookie snaps into firm chunks instead of dissolving.

Choking risk

Cookies are a moderate choking risk. Soft, plain kinds break down easily once chewed.

Hard or crisp ones snap into firm chunks that don't soften, and anything baked with whole nuts or candy pieces carries those hazards on its own - both wait until age 4. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Nearly all cookies contain wheat, a common food allergen - and egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame turn up in cookies constantly too.^[1][2]

Check the label every time, and treat bakery cookies as unlabeled - shared trays and mix-ins make cross-contact common. Don't let a cookie be your child's first taste of nuts or any other allergen; introduce those on their own first.^[3]

Start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.

Food safety

Cookies are added sugar, and the guidance before age 2 is none - that includes the toddler biscuits and graham-style snacks marketed for little kids, whose "baby" label doesn't exempt the sugar inside.^[4][5]

From 2, they're a sometimes-food: one small flavored cookie can hold a toddler's whole added-sugar allowance for a meal.