French Fries

Can babies have french fries?

Not before 12 months, and after that only once in a while.

The problem is salt. Fries are deep-fried and salted, and a small fast-food serving (about 2.5 oz) has around 150 mg of sodium. Between 7 and 12 months, a baby’s guide for the whole day is 370 mg.^[1][3] The CDC advises keeping salty foods away from young children, and the Dietary Guidelines note that a taste for salt may start early in life.^[4][5]

If you want something fry-shaped, bake soft potato wedges in the oven with no salt.

From 12 months the daily guide rises to 800 mg, so a few plain fries now and then are fine.^[3] Keep plain potato as the everyday side and fries as the occasional extra. Sweet potato fries get the same answer. Tater tots are firmer and saltier, so cut them up.^[2][1]

Choking risk

French fries are a moderate choking risk - a soft fry squashes easily, but crisp ends and dark, hard fries behave like the potato chips on the CDC's hazard list, and a tater tot is a firm, nugget-sized lump that can lodge whole.

Offer only the soft fries, halved, leave the crisp ends off the plate, and quarter tater tots lengthwise. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

French fries are not a common food allergen, so a true allergy to them is rare.^[8]

Fast-food fries aren’t always just potato. McDonald’s fries in the US, for example, contain a natural beef flavor made with wheat and milk.^[9] Fries are also often cooked in the same oil as breaded chicken, which FARE uses as a classic example of cross-contact.^[7] If your child has a known allergy, check the chain’s allergen page before ordering, and read the label on seasoned or battered fries for wheat.^[8]

Start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.

Food safety

Salt is the main reason to wait. Nine tater tots have about 450 mg of sodium. That’s more than a baby’s whole-day guide of 370 mg, and more than half of a toddler’s 800 mg. When you do buy frozen potato products, the Dietary Guidelines suggest picking low-sodium versions where you can.^[2][3][5]

There’s also acrylamide, a chemical that forms when plant foods are cooked at high heat. Fried potatoes produce the most of it. The FDA suggests cooking frozen fries until golden yellow rather than brown, because the brown bits hold more acrylamide, and eating fewer fries and potato chips overall.^[6] It’s one more reason to keep fries an occasional thing.