Graham Crackers

Can babies have graham crackers?

Not before age 2, and only now and then after that. Honey Maid, the best-known US brand, uses honey in its grahams, including the cinnamon and chocolate versions.^[5][6][7] Babies shouldn’t have honey before 12 months, even baked into food.^[3]

Graham crackers also contain added sugar, which children under 2 shouldn’t have. So they wait until age 2, a year after honey becomes safe.^[3] For teething, offer a strip of lightly toasted bread instead.

Choking risk

Graham crackers are a moderate choking risk - they snap into dry chunks that don't soften quickly, and a mouthful of crumbs is hard for a new chewer to clear; the CDC lists cookies among the foods that can block a small airway.

Until about age 4, snap a square into small pieces and soften them in milk or yogurt rather than handing over a whole dry cracker. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Graham crackers are made from wheat flour, so they contain wheat, a common food allergen - wheat allergy shows up most often in young children, and many outgrow it.^[9]

Honey Maid's honey, cinnamon and chocolate labels also declare soy (from soy lecithin).^[5][6][7] Labels change and store brands differ, so read the box you buy, and introduce wheat on its own first.

Start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.

Food safety

Honey is why the first year is out. It can carry spores of the bacteria that cause botulism, so the Dietary Guidelines say babies shouldn’t have any food made with honey, raw or cooked, and the CDC says no honey or products made with it before age 1.^[3][1]

If your baby has already had a bite, don’t panic. California’s infant botulism program says there’s no way to know whether a store-bought product with honey carries the bacteria, but a single taste isn’t high risk. Mention it to your pediatrician, and call them if your baby seems unwell in the weeks after.^[2]

Sugar is why graham crackers wait until age 2. The USDA classes them as cookies, and about a quarter of each cracker is sugar by weight, around 3 to 4 g per sheet.^[4] Toddler grahams with a cartoon on the box are no different.^[3]