Tortilla

Choking risk

A soft tortilla is a moderate choking risk - like soft bread, it can ball up into a sticky, doughy lump in the mouth.

Lightly toast or dry-fry the tortilla so it firms up slightly, cut it into finger-width strips, and skip hard tortilla chips and crispy shells. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Wheat is a common food allergen, and standard flour tortillas are made from wheat, which also contains gluten.^[1]

There's no reason to delay it - offer it around 6 months, then keep it in your baby's diet regularly. Corn tortillas are wheat-free, but some wraps also contain milk or soy, so read the label.^[2]

Offer it on its own, start with a small amount, and watch for a reaction. Once your baby is comfortable with it, keep it in their regular diet.

If baby refuses

Tortillas are usually well accepted. If refused, warm one in a dry pan to bring out the aroma, spread a thin layer of a familiar topping like mashed avocado, or fold it into a soft quesadilla cut into strips.

Food safety

Flour tortillas can be high in salt, so check labels and pick lower-salt ones where you can. No added salt in the first 12 months, kept low after that. Skip anything made with honey before 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism, and go easy on very cheesy or salty fillings.^[3]

How to serve

6+ months old

Warmed soft strips

Strips about the width of two adult fingers

Warm a soft tortilla briefly in a dry pan so it holds its shape rather than staying floppy and gummy, then cut it into strips about the width of two adult fingers for baby to grip and gnaw. Choose a lower-sodium wrap, and corn tortillas work well if you want a wheat-free option.

Avoid large floppy pieces that can ball up in the mouth, and don't give hard tortilla chips or crispy shells.

A thin layer of mashed avocado adds flavor and grip - or, once introduced, full-fat cream cheese or a thinly spread smooth nut or seed butter.

How to cook

No cooking needed beyond a light warm - a dry pan, or about 20 seconds in the microwave, until it firms up a little. Then cut into strips.

9+ months old

Bite-sized pieces or quesadilla strips

Pieces about 1/2 inch for a pincer grasp

Once baby has a pincer grasp, where thumb and forefinger meet to pick up small pieces, offer bite-sized pieces of warmed soft tortilla about 1/2 inch. A soft quesadilla cut into strips also works well now. Keep warming the tortilla so it isn't gummy, offer one piece at a time, and keep skipping hard tortilla chips and crispy shells.

How to cook

Warm in a dry pan and serve soft. For a quesadilla, fill thinly with grated cheese or mashed beans, warm until just melted, then cut into strips. Keep choosing a lower-sodium wrap.

12+ months old

Small wraps or quesadilla fingers

Small soft wraps, or a quesadilla cut into fingers

Toddlers can manage small soft wraps and quesadilla fingers with soft fillings. Keep tortillas warmed and soft so they don't turn gummy, and cut wraps into manageable pieces. Hard tortilla chips and crispy shells are still best left until eating skills are more mature.

How to cook

Warm in a pan, oven, or microwave and use for soft wraps and quesadillas with soft fillings. Keep choosing a lower-sodium wrap and keep portions modest.