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From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

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Can Babies Eat Cookies? Wait to 12 Months

Cookies are a once-in-a-while treat, not a daily food, and are best saved for around 12 months because of added sugar and a hard, chokeable shape. Most contain wheat, egg, and milk.

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When to introduce
About 12 months
Common allergen?
Contains wheat, egg, and milk
Texture
Often hard and crumbly; a choking risk. Soften or choose dissolvable, and homemade oat or banana cookies are softer and lower in sugar.
Key nutrients
Mostly refined flour and added sugar with little else; a treat, not a nutrition source.

Somebody handed your baby a cookie at a birthday party, or you are staring down a box of them at 4pm with a kid who will not stop pointing. Totally normal, and you are not a bad parent for it. Here is the honest version: cookies are a treat built mostly from refined flour and added sugar, they are usually hard enough to be a choking risk, and most of them carry wheat, egg, and milk. None of that means "never." It means wait until about 12 months, keep them occasional, and know a couple of ways to make one safer when the moment comes.

⚠️ Cookies are best saved for about 12 months: they carry added sugar babies do not need and are often hard enough to be a choking risk1.

Why it matters: Parents Google "can babies eat cookies" constantly, usually in a real moment: a party, a sibling's snack, a long afternoon. The honest, non-shaming answer, wait until about 12 months, keep it occasional, watch the sugar, soften the hardness, check for wheat/egg/milk, and here is a lower-sugar homemade swap, is more useful than either a lecture or a shrug.

Prep School: how to prepare cookies for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées

🍴 Baby-led weaning

Under 12 monthsSkip standard cookies. There is no nutrition here your baby needs, the added sugar crowds out better foods, and hard cookies are a choking hazard. A plain dissolvable teether that melts to mush in the mouth is the safer category this early.
About 12 months and upA small, soft or softened cookie as an occasional treat is fine. Break it into pieces smaller than your baby can pocket whole, and soften a hard one by letting it sit a minute in a little breast milk, formula, or plain water so it is not a rock. Sit with them while they eat.
Homemade lower-sugar swapTwo-ingredient banana-oat cookies, mashed ripe banana plus oats baked soft, come out easy to gum with most of the added sugar left out. You control what goes in, so you can leave out egg or milk if allergens are a concern.

🥄 Purées

Under 12 monthsSkip cookies. There is nothing here your baby needs, and softening a sugary, crumbly cookie does not turn it into something worth spooning this early.
About 12 months and upLet a small cookie sit a minute in a little breast milk, formula, or plain water until it softens, then break it up and spoon it. Keep it occasional rather than a daily habit, and stay with your baby while they eat.
Homemade lower-sugar swapTwo-ingredient banana-oat cookies, mashed ripe banana plus oats baked soft, break down into a spoonful easily and skip most of the added sugar.

Are cookies safe? Choking & prep

Two real things to watch. First, sugar: cookies carry a lot of added sugar, which babies under 2 do not need, so keep them occasional rather than a daily habit1. Second, choking: many cookies are hard and crumbly, which is a choking risk for babies and toddlers, so soften a hard cookie in a little liquid, break it into small pieces, and always stay with your baby while they eat1. Homemade oat or banana cookies are a softer, lower-sugar swap. On allergens, cookies usually contain wheat, egg, and milk, so check the label if any of those are new or a known concern for your baby.

Log the first cookie in YummyYucky to keep an eye on wheat, egg, and milk, and to remember the day it happened.

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Nutrition

Be clear-eyed here: a typical cookie is refined flour bound with butter or oil and sweetened with a good amount of added sugar. It delivers quick energy and very little of what a growing baby actually needs, and the added sugar is the main reason to keep the frequency low for kids under 2. This is genuinely a treat food, which is completely fine as a treat. If you want the cookie ritual without the sugar load, homemade banana-oat or plain oat cookies get you real oats and fruit instead, and you decide how sweet they are.

Goes well with

A few soft banana slices · Plain whole-milk yogurt · Soft cooked and mashed berries · A cup of water with the treat · Plain oats or oatmeal for the homemade route · Soft pear or peach pieces

Storage & freezing

Store-bought cookies keep at room temperature in a sealed package or airtight container per the box, usually a couple of weeks. Homemade soft cookies dry out and mold faster with no preservatives, so keep them airtight at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or freeze them. Softening a cookie in liquid should be done right before serving; do not soak and save it, since a soggy cookie left out is a food-safety problem.

More grains to explore

🍞
CornbreadAround 9 months, once chewing and pincer grasp are coming along
🥣
Cornmeal porridge (Caribbean)From about 6 months
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CouscousAround 6 months
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CrackersAround 9 months
🫓
Corn tortillaAround 6 months, cut into soft strips
🥣
CornflakesAround 6 months, softened

Introducing this allergen

Related reading

Common questions

Can babies have Oreos?

Oreos are candy nutritionally, mostly sugar and refined flour, so they are not a baby food and are best saved for older children as an occasional treat. For a sweet bite, mashed fruit or plain yogurt is a much better option for a baby.

Can babies eat cookies?

Best to wait until about 12 months. Cookies bring added sugar your baby does not need and are often hard enough to be a choking risk, so they are a once-in-a-while treat rather than a regular food, and most contain wheat, egg, and milk.

At what age can a baby have a cookie?

Around 12 months is a reasonable time for a small, soft or softened cookie as an occasional treat. Before that, skip standard cookies; a plain dissolvable teether is the safer cookie-shaped snack for younger babies.

Are cookies a choking hazard for babies?

Hard, crunchy cookies can be. Soften a firm cookie in a little breast milk, formula, or water until it is no longer a rock, break it into small pieces, and stay with your baby while they eat. Soft homemade cookies are easier to gum.

Is there too much sugar in cookies for a baby?

Usually, yes, for daily eating. Babies under 2 do not need added sugar, and cookies tend to have a lot of it. That is why the honest advice is occasional, not everyday. A homemade banana-oat cookie skips most of the added sugar.

Do cookies have allergens?

Most cookies contain wheat, egg, and milk. If any of those are new or a known concern for your baby, read the label carefully, and remember baking at home lets you leave out egg or milk.

How do I make a healthier cookie for my baby?

Two-ingredient banana-oat cookies (mashed ripe banana plus oats, baked until soft) or a plain oat cookie are lower in sugar and come out soft. You control the ingredients, so you can also skip egg or milk if you need to.

Can I give my baby a cookie at a party or when I am exhausted?

Once your baby is around 12 months, a small soft cookie now and then is genuinely fine. Reaching for a treat does not make you a bad parent. Just break it small, soften it if it is hard, and sit with them.

Are baby teething biscuits the same as cookies?

Not quite. Dissolvable teethers are designed to melt to mush in the mouth, which lowers the choking risk, while standard cookies stay hard. Even so, check the label, since some teething biscuits still contain wheat and sugar.

Sources

  1. CDC, Foods and Drinks to Limit
  2. AAP HealthyChildren, Choking Prevention

Further reading

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Last updated September 2026. Next review December 2026. How we write these: built from current published guidance from the AAP, CDC, FDA/EPA, NIAID, WHO, and other pediatric and public-health authorities, with sources cited on the page. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these, and how we double-check the food advice.

This is general information, not medical advice, and is not individualized for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

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