Pasta for babies: when to start, shapes by age and wheat allergy

Babies can eat pasta from around 6 months, once they've started solids. It's soft when well cooked, easy to hold, and a simple way to carry iron-rich sauces made with mince, lentils or fish. Regular pasta is also one of the easiest ways to introduce wheat, which is on Australia's ASCIA's list of the most common allergy foods. Australia's ASCIA's guide to introducing solid foods, from Australia, advises introducing the common allergy foods in the first year (by 12 months), then keeping each one in the diet at least once a week.

The things to get right are the shape for your baby's stage, the salt in sauces, and watching for a reaction the first few times. This guide covers each, along with wholemeal and legume pastas and what to do if your baby gags, chokes or reacts.

When can babies eat pasta?

From around 6 months, when your baby shows the signs of readiness described in starting solids.

Australia's ASCIA lists bread, crackers, pasta and iron-fortified cereals as cereal foods for babies, and suggests a variety of grains including wheat, rice, oats and corn. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby includes bread and pasta among the foods to introduce before 12 months. The NHS guide to feeding from around 6 months lists pasta among starchy foods, and says foods containing gluten, including wheat, barley and rye, can be introduced from around 6 months.

In the US, the AAP's starting solids page lists well-cooked pasta among finger foods, and the CDC's solids guide lists wheat among the potentially allergenic foods to introduce alongside other foods.

Pasta isn't on Australia's ASCIA's list of iron-rich first foods, so serve it with something that is. Australia's ASCIA lists meats, poultry, fish, well-cooked egg, tofu and legumes such as chickpeas and lentils; first foods and iron has ideas.

What pasta shapes are best at each age?

Match the shape to how your baby picks up food. Cook all pasta until it's very soft, a little past the firm "al dente" stage, so it squashes easily between your fingers.

Around 6 months. The NHS first solid foods guide lists cooked pasta among finger foods, and says finger foods should be big enough for your baby to hold in their fist with a bit sticking out; pieces about the size of your own finger work well. Large tube or spiral shapes suit this whole-hand grab. If you're spoon-feeding, the NHS says starchy foods can be mashed with a fork or blended, so small shapes stirred through a smooth sauce work too.

8–9 months. The CDC's milestones for 9 months include using fingers to rake food towards themselves. Smaller shapes and chopped pasta suit this stage. The AAP's choking-prevention advice suggests cutting food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than half an inch (about 1 cm), and the CDC's foods to encourage suggests serving whole grains such as pasta in small, bite-sized pieces from 6 to 12 months. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says lumpy food should be introduced by 9 months.

12 months and beyond. The CDC's milestones by 1 year include picking up small bits of food between thumb and pointer finger. Australia's ASCIA says to aim for soft, cut-up or roughly mashed family meals by 12 months, so your toddler can share the family's pasta, chopped or cut into short lengths.

For how textures progress overall, see food textures by age.

How do I introduce wheat through pasta?

Wheat is one of the common allergy foods on Australia's ASCIA's list, alongside cow's milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, soy, sesame, fish and shellfish. The AAP's allergen guide also names wheat, and the NHS guide to food allergies in babies lists foods that contain gluten, including wheat, barley and rye.

1. Pick a good time. Offer pasta when your baby is well and you can watch them for the next couple of hours. Australia's ASCIA says allergic reactions usually happen within minutes to two hours.
2. Start small. The AAP suggests starting with small tastes and increasing gradually if there's no reaction.
3. One new allergy food per meal. Australia's ASCIA says to introduce only one new common allergy food at a meal. Some pasta contains egg, and sauces may contain milk, soy or sesame, so check the label; in Australia and New Zealand, FSANZ allergen labelling rules require these to be declared, along with wheat and gluten.
4. Keep it going. Once wheat is tolerated, Australia's ASCIA advises keeping it in your baby's diet at least once a week.

If your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy, the AAP and the NHS suggest talking to your doctor or health visitor before introducing allergy foods. Introducing allergens has the full plan.

Does my baby need gluten-free pasta?

No, unless a doctor advises it. Coeliac Australia says gluten introduction shouldn't be delayed, even for babies with a parent who has coeliac disease, and that avoiding gluten isn't recommended. Oats for babies covers gluten and coeliac disease in more detail.

How much salt is okay in pasta sauces?

Very little. The NHS salt guide gives a maximum of less than 1 g of salt a day for babies under 1, and no more than 2 g a day from 1 to 3 years, because babies' kidneys are not fully developed and can't process much salt.

• Don't salt the cooking water. The NHS list of foods to avoid says not to add salt to your baby's food or cooking water, and not to use stock cubes or gravy because they're often high in salt.
• Go easy on jar sauces and cheese. The NHS salt guide says sauces can be high in salt and lists cheese among salty foods. The CDC's foods to avoid or limit says some packaged toddler foods are high in sodium and suggests checking the label for lower-sodium options. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby also suggests reading labels and avoiding bought foods high in salt.
• Cook once, season later. Take your baby's portion out before you add salt, stock or seasoning to the family's pasta.

Simple sauces work well: tomatoes cooked down with soft vegetables, mince or lentils simmered without stock, or a little unsalted butter or oil with grated vegetables.

Is wholemeal or legume pasta better for babies?

Wholemeal pasta

It's fine, as part of the mix. The NHS guide to feeding young children says you can give wholegrain foods such as wholemeal bread, pasta and brown rice, but that it's not a good idea to give only wholegrain starchy foods to under-2s, because the fibre can fill them up before they've had the calories and nutrients they need. After age 2, it says you can gradually introduce more. The CDC lists whole grain pastas among foods to offer from 6 to 12 months, and the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne's toddler guide in Australia suggests whole grain cereals among nutritious snacks. Rotating white and wholemeal pasta covers all of this.

Pasta made from legumes

Pastas made from chickpea, lentil or pea flour are made from legumes, and Australia's ASCIA lists legumes such as chickpeas and lentils among iron-rich foods for babies. They're also useful for babies who can't eat wheat: Australia's ASCIA's dietary guide for wheat allergy lists pastas made from chickpea, lentil, pea, rice, corn, buckwheat and quinoa among the alternatives.

Check the flour before you serve it:

• Soy pasta contains soy, one of Australia's ASCIA's common allergy foods.
• Lupin pasta contains lupin, a legume related to peanut and soybean. Australia's ASCIA's lupin allergy page says people allergic to peanut may also react to lupin, that lupin can be found in pasta and noodles, and that foods free of gluten may contain it. Lupin must be declared on labels in Australia and New Zealand.
• Beans, lentils and peas are on the NHS list of foods that can cause allergic reactions, so treat a new legume pasta like any new food and watch your baby the first time.

If your baby has a peanut allergy, ask their allergy specialist before offering lupin.

What does a wheat allergy reaction look like?

Reactions usually start quickly. Australia's ASCIA's anaphylaxis FAQ separates mild to moderate signs from anaphylaxis, the most severe type of allergic reaction.

Australia's ASCIA classes lip swelling as mild to moderate, while the NHS urgent-help guide lists swollen lips among the reasons to call an ambulance, so this guide treats sudden lip swelling as an emergency. Redness only around the mouth, with no other signs, is not usually an allergic reaction, according to Australia's ASCIA.

These steps follow the Australia's ASCIA first aid plan for anaphylaxis from Australia, which says if in doubt, give the adrenaline device. For hives, face or eye swelling, or vomiting with normal breathing, stop the food, watch closely for anaphylaxis signs and get medical help today. Australia's ASCIA says to get specialist advice before offering wheat again, to keep introducing the other allergy foods, and that babies allergic to wheat should also see an allergy dietitian.

What if my baby gags or chokes on pasta?

Soft pasta isn't on the CDC's or the AAP's lists of choking hazards, but Pregnancy, Birth and Baby notes that babies can choke on any food of any texture. Gagging is common while babies learn new textures. It's noisy, and your baby keeps breathing. Choking is usually quiet: your baby can't cough, cry or breathe properly. Choking vs gagging explains the difference.

If your baby can't breathe, cough or cry, shout for help and call 999. The NHS first-aid steps for a choking baby are up to 5 back blows, then up to 5 chest thrusts, repeated until the food comes out or help arrives. If your baby becomes unresponsive, start CPR and follow the call-taker's instructions. Get medical help afterwards, even if the food came out.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne in Australia recommends that anyone caring for children does a first-aid course, and the AAP recommends a certified CPR and first-aid course. Doing one before or soon after starting solids lets you practise. Keep your baby sitting upright and supervised at every meal, and save crackers or breads with seeds or whole grain kernels, which are on the CDC's choking hazards list, for later.

What's worth noting?

When you first introduce pasta, note the type (wheat, wholemeal, legume), anything else new in the sauce, the time, and anything you noticed over the next two hours. A running list of the weeks wheat was eaten makes it easier to keep it in the diet regularly. For leftovers, the NHS guide to storing and reheating baby food says to cool batch-cooked food within 1 to 2 hours, use it from the fridge within 2 days, and reheat it only once until steaming hot.

When should I get help?

Call 999 now if your baby:

• has difficult or noisy breathing, a wheeze or a persistent cough
• has sudden swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
• has a hoarse voice or cry, or becomes pale, floppy or drowsy, or collapses
• is choking and can't breathe, cough or cry
• has had no wet nappy or wee for 12 hours

Get medical help today if your baby:

• has hives or welts beyond the mouth area, or swelling of the face or eyes, with normal breathing (stop the food and watch closely for anaphylaxis signs)
• vomits after eating pasta, especially repeatedly
• has vomiting or diarrhoea with fewer wet nappies than usual (see signs of dehydration)
• needed back blows or chest thrusts, even if they now seem well

Talk to your GP or health visitor if:

• your baby has severe eczema or a food allergy and you haven't introduced wheat yet
• your baby has a peanut allergy and you'd like to try lupin or other legume pastas
• your baby has reacted to wheat and you need help keeping their diet varied