Family foods Food Library
When can babies have cookies?
Can babies have cookies?
Store-bought and classic sweet cookies are best saved until about 2 years, because health experts advise no added sugar before age 2. Before then, a soft homemade cookie with no added sugar, sweetened only with ripe banana or other fruit, can be offered from about 7–8 months as a soft finger food. Most cookies contain wheat, and many contain egg, dairy or nuts, which are common allergens.
How to serve cookies by age
Shapes and textures change as your baby’s grasp and chewing grow.
6 months
Skip cookies. If you want to share the flavor, mash ripe banana into smooth oatmeal with a pinch of cinnamon and offer it on a spoon, with no added sugar or honey.
7–8 months
Still skip regular cookies. If you want a cookie-style finger food, bake a soft, no-sugar oat and banana cookie shaped into a thick strip about the length of an adult finger, so it squashes easily between your thumb and finger.
9–12 months
Keep sweet cookies off the menu. Break a soft homemade no-sugar cookie into small bite-size pieces, or offer it whole for your baby to bite from, and serve it with a sip of water from an open cup.
12 months +
Toddlers can share homemade cookies with no added sugar, sweetened with fruit, as part of a snack with fruit or yogurt. After 2 years, an occasional regular cookie is fine as a treat rather than an everyday snack, and hard or crunchy cookies are best broken into pieces.
Why it’s good
Regular cookies mostly give quick energy from refined flour, sugar and fat, with little else a baby needs. Homemade versions made with oats, mashed fruit, nut butter or whole wheat flour add fiber, some iron and healthy fats, which makes them a better snack. Sweet cookies can crowd out more nourishing foods and train a taste for sugar, so they are best kept small and occasional.
Safety notes
- Avoid added sugar, honey, maple syrup and other sweeteners before 2 years. Honey is never safe before 12 months, even baked into cookies, because of the risk of infant botulism.
- Hard, crunchy cookies can break into sharp, dry pieces that are hard to clear from the throat. Choose soft cookies that dissolve or squash easily, and offer water alongside.
- Watch for add-ins that are choking hazards: whole nuts, large chocolate chips, raisins, dried fruit chunks and candy pieces.
- Do not give raw cookie dough. Raw flour and raw egg can carry E. coli and Salmonella.
- Always have your baby seated upright and stay close while they eat.
Introduce cookies on its own, then keep it in
Most cookies contain wheat, and many also contain egg, milk, peanut, tree nuts, soy or sesame, all of which are Top 9 allergens. Read labels closely, introduce each allergen on its own first, and watch for hives, vomiting, swelling or breathing changes.
Cookies for babies: questions parents ask
Quick answers about cookies for babies and toddlers.
When can babies have cookies?
Babies can have regular sweet cookies from about 2 years, because added sugar is best avoided before age 2. A soft homemade cookie with no added sugar, made with fruit and oats, can be offered as a finger food from about 7–8 months.
Can babies have cookies?
Babies can eat soft homemade cookies made without added sugar, honey or salt from about 7–8 months. Store-bought cookies are high in sugar and are best saved for after 2 years as an occasional treat.
Are cookies a choking hazard for babies?
Cookies are a medium choking risk for babies, especially hard or crunchy cookies that break into dry, sharp pieces. Soft cookies that squash easily, served with water and with an adult close by, are much safer.
Are cookies a common allergen?
Cookies are a common source of allergens because most contain wheat, and many contain egg, milk, nuts, soy or sesame. Check every ingredient and make sure your baby has already eaten each allergen safely on its own.
How do I serve cookies to a 6 month old?
Cookies are not needed for a 6 month old, whose first foods should be smooth purees and mashes on a spoon. For a similar flavor, mash ripe banana into smooth oatmeal; a soft, no-sugar banana and oat cookie strip can follow at 7–8 months.
Are teething biscuits and baby cookies healthy?
Teething biscuits and baby cookies are not needed, and many contain added sugar or are low in nutrients. If you use them, check the label for added sugar and choose soft, dissolvable ones over hard biscuits.
What is a good no-sugar cookie recipe for babies?
A simple no-sugar cookie for babies mixes 1 ripe mashed banana with about a cup of rolled oats, plus a spoon of nut butter or a pinch of cinnamon. Shape into thick strips and bake until set but still soft, around 15 minutes at 350F (175C).
Can my baby have a bite of my cookie?
A single lick or crumb of a cookie is unlikely to cause harm, but cookies are best kept off a baby's menu before 2 years because of added sugar. Check for whole nuts, chocolate chunks or raisins, which are choking hazards.
Can toddlers eat chocolate chip cookies?
Toddlers over 2 can have a small chocolate chip cookie as an occasional treat. Choose soft cookies with mini chips, since large chocolate chunks and whole nuts raise the choking risk for young children.
The takeaway
- Store-bought and classic sweet cookies are best saved until about 2 years, because health experts advise no added sugar before age 2.
- Toddlers can share homemade cookies with no added sugar, sweetened with fruit, as part of a snack with fruit or yogurt.
- Choking risk is medium. Wheat is one of the Top 9 allergens: offer a small amount first, watch for a reaction, then keep it in the diet regularly.
Read next
Sources
This guide follows current advice from these organizations.
- Starting Solid Foods American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)
- When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Choking Hazards Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Choking Prevention American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)
- Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture and HHS
- Botulism Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The Effects of Early Nutritional Interventions on the Development of Atopic Disease in Infants and Children Greer FR, Sicherer SH, Burks AW; American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatrics. 2019;143(4):e20190281
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Updated November 2026. Reviewed by our dietitians. Based on AAP, CDC and NIAID guidance. Written for healthy, full-term babies; not a substitute for your pediatrician. If your baby was born early, has a medical condition, feeding difficulties or a known allergy, check with them first (medical disclaimer). Always stay with your baby while they eat.