White multiseed bread isn’t a suitable first choice for a baby who is just learning to eat bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting with brown or wheat bread without seeds. Offer larger pieces only when your baby can sit upright and swallow and chew well. With multiseed bread, also check the ingredients and allergens for the specific product.
For your baby’s first experiences with bread, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends brown or wheat bread without seeds. If you offer larger pieces, it’s also important that your baby can sit upright and swallow and chew well.
If your baby is already practising with lumpier foods, their development matters more than age alone. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends introducing different textures gradually and staying with your baby while they eat.
If you’re choosing bread for the family or to take with you, information about wheat, sesame and other allergens may help you decide. Check the product you choose, and ask for allergen information if buying unpackaged bread.
For your baby’s first experience with bread, choose a loaf without seeds. When offering larger pieces, take your baby’s abilities into account and check the product information for each loaf.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| First bread texture | Start with bread without seeds. Offer larger pieces only when your baby can sit upright and swallow and chew well. | If my baby is just learning to eat bread, I want a loaf that lets them get used to the texture gradually, and I’ll stay with them while they eat; for around 50% of consumers, this first bread texture is the top priority. |
| Type of bread and fibre | Read the bread description and nutritional information; visible seeds don’t automatically make white bread wholemeal. | If you also want to consider fibre, check whether the bread is white, brown or wholemeal without making this the basis of your baby’s first bread choice. Around 30% of consumers prioritise this consideration. |
| Allergens | Check the latest allergen information, including for unpackaged bread, and check the school or childcare setting’s policy separately. | If I’m choosing bread for someone with an allergy or for childcare, I want to know more than just whether it contains wheat. For around 20% of consumers, allergen information is the most important consideration. |
A more varied texture doesn’t necessarily make a bread suitable as a first choice. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre specifically recommends starting with bread without seeds.
For your baby’s first experiences with bread, choose brown or wheat bread without seeds, then introduce lumpier textures gradually.
Seeds on or in the bread don’t automatically make a white loaf wholemeal. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholegrain products contain more fibre and other nutrients than white grain products.
Check the type of bread and its nutritional information separately from whether it contains seeds.
Jumbo Boeren Licht Meerzaden also lists sesame and soya. PLUS Rustiek meerzadenbroodje wit lists rye and sesame, among other allergens. Allergens vary from product to product.
Read the latest information on the packaging, or ask for it if buying unpackaged bread. If the bread is going to school or childcare, check their policy too.
Albert Heijn describes AH Liefde & Passie Meerzaden and AH Les Pains Triomphe as white multiseed breads.
Jumbo Boeren Licht Meerzaden is a white wheat bread containing, among other things, linseed, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
PLUS offers, among other products, a rustic white multiseed roll and a white multiseed loaf under the Korenlanders brand.
Lidl provides an ingredients and allergens guide for its freshly baked bread range.
No, not as a first choice. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting from six months with brown or wheat bread without seeds. Calling it ‘multiseed’ doesn’t change that advice.
Offer larger pieces only when your baby can sit upright independently and swallow and chew well. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends introducing lumpier textures gradually and staying with your baby while they eat.
No, check all the allergens for the specific bread. For example, Jumbo Boeren Licht Meerzaden lists wheat, sesame and soya, while PLUS Rustiek meerzadenbroodje wit lists wheat, rye and sesame, among other allergens. Read the latest information on the packaging, or ask for allergen information if buying unpackaged bread.
