When choosing bread for baby-led weaning, start with what your baby can already eat rather than relying on claims about a white-and-wholemeal mix. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting with brown or wheat bread without seeds after 6 months; you can then gradually move on to wholemeal bread. Check the ingredients and allergens for every loaf, and adapt the crust and how you serve it to suit your baby.
Your baby is still getting used to coarser textures. You’re looking for bread you can serve without the crust, seeds or grains, in line with the stage the Netherlands Nutrition Centre describes for introducing bread.
Your baby already eats bread and you’d like to introduce wholemeal gradually, without relying solely on its colour or name.
You need clear information about ingredients and allergens, perhaps because of a known allergy or arrangements with your childcare provider. This information can vary from one loaf to another.
Start with your baby’s eating skills, then choose a suitable step towards wholemeal and, finally, check the label on the bread you’re actually buying.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Texture and crust | Check whether you can serve the bread without the crust, seeds or grains, and assess the texture of the slice. | If my baby is still getting used to bread, I want to be able to adapt how I serve it to what they can already eat. Around 42% of consumers prioritise how bread is served. |
| Moving on to wholemeal | Check what type of bread you’re buying and whether it contains seeds or grains; don’t let the product name dictate when you make the switch. | My baby already eats bread and I want to move gradually to wholemeal, without forcing a change to a coarser texture. Around 33% of consumers prioritise this transition. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements, and compare the salt content per 100 g if necessary. | If my baby has a known allergy or there are arrangements with their childcare provider, I need to know what’s in this particular loaf. Checking the label is the top priority for around 25% of consumers. |
The name doesn’t tell you whether the bread contains seeds or grains. For babies over 6 months, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting with brown or wheat bread without seeds or grains.
Read the ingredients list and choose a way of serving the bread that suits what your baby can already eat. Make the move to wholemeal gradually.
Bread may contain wheat and gluten, while other allergens or warnings about possible traces can vary from product to product.
Check the allergen information on the packaging every time you buy it. If you’re packing bread for your child, also check the arrangements at their childcare provider or school.
Bread that’s suitable for a child who can already chew isn’t necessarily the right way to serve it to a baby just starting out. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre describes bread without the crust as one possible early step.
Make sure your baby is sitting down to eat, stay with them and adapt the shape and texture if they’re finding it difficult to eat.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against giving babies salty foods. Toppings can also add salt, so compare the salt content per 100 g of bread products and remember to consider the topping too.
Keep toppings simple during the first-weaning stage and avoid salty ones.
Whether bread is suitable depends on the product you choose and how you serve it, not on the supermarket name. So check the packaging of the bread you buy.
Albert Heijn stocks products including AH Vloerbrood volkoren heel.
Jumbo Fijn Volkoren is a wholemeal wheat bread in Jumbo’s range.
PLUS Boeren volkoren heel is one example of wholemeal wheat bread at PLUS.
ALDI stocks products including sliced white bread, wholemeal bread and maize bread, and has a product page for ALDI Fijn Volkoren.
Dirk’s bread range includes products such as white bread, wholemeal bread, multigrain bread and sourdough bread.
These bread options are most relevant if your baby is already used to eating bread and you’re considering a step towards wholemeal. Assess the texture and check the current label for each product; a product name alone doesn’t make a loaf suitable as a first food.
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Consider this wholemeal bread once your baby is eating bread and coarser textures. Before serving it, assess the texture and adapt how you serve it to suit your baby.
Check the current packaging for wheat, gluten and any other possible allergens, and make sure the ingredients fit your preferences.
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This multipack may be suitable once your baby is eating bread and you want to consider a wholemeal option. Adapt the crust and slice to your baby’s eating skills.
The product name states 550 g x 2. Check the current packaging for ingredients, allergens and salt content per 100 g.
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Consider this option once your baby is used to bread and you want to move on to wholemeal. Assess the crust and texture before serving it.
The product name states 550 g. Read the current ingredients and allergen information, and compare the salt content per 100 g if necessary.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, you can offer a small piece of bread without the crust between 4 and 6 months if your baby is already used to practising with food and eating slightly coarser textures. After 6 months, it recommends starting with brown or wheat bread without seeds or grains. Adapt how you serve it to suit your baby and stay with them while they eat.
No. A gradual transition is more in line with the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice than choosing bread simply because it’s labelled ‘wholemeal’. Start with bread that suits what your baby can already eat, then reassess the texture, seeds and grains when you move on to the next step.
No, bread doesn’t need a topping at this stage; according to the information provided, soft margarine is enough. When choosing a topping, also bear in mind the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice to avoid giving babies salty foods.
No, you can’t assume that every loaf does. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that iodine compounds may be present in bread through added baker’s salt, provided the salt contains no more than 65 mg of iodine per kg. Check the ingredients list to see which salt is used in the bread you’ve chosen.
