For your baby’s first piece of bread, focus on their stage of eating and the texture rather than choosing between white and wholemeal. Choose a soft piece without crust, kernels or seeds. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds as a starting point from 6 months. Once your baby can manage the texture, you can consider wholemeal bread for a higher-fibre option. Check the current ingredients and allergen information for each variety.
You’re looking for a piece of bread that suits a baby who is still getting used to solid textures. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that, at the start, your baby’s stage of eating and choosing bread without kernels or seeds are important.
You want to compare white bread with brown or wholemeal bread, while also making sure the texture is right for your baby. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre highlights wholemeal bread as a particularly high-fibre type of bread.
You need to consider a food sensitivity or the rules at a nursery or school when choosing bread. Check the allergen information for the specific bread and ask the setting separately about its policy.
First, check whether your baby is ready for bread and what texture is suitable. Then compare the type of bread and check the ingredients of the variety you want to buy.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Texture to start with | At the start, choose bread that can be offered soft, without crust, kernels or seeds. From 6 months, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds. | When offering my baby their first piece of bread, I mainly want to choose a texture that suits their stage of eating. For around 42% of consumers, this starting texture is the top priority. |
| Type of bread and fibre | Check that the variety is genuinely wholemeal and, if needed, compare the nutritional information per 100 g. Assess the texture separately from the bread’s name or colour. | Once my baby is managing the texture well, I want to be able to compare white bread with a wholemeal variety for its fibre content. This is the most important consideration for around 33% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients list and check for statements about allergens that are present or may be present. If the bread is going to nursery or school, ask about the setting’s rules too. | If I need to watch out for allergens, I want to know what’s in this particular variety of bread before offering it or packing it. For around 25% of consumers, this check is the top priority. |
A higher-fibre bread won’t automatically suit a baby who is still getting used to bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting with bread without crust and, from 6 months, brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds.
Start with a suitable, soft texture. Then consider whether a coarser wholemeal variety is right for your baby’s stage of eating.
Ingredients and statements about possible allergens vary from product to product. So the type of bread or brand name is no substitute for checking the specific variety.
Check the current packaging when you buy it. For unpackaged bread, ask for the allergen information.
In its sample menu for children aged 6 to 8 months, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre shows bread alongside milk feeds. According to the example, replacing a milk feed with a meal starts from 8 months.
In the early stages, treat bread as part of practising with solid foods, not as a standalone replacement for a milk feed.
The allergen information on a bread packet won’t tell you what lunch rules apply at a particular setting.
Before packing lunch, ask the nursery or school what rules apply to bread and allergens.
Albert Heijn has an online category for wholemeal bread.
Jumbo provides product information for Jumbo Fijn Volkoren.
Lidl provides an ingredients and allergen overview for its freshly baked bread range.
ALDI lists a sliced Fijn Volkoren in its bread range.
PLUS provides product information for PLUS Boeren volkoren heel.
Dirk lists a wholemeal hearth loaf in its bread range.
This wholemeal flatbread is worth considering if you’re looking for an alternative to white bread. Before offering it, check that its texture suits your baby’s stage of eating.
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A wholemeal flatbread option to consider if you’re weighing up the type of bread against the texture your baby can manage.
Check the current packaging for ingredients and allergens. Also assess the texture and check for any crust, kernels or seeds before offering it.
For your baby’s first piece of bread, focus on their stage of eating and a suitable texture, not just the colour. From 6 months, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds as a starting point.
No, the texture needs to suit your baby’s stage of eating first. Wholemeal bread is an option if you’re thinking about fibre, but check the crust, kernels and seeds in your chosen variety too.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says toppings aren’t needed during the first-tastes stage. So, when first introducing bread, you can focus on the bread itself and choosing a suitable texture.
Not in the early stages of introducing bread. In its sample menu for children aged 6 to 8 months, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre shows bread alongside milk feeds. According to the example, replacing a milk feed with a meal starts from 8 months.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging for the specific bread. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how allergens are listed on labels. For unpackaged bread, ask the seller for allergen information.
