For a baby who is just starting on bread, soft bread without the crust is more in line with the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice than dry, crunchy toast. If coeliac disease is a concern, choose a product clearly labelled gluten-free and avoid contact with crumbs containing gluten. Also assess the texture on its own, as gluten-free does not automatically mean a product is suitable for your baby’s eating skills.
For coeliac disease, it’s important not only to check that a product is labelled gluten-free, but also to prevent contact with crumbs containing gluten during preparation and serving. The Dutch Coeliac Society emphasises the importance of a strict gluten-free diet for people with coeliac disease.
If you’re moving from practice tastes to bread as part of baby-led weaning, the main thing is to find a texture that suits your baby’s eating skills. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting with bread without the crust; this has a different texture from crunchy toast.
With packaged toast or crackers, check the current gluten-free label, nutritional information and packaging. If food is being taken to nursery or school, it’s also important to agree how to avoid contact with food containing gluten.
If you need to follow a strict gluten-free diet, check the label and how the food is prepared first. Then assess the texture for your baby and compare the salt per 100 g in packaged products.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly gluten-free | Check the current gluten-free label and ingredient information. When preparing food, keep it away from crumbs containing gluten and shared kitchen utensils. | If my baby has coeliac disease, I want to prevent gluten from other bread getting into their food; for around 46% of consumers, confidence that a product is gluten-free is the top priority. |
| Bread or toast texture | Distinguish between soft bread without the crust and crunchy toast or crackers; choose a texture that suits your baby’s eating skills. | For those first bread meals, I’m looking for something my baby can already manage, not just a product with the right label. Around 36% of consumers prioritise a suitable texture to start with. |
| Salt and convenience | Compare salt levels per 100 g and check the packaging again next time you buy. If taking food to nursery or school, agree the arrangements with the people involved. | When choosing something convenient to take along, I also want to know what’s in it and how to keep it separate; for around 18% of consumers, this practical and nutritional balance is the main consideration. |
Schär describes its Zwieback as crunchy, while Albert Heijn calls Van der Meulen Ricetoast crisp. For babies starting on bread, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends bread without the crust, which can be softened if needed.
Choose a texture that matches your baby’s eating skills. Assess crunchy toast separately, even when it is clearly labelled gluten-free.
For a strictly gluten-free diet, the product name isn’t enough: the gluten-free label and avoiding contact with crumbs containing gluten are also important.
Check the current packaging, and use clean utensils and a surface free from crumbs containing gluten when preparing the food.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against giving babies food containing salt. Albert Heijn states that Van der Meulen Ricetoast Naturel contains 1.5 g of salt per 100 g; this is worth considering alongside the gluten-free label.
Compare the nutritional information per 100 g when weighing up toast or crackers against a bread alternative. A gluten-free label tells you nothing about the salt content.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that iodine compounds may be present in bread and other bakery products through the use of baker’s salt. This doesn’t mean that a particular gluten-free bread or toast product is made with that salt.
Use the information for the specific product to check its ingredients. Discuss any questions about a restricted diet over a long period with a qualified nutrition professional.
Schär offers both crunchy gluten-free Zwieback and gluten-free bread products; Jumbo lists several Schär bread products in its range.
Van der Meulen Ricetoast Naturel is a rice toast that Albert Heijn describes as gluten-free and crisp.
Albert Heijn stocks gluten-free products across several bakery categories, including bread and crackers.
Jumbo’s gluten-free bakery range includes Schär bread and rolls.
Bolletje is relevant here as a cracker brand, but its Proteïn & Low carb Crackers are not a gluten-free alternative.
These products are bread alternatives to consider alongside gluten-free toast: a bread mix to prepare yourself and mini baguettes. For both, check the finished bread and the packaging before deciding whether the texture is suitable for your baby.
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For anyone who wants to bake gluten-free bread at home rather than choose ready-made toast. This is a 1 kg bread mix, so you’ll need to prepare it. The texture and crust of the baked bread will depend on the finished result. Check the current packaging and, if you have coeliac disease, avoid contact with gluten during preparation.
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For anyone considering mini baguettes as an alternative to toast. The product name indicates that there are seven pieces; check the packaging for the gluten-free label and preparation instructions. Assess the texture and crust of the finished product separately before offering it to your baby.
No. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that people without a condition requiring it don’t need to eat gluten-free food. For those first bread meals, focus on choosing a suitable texture; the word ‘gluten-free’ doesn’t automatically make a crunchy product suitable.
Not automatically. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting with bread without the crust, while Schär Zwieback and Van der Meulen Ricetoast are described as crunchy. Assess the texture in line with your baby’s eating skills, separately from the gluten-free label.
Check the current packaging for a gluten-free label and avoid contact with crumbs containing gluten during preparation and serving. The Dutch Coeliac Society emphasises that people with coeliac disease need to follow a strict gluten-free diet, so a rice or corn ingredient in the product name alone isn’t enough.
No, that doesn’t follow from the name ‘gluten-free bread’. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that iodine compounds may be present in bread and other bakery products through the use of baker’s salt, but this tells you nothing about the salt used in a particular product. Check the product information to find out.
