For a baby just starting to eat bread, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends beginning with brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds. The label ‘multigrain’ or a medium slice does not, on its own, make bread suitable for this early stage. Consider a multigrain option only once your child can sit upright and swallow and chew well. Then check the kernels, seeds, allergens and slice thickness of the bread you buy, and stay with your child while they eat.
For this stage, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting with brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds. Consider what your child can already eat before choosing a multigrain loaf based on slice thickness.
Once your child can sit upright and swallow and chew well, you can decide whether the texture of a particular multigrain bread is suitable. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre highlights these skills when introducing larger pieces.
Check the allergen information on the current packaging and follow the childcare setting or school’s policy when packing bread. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergens must be clearly identifiable on the label.
Start with your child’s eating skills and whether the bread contains kernels or seeds, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre when choosing a first bread. Then read the allergen information and treat slice thickness as a practical feature, not as a measure of suitability on its own.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Starting with bread and texture | Consider whether your child is ready for bread and, at the beginning, choose brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds. | If my baby is just starting to eat bread, I mainly want it to suit what my child can already chew and swallow. For around 50% of consumers, this first step is the priority. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current packaging for the grains, seeds and allergens listed, and look out for information relevant to your child. | If my child has a known allergy or their childcare setting has rules, I need to know exactly what the bread contains. Around 30% of consumers prioritise checking the ingredients. |
| Slice thickness and everyday use | Check the actual slice thickness; ‘half’, ‘whole’ and ‘sliced’ do not tell you this. | Once the type of bread is suitable for my child, I want a slice that’s practical to serve and pack. For around 20% of consumers, this is the main consideration when buying. |
Multigrain bread may contain kernels and seeds. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre specifically recommends starting with brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds.
At the beginning, choose based on the ingredients and texture. Consider a multigrain option later, according to what your child can eat.
These words don’t confirm that a loaf is medium-sliced. They also tell you nothing about kernels, seeds or allergens.
Check the slice thickness on the packaging or ask in store, and check the ingredients separately.
Product information can change, and the composition of the bread you’re using is what matters.
Compare the online information with the ingredients and allergen details on the packaging of the bread you buy.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that a child must be able to sit upright and swallow and chew well before having larger pieces.
If your child hasn’t yet developed these skills, wait, introduce textures gradually and stay with them while they eat.
These examples show why you should check the ingredients and slice thickness of each loaf. They are not a selection of breads for the early stage.
AH Liefde & Passie Meergranen gesneden is a brown multigrain bread.
Waldkorn Meergranen Brood Half is a half brown multigrain bread with kernels and seeds.
ALDI describes Boeren volkoren meergranen Heel as a bread containing grains and seeds.
Lidl describes its Meergranenbrood as a bread made with a blend of grains and seeds.
Bakker van der Akker Bakkers meergranen half is a half multigrain loaf.
PLUS’s multigrain range includes products such as Korenlanders Desem Meergranen Boekweit and Brood van Soma Haverkorn meergranenbrood.
Don’t choose based on the label ‘multigrain’ alone: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends starting after 6 months with brown or wheat bread without kernels or seeds. Whether a particular multigrain bread is suitable later depends on its ingredients and texture, and your child’s eating skills.
No. Slice thickness alone doesn’t determine whether bread is suitable. Check for kernels, seeds and texture too. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, your child must be able to sit upright and swallow and chew well before having larger pieces.
Consider whether bread without the crust is more suitable for what your child can manage at that stage. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends crustless bread in the early stage. Introduce textures gradually and stay with your child while they eat.
Check the current ingredients and allergen information for the specific bread, especially if your child has a known allergy or you’re packing bread for childcare. Multigrain bread may contain various gluten-containing grains, as well as ingredients such as sesame or soya. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergens must be clearly identifiable on the label.
No. Don’t assume the iodine content of a particular bread from the general label ‘bread’. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, iodine compounds may only be present in bread and other bakery products through the addition of baker’s salt. Check the ingredients list to see whether the bread you choose contains iodised salt.
