If your baby is still learning to manage pieces of food, choose soft bread without the crust rather than crisp rusks or sourdough crispbread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists crustless bread as an option for a baby’s first tastes of bread. Sourdough alone tells you nothing about whether the texture is suitable. Offer larger pieces only when your baby can sit upright and swallow and chew well. Stay with them while they eat, and check the salt and allergens on the packaging.
Your baby is practising with coarser textures and learning to eat independently. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists crustless bread as an option for a baby’s first tastes of bread; this is a different type of product from crisp rusks or crispbread.
You’re looking for sourdough because you like the flavour or prefer this type of product. Check whether you’re buying soft bread, rusks or crispbread: the Wasa and Leksands sourdough products mentioned here are crispbreads.
Before offering a product or packing it to take with you, you want to know which gluten-containing cereals and other allergens are listed on the packaging. Check any specific requirements from your childcare provider or school separately.
For baby-led weaning, first consider your baby’s eating skills and the type of product. Then check the ingredients, allergens and salt content on the label of the product you’re thinking of offering.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Eating skills and texture | Compare soft crustless bread with the crisp texture of rusks or crispbread. Before offering larger pieces, your baby should be able to sit upright and swallow and chew well. Stay with them while they eat, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. | My baby is learning to eat larger pieces, so I want to choose a texture that suits their ability to swallow and chew. This is the main consideration for around 46% of consumers. |
| Salt and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen list, and compare the salt per 100 g. Check any specific requirements from your childcare provider or school. | If my child has a food allergy or there are requirements from childcare, I want to know what the product contains and consider its salt content too. Around 36% of consumers give these label checks the highest priority. |
| Sourdough and product type | Check whether the packaging says bread, rusks or crispbread; sourdough alone doesn’t tell you what the texture is like. | I’m looking for the flavour of sourdough, but don’t want to accidentally buy crispbread when I mean rusks. This product preference matters most to around 18% of consumers. |
The Wasa and Leksands sourdough products discussed here are crisp crispbreads, not soft pieces of bread. The word ‘sourdough’ doesn’t tell you whether your baby can manage that texture yet.
Start by considering your baby’s eating skills and the type of product. For larger pieces, follow the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s guidance on sitting upright, swallowing, chewing and supervision.
Wholegrains or a fibre claim won’t tell you whether the crisp texture of crispbread is suitable for your baby’s eating skills.
Consider the texture first, then check the information about salt and allergens too.
For the ingredients and allergens in the product you’re offering, the information on the current packaging is what matters.
Check the packaging when you buy it, especially if a specific allergen or a requirement from your childcare provider is a consideration.
Wasa Sourdough Rye and Wasa Sourdough Multigrain are sourdough crispbreads, not traditional rusks.
Leksands Sourdough Crispbread is worth considering if you’re specifically looking for sourdough and mean crispbread rather than rusks.
Bolletje Traditional Rusks are regular rusks, making it easier to see the difference between these and sourdough crispbread.
Sourdough alone isn’t a reason to choose a crisp product as your baby’s first taste of bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends crustless bread for a baby who is already used to practising with food and trying coarser textures. Only offer larger pieces when your baby can sit upright and swallow and chew well, and stay with them while they eat.
Don’t assume it is. Albert Heijn lists rye in Wasa Sourdough Rye, while Jumbo lists rye and wheat in Leksands Sourdough Crispbread. Check the allergen information on the packaging of the exact product.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against giving babies food with salt. So if you’re considering rusks or crispbread, compare the salt per 100 g shown on the current packaging.
You can’t assume this is the case for every product. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how iodine may be present in bakery products through the use of baker’s salt. For an individual product, check the current product information or ask the manufacturer which salt was used.
