Introduction
At the end of their first year of life, infants usually begin to take an interest in the food of the whole family. A common question here is when the baby can or may eat bread or bread crust? It is important to know that the child only has to eat bread if he or she shows interest in it.
Provided that the baby gets enough milk porridge or breast milk, he or she will take in sufficient nutrients. Bread is therefore only an additive and not a staple food for babies. In addition, one must differentiate between the different types of bread. As babies at 9-12 months do not have a complete set of teeth, they find it very difficult to chew bread crust or firm bread. It should therefore be started with a loose white bread.
From when can babies eat bread/bread crust?
A good age to familiarize the baby with the consumption of bread is the 9-12 month of life. Although the child does not yet have fully developed molars, as these first begin to grow around the first birthday, soft bread can already be eaten. However, bread crust or bread types with grains should be avoided at the beginning, as these cannot yet be chewed and digested well.
Only when the heads of the first molars show, you can start to give small pieces of bread crust (see: Teeth of the baby’s molars). In general, it is advisable to cut the bread into small pieces, as the child cannot yet bite due to the absence of the incisors. Also the administration of tea or water makes it easy for the child to chew the bread.
With which bread should one begin?
To make it easier for the baby to chew, you can start with soft white bread. However, as part of a balanced healthy diet, care should be taken to ensure that dark bread is also eaten. Often children who are only used to toast bread are not as willing to eat dark bread with grains as other children.
Among the types of bread that are suitable for beginners are mixed wheat bread, rye bread, sourdough bread, finely ground spelt bread and a farmhouse bread. Care should be taken to cut off the edge first. Banana bread can also be given, as it is very soft and rich. Bread with seeds should be avoided at the beginning, as the seeds are still difficult for babies to digest and chew. But with increasing age you can start with bread that also has small seeds, like some sunflower seed breads for example.
How much bread should the baby eat?
It is important for parents to know that bread is only an addition in this developmental phase. Milk pudding would also be sufficient at the age of 9-12 months. Many parents therefore slowly introduce the eating of bread into their daily meals.
Starting with a quarter of a loaf of bread cut into small pieces, the amount can be increased over time. In addition, when consuming bread, it should always be ensured that the baby also drinks a lot to make digestion easier. A slice of bread with butter and a glass of milk represents the normal amount that a toddler should consume in the evening. Keep away from other types of bread, such as cheese or sausage.
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