Learn how to make the yummiest toast for baby (and toddlers) with these easy ideas for nutritious, delicious, and easy-to-eat toast toppings.
Strips of toast with a soft, nourishing topping is one of the easiest baby meals—especially as a baby-led weaning food. It is an easy baby food that can be offered soon after starting solids and is incredibly versatile and useful.
As with bread for babies, there is no one perfect way to make this food, but there are some tips to keep in mind.
I’ll cover tips for the types of bread to try when making toast for babies, settings for how much to actually toast the bread, topping suggestions, and frequently asked questions to help you know what to expect. This can also be used as a super simple baby snack!
(You may also like Baby Pancakes, yogurt for babies, First Birthday Smash Cake, and crackers for babies and toddlers.
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make toast for a baby or toddler, you need bread—which can be whole grain (without large seeds or nut pieces), sourdough, or another type of sandwich or loaf bread—and a topping such as:
- Peanut butter baby food, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or other nut or seed butter
- Hard-cooked egg yolks, mashed into a pureed egg for baby
- Sweet Potato Baby Food
- Butternut Squash Baby Food Puree
- Avocado puree
- Blueberry Chia Seed Jam
- Any homemade baby food puree or baby food combination
- Whole-milk yogurt, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, or other soft style of cheese
TIP: When choosing bread for baby, remember that it’s OK if you try different kinds over time. I like to use whole grain sandwich or sliced loaves of bread for babies, which you can look for in the bakery aisle of your supermarket. You can also try sourdough or another type of bread your family prefers. Avoid bread with honey for kids under age 1.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process of making toast for a baby so you know what to expect.
- Lightly toast the bread so it’s firm to the touch and lightly golden brown, but not burned. (We toast the bread since it’s less likely to immediately get stuck to the roof of a baby’s mouth when it’s a little firmer to start.)
- Let cool at least slightly, then cut into strips about as wide as one or two fingers. This size is easy for a baby doing baby-led weaning foods to pick up and hold in their hands.
- Top with a thin layer of desired topping.
- Sit with baby during their meal and replace their piece if it gets mushy or stuck on the roof of their mouth. Watch to ensure they don’t break off a large piece. You can add more topping if they suck it off.
How to Store
You can store toasted strips of bread in a container at room temperature for about two days. You can also store it in the refrigerator, but it will soften slightly.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can offer a finger size piece of lightly toasted bread soon after starting solids, or around 6 months. Avoid bread with large seeds or nuts, and avoid bread made with honey for babies under age 1.
Lightly toast the bread so it’s a little firmer, then add a thin layer of a topping (see above in the post for examples) and offer to baby to hold and feed themselves.
Yes, babies can eat toast and it’s a classic and common baby-led weaning food.
Best Tips for Success
- Use a whole grain bread, sourdough bread, artisanal bread, or other bread your family likes to share with baby.
- Avoid bread with large seeds or nuts, which could be a choking hazard, and avoid honey for babies in bread until baby is over 12 months.
- Cut into sticks about the size of one or two fingers.
- Top with a thin layer of topping such as a mashed baby food, nut or seed butter, avocado, hard-cooked egg yolk, or whole-milk yogurt.
Related Recipes
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Toast for Baby: Tips and Toppings
Ingredients
- 1 slice bread (whole grain, sourdough, artisanal, or other bread)
- 1-2 tablespoons topping (such as a mashed baby food, nut or seed butter, avocado, hard-cooked egg yolk, or whole-milk yogurt, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, or other soft cheese.)
Instructions
- Lightly toast the bread until lightly golden brown and just firm to the touch.
- Cut into a strip that's the thickness of 1-2 fingers.
- Add a thin layer of topping and offer to baby.
- Sit with baby during their meal and replace their piece if it gets mushy or stuck on the roof of their mouths. Ensure they don't break off a large piece. You can add more topping if they suck it off.
Equipment
Notes
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- You can store toasted strips of bread in a container at room temperature for about two days. You can also store it in the refrigerator, but it will soften slightly.
- Use a whole grain bread, sourdough bread, artisanal bread, or other bread your family likes to share with baby.
-
- Avoid bread with large seeds or nuts, which could be a choking hazard, and avoid bread made with honey until baby is over 12 months.
-
- Cut into sticks about the size of one or two fingers.
-
- Top with a thin layer of topping such as a mashed baby food, nut or seed butter, avocado, hard-cooked egg yolk, or whole-milk yogurt, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, or other soft cheese.
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