Allergen note
Wheat is one of the most common food allergens. Introduce it from around 6 months in a cooked form such as wheat cereal, soft pasta or lightly toasted bread strips, with no other new foods the first time, then keep it in the diet regularly. If your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy, talk to your pediatrician first.
How to serve
Flour is always eaten cooked, never raw. From about 6 months, offer a smooth porridge of wheat flour cooked in water, with breast milk or formula stirred in once it has cooled a little, or strips of soft pancake made without sugar. From 9 months, offer small pieces of pancake, muffin or flatbread; toddlers can share family breads and bakes made with little salt and no added sugar.
Preparation
Raw flour can carry E. coli and Salmonella, so cook porridge until it thickens and loses its raw taste, or bake goods all the way through; never let children eat raw dough, batter or homemade play dough made with raw flour. For porridge, whisk the flour into cold liquid first to keep it smooth, then simmer for a few minutes while stirring.
Texture and choking risk
Cooked flour is not a typical choking hazard on its own, but thick, sticky porridge or doughy, underbaked goods can clump in the mouth, and dry flour can be inhaled and cause coughing. Keep porridge smooth and loose enough to slide off a spoon, bake goods through, store flour out of reach and always supervise.
Starting ages are typical guidance for healthy, full-term babies who show signs of readiness. Your paediatrician may advise differently, especially where there is a family history of allergy.
Track first tastes and reactions
Log when your child first tries wheat flour, note any reaction and see it in the allergen tracker.
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