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grainFrom 6 months

Pizza

First taste
6 months
Choking risk
medium
Common allergen
yes
Iron
low

Occasional only · no honey or firm toppings

May contain meatContains dairy

Contains allergens

Wheat and glutenCow's milk

Each new allergen is offered on its own and watched for two hours. Our allergen introduction guide is available in Turkish for now.

When can babies eat pizza?

You can offer pizza once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months, as long as it is prepared to suit their age. Pizza may contain a lot of sodium, so serve it once in a while and in modest amounts. Most pizza holds dairy, wheat and further common allergens. Before offering it, make sure each of these has been introduced to your baby on its own and safely. Skip any pizza with honey until 12 months, because of infant botulism.

Pizza is a flatbread from the Mediterranean region. The best-known kind has tomato sauce and cheese. Some kinds are topped with just cheese, herbs and olive oil.

How do you prepare pizza for babies?

Which pizza

Whichever pizza suits your culture and family taste is the right one. Sharing a meal can matter even more than the food's nutrition. A margherita pizza (topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a little olive oil) gives carbohydrates, protein and fat, along with calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins A and E and various B vitamins.

Sodium can run high in pizza. Still, even with some salt, sharing family meals brings your baby into the family food culture and lets them try many colors, tastes and textures.

Getting kids interested

Kids like familiar toppings. Fun-looking pizzas draw interest: a smiling face made of mushrooms, rainbow-colored vegetables, or broccoli florets arranged like trees. It can also help to let your child take part in making pizza at home or to choose the toppings.

Preparation by age

The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.

6 months

6 months · How to prepare as a long piece of cruststrip

Cut: Finger strip

Hand your baby a long strip of pizza crust to gnaw on. Choose a thick-crust pizza with a firm edge that will not snap off easily in the mouth. Thin, cracker-like crusts will not work. This will not fill your baby up, but working on the crust trains chewing reflexes and helps them learn the shape of their own mouth. You can also peel off age-appropriate toppings such as soft, well-cooked vegetable slices and share them. Honey can hide in the dough, sauce or toppings of some pizzas. Honey is off the menu for the whole first year.

9 months

9 months · How to prepare as bite-size piecescube

Cut: Bite sized piece

Cut the pizza slice into small, bite-size pieces. Remove cheese globs and firm toppings such as meat cubes, pineapple pieces and large sausage crumbles. Soft toppings like thin slices of cooked mushroom or cooked pepper can stay. You can still offer plain crust, but many babies at this age can bite off pieces that stick to the roof of the mouth and cause gagging. Do not serve pizza with honey.

12 months

12 months · How to prepare as a sliceslice

If you trust your child's biting and tearing skills, give a slice with the pointed tip trimmed so it does not droop. Soft, thin pieces of pizza can clump in the mouth and cause gagging. Avoid pizza with a stuffed crust, since melted cheese inside raises choking risk. You can also keep serving bite-size pieces with hard-to-chew toppings removed. If your child keeps overstuffing the mouth, give fewer pieces at a time.

Is pizza a choking hazard for babies?

Choking risk: medium

Thick crust, globs of cheese and toppings are hard to chew and turn gummy in the mouth. Give a long piece of crust and remove cheese globs and firm toppings.

Pizza carries a choking risk. Heavy chunks of crust, lumps of cheese and many toppings are hard to chew and can go gummy in your baby's mouth.

Prepare pizza to suit your baby's age: a long crust piece at 6 months, small pieces without cheese globs or firm toppings at 9 months, and a slice with the tip cut off at 12 months. Avoid cheese-stuffed crusts. Stay close while your baby eats and keep them upright.

Is pizza a common allergen?

Pizza contains common allergens. At a minimum it has dairy (cheese) and wheat, both common allergens. Depending on the recipe, it may also hold egg, anchovies or other fish, shellfish, nuts in pesto, sesame or soy.

Before offering pizza, introduce the common allergens one by one and rule out allergy. That way, if your baby reacts, you will know which allergen is responsible. By the time you offer pizza, you can be sure your baby has already eaten its allergens safely.

Honey

Honey is sometimes in the dough, sauce or toppings. Do not give honey before 12 months, since it can cause infant botulism.

Key nutrients

CarbohydratesProteinFatCalciumSodium

Frequently asked questions about pizza

Can babies eat pizza?

Yes, around 6 months, if prepared for their age and its allergens were introduced before. It can be high in sodium, so keep it occasional and modest.

Which pizza crust suits a baby?

A thick crust with a firm edge that does not snap easily. Thin, cracker-like crusts do not suit.

Can I give stuffed-crust pizza?

No. The melted cheese inside raises the choking risk.

Sources for this page

  1. Dünya Sağlık Örgütü. (2023). Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6-23 months of age.
  2. NHS. (n.d.). Preparing food safely for babies.
  3. CDC, Infant and Toddler Nutrition. (n.d.). Choking Hazards.

Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides

Medical note

This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.

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Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com