Can Babies Eat Noodles?
Yes, from 6 months, soft and cut short. Noodles are one of the easier foods for a baby learning to feed themselves, since they are soft, grippable and forgiving. Two adjustments make them safe: cut the strands into short lengths, and never use the seasoning sachet from instant noodles, which is essentially a packet of salt.
Noodles are a gift when you are weaning. They are soft enough that gums handle them easily, slippery enough to be entertaining, and they carry whatever sauce or vegetables you put with them. The safety notes are short and both are easy to fix, which is not something you can say about most foods with a choking flag next to them.
What are noodles?
Noodles are strands of unleavened dough, usually made from wheat flour and water, sometimes with egg. Rice noodles use rice flour and are naturally gluten free. Udon are thick and soft, soba contain buckwheat, and instant noodles are pre-fried or steamed then dried, which is why they cook in two minutes.
Our pasta page covers the Italian side of the same idea, and much of the advice overlaps.
Noodle nutrition
Chiefly a source of energy. The salt figure depends entirely on whether seasoning is involved.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g cooked, plain |
|---|---|
| Energy | 138 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 25 g |
| Protein | 4.5 g |
| Fibre | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 2.1 g |
| Salt, plain | Trace |
| Salt, instant with sachet | 2 to 4 g per packet |
Typical values for cooked wheat noodles. Note the difference the seasoning sachet makes. Source: USDA FoodData Central.
When can babies eat noodles?
The length of the pieces is what changes with age:
Overcook them slightly and cut to 3 to 5 cm. Thicker noodles like udon are easier to grip than thin ones at this stage.
Keep cutting them. A light tomato or vegetable sauce with no added salt makes them easier to pick up and more interesting.
As chewing and coordination improve, longer noodles become manageable. Many families keep cutting until well past two, which is fine.
Throw the sachet away: instant noodle seasoning can carry 2 to 4 g of salt in one packet, against a daily limit of under 1 g for a baby and about 2 g for a toddler. Cook the noodle block in plain water, drain and rinse it, and dress it with a little oil and vegetables instead. See our salt guide for the full limits.
Soft noodles with vegetables
A complete small meal in under ten minutes:
Soft noodles with vegetables
Makes 2 baby portions, from 6 monthsIngredients
- A small handful of plain wheat or rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
- 2 tablespoons peas
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil or olive oil
Method
- Boil the noodles for a couple of minutes longer than the packet says, so they are very soft.
- Steam the carrot and peas until they squash easily between your fingers.
- Drain the noodles and cut them into short pieces, about 3 to 5 cm long.
- Toss everything with the oil, check the temperature, and cool before serving.
Risks and safety
Choking is the reason noodles need cutting. A long slippery strand can be drawn in quickly and bunch at the back of the throat, which is a different problem from a solid lump but no less worth avoiding. Short pieces, an upright seated baby and supervision handle it.
On allergens, wheat noodles contain gluten and egg noodles contain egg, so if either is new, introduce it on its own and watch. Sesame oil is worth flagging too, since sesame is a recognised allergen in many countries. Finally, noodles hold heat stubbornly and a bowl that feels warm on top can be much hotter inside, so stir well and test before serving.
Noodles FAQ
Can babies eat noodles?
Yes, from around 6 months, cooked until very soft and cut into short pieces. Noodles are easy to eat and good practice for self feeding. The two things to manage are length, since long strands are a choking risk, and salt, since instant noodle seasoning is extremely high in it.
Why do noodles need to be cut up?
A long strand can be sucked in faster than a baby expects and can wrap or bunch at the back of the throat. Cutting noodles to roughly 3 to 5 cm gives your baby something they can pick up and chew without a length of it disappearing down before they are ready.
Are instant noodles safe for babies?
The noodles themselves are, but the seasoning sachet is not. A single packet of instant noodles typically contains 2 to 4 g of salt, which is more than a baby's entire allowance for several days. If you use them, cook the noodles, throw the sachet away, and rinse them.
Which noodles are best for a baby?
Plain wheat noodles, udon and rice noodles all work well because they cook very soft. Egg noodles are fine too, though they introduce egg, so treat that as an allergen introduction. Avoid anything pre-seasoned, and check labels on rice noodles for added salt.
Sources
- Noodle, Wikipedia.
- Choking Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics.
- FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Every baby is different. Talk to your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician about your own baby, and about starting solids or any allergy concerns.
