Can Babies Have Cheese? When to Start, Best Cheeses and How to Serve It

Can babies have cheese? Yes, once they start solids at about 6 months, as long as it is pasteurized, not too salty and served shredded, thinly sliced or melted rather than in chunks.

Can babies have cheese? Most parents ask the moment their baby reaches for something on their plate. The answer is yes for most babies, with a few simple rules about which cheese to buy and how to cut it.

This guide covers when to start, why cheese is fine before 12 months even though cow’s milk is not, how to avoid Listeria and too much sodium, a serving table by age, and the allergy signs to watch for. Every safety point comes from the CDC, the FDA or the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Can Babies Have Cheese? The Short Answer

Cheese is an easy way to bring dairy into your baby’s diet: it shreds, melts and mixes into soft foods. It is also a common way to introduce milk protein, which the AAP groups with common food allergens.

When Can Babies Eat Cheese?

The CDC says your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months and that introducing foods before 4 months is not recommended. Cheese fits into that same window; there is no separate “dairy age.”

Readiness matters more than the calendar. The AAP describes the signs to look for: good head control, sitting with support (usually around 6 months), interest in food, such as watching it closely and opening the mouth as a spoon comes near, and a weight of at least about 13 pounds, roughly double the birth weight. The CDC adds one more: your baby swallows food instead of pushing it back out onto the chin. Our starting solids guide covers readiness in detail.

The AAP says allergenic foods such as yogurt and other dairy can be introduced once your baby is ready for solids, after a few low-risk first foods have gone well. The CDC lists dairy without added sugars among the foods to offer by 7 or 8 months, so cheese can be on the menu well before your baby’s first birthday.

Cheese vs Cow’s Milk: Why Cheese Is Fine Before 12 Months

The CDC says drinking cow’s milk is not recommended until your child is older than 12 months, because as a main drink it may put babies at risk for intestinal bleeding, has too many proteins and minerals for their kidneys to handle easily, and does not have the right amount of nutrients a baby needs. Breast milk or formula is still the main drink in the first year.

Cheese and yogurt are different. They are eaten in small amounts alongside breast milk or formula, not in place of it. The CDC says other cow’s milk products, such as yogurt without added sugars, can be introduced before 12 months, and the AAP agrees that processed dairy such as plain yogurt can come earlier while whole cow’s milk as a drink waits until after age 1. When your baby does turn 1, our guide on moving from formula to milk explains the switch.

Which Cheese Is Best for Babies?

There is no single “best” cheese. Look for these traits:

• Pasteurized: the CDC says not to give your child unpasteurized foods, including unpasteurized milk, yogurt and cheeses, because they may put your child at risk for harmful bacteria that can cause severe diarrhea. Check every label for “pasteurized.”
• Lower in sodium: the CDC advises avoiding foods high in salt (sodium) for young children. Cheese varies a lot from one type and brand to the next, so compare labels (see the sodium section below).
• Easy to make soft: mild cheeses that shred finely or melt smoothly are the easiest to serve. Soft fresh cheeses such as cottage cheese or ricotta can be mixed straight into purees.
• Plain: skip cheese products with added sugars or flavorings. The CDC says infants and young children should not have added sugars.

Plain whole-milk yogurt is another early dairy option that pairs well with mashed fruit. See our baby puree guide for easy combinations.

Soft Cheese, Raw Milk Cheese and Listeria

Young children get sick from contaminated food more easily than adults. The CDC explains that their immune systems are still developing, so their bodies are not able to fight germs as well, and it lists soft cheese made from unpasteurized (raw) milk among the foods to avoid for children under 5.

Listeria is the germ most closely linked to soft cheese. According to the CDC, soft cheeses, which are high in moisture, are more likely to be contaminated than hard cheeses, and cheese made with unpasteurized milk is more likely to contain Listeria. The CDC singles out queso fresco-type cheeses as fresh, soft, high-moisture, low-acidity cheeses that can support the growth of Listeria. Heating these cheeses to an internal temperature of 165°F, or until steaming hot, kills harmful germs, according to the CDC, and the CDC recommends that everyone choose pasteurized milk and dairy products.

Sodium: How Much Cheese Is Too Much?

Sodium varies widely from one cheese to the next, as a quick look at a few labels will show. The CDC tells parents to avoid feeding foods high in salt (sodium) to young children. None of the sources we checked gives a number for babies, so choose lower-sodium options and keep portions small.

The easiest tool is the Nutrition Facts label. The FDA says that, as a general guide, 5% Daily Value (DV) or less of sodium per serving is considered low and 20% DV or more is considered high. Compare a few cheeses before you buy.

• Offer cheese as one part of a meal, not the whole plate.
• Watch for salt piling up in combination foods such as pizza, packaged macaroni and cheese, and processed cheese slices.

How to Serve Cheese to a Baby by Age

How you cut cheese matters as much as which cheese you buy. The AAP lists chunks of cheese or string cheese among the foods to avoid or modify for young children, and the CDC’s choking hazard list includes “large chunks of cheese, especially string cheese.” The AAP also advises cutting food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch.

A few more safety habits, drawn from the AAP’s choking guidance: supervise every meal, have your baby sit down to eat rather than eating while moving or lying down, and keep the food your baby can manage at their current stage. The AAP says to keep higher-risk foods from children until 4 years of age or older, depending on their development and maturity. For string cheese, peel it into very thin strands or shred it instead of handing over the whole stick.

Once the pincer grasp appears, small soft pieces work well. For finger-food feeding in general, see our baby-led weaning guide, which also explains gagging versus choking.

Cheese as a Dairy Allergen: What to Watch For

Milk is one of the nine major food allergens named by the FDA, and the AAP lists yogurt and other dairy among the common allergenic foods that can be introduced once your baby is ready for solids.

The AAP suggests giving your baby one new food at a time and waiting at least a day before starting another. The CDC suggests waiting 3 to 5 days between each new food when you first start. Offer cheese as the only new food that day, start small, and serve it early in the day so you can watch your baby afterward. Once it goes well, the AAP says to keep allergenic foods in the diet routinely in developmentally appropriate portions.

The AAP says to watch for diarrhea, rash or vomiting after a new food; if any of these occur, stop that food and talk with your pediatrician. The FDA notes that allergic reactions can include hives, flushed skin or a rash, vomiting or diarrhea, and coughing or wheezing, and that they can appear within a few minutes to a few hours after eating. The FDA lists difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat and loss of consciousness among the severe symptoms of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction: call 911 right away if you see them.

If your baby has severe eczema or has already had an allergic reaction to a food, the AAP recommends talking with your pediatrician first about how and when to introduce highly allergenic foods. Our full guide to introducing allergens covers milk alongside eggs and peanut butter.

Easy Cheese Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

Use pasteurized cheese and adjust size and softness to your baby’s stage.

• Cheesy vegetable mash: stir a little finely shredded cheese into warm mashed sweet potato, squash or cauliflower until it melts.
• Ricotta and fruit: mix plain ricotta or cottage cheese with mashed ripe fruit such as banana or pear.
• Soft scrambled egg with cheese: melt shredded cheese into well-cooked scrambled eggs, then cut into small soft pieces.
• Cheese toast strips: thin layer of melted cheese on soft toast, cut into strips your baby can hold.

Need more meal ideas as your baby grows? Try our 9 month old baby food guide.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Strawberries for Baby
• How to Introduce Allergens
• How to Introduce Eggs
• Baby-Led Weaning
• Baby Purees
• Starting Solids

When to Talk to Your Pediatrician

Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your baby has difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat or face, or loses consciousness after eating. The FDA lists these among the severe symptoms of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. If your baby is choking and cannot cry, cough or breathe, call 911 and start infant first aid.

Call your pediatrician’s office if your baby develops a mild rash, a few hives, vomiting or diarrhea after eating cheese; if your baby has severe eczema or a past food reaction and you have not yet introduced dairy; if your baby ate raw-milk cheese and then gets a fever or diarrhea; or if you are unsure how much dairy is right for your child.

Your pediatrician can also help you plan the move to whole cow’s milk at 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions