First foods database
🍫 Dark chocolate for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat dark chocolate? It is best avoided for babies under 12 months and kept as an occasional treat after that. Dark chocolate contains sugar and caffeine, and many bars contain milk and soya or carry nut warnings.
Good source of: Iron, Magnesium, Copper
How to serve dark chocolate by age
6 to 9 months
Not yet. Babies do not need sugar or caffeine, and their taste for sweet foods grows the more they have. If you want a chocolatey flavour later, a little unsweetened cocoa powder in homemade baking is gentler. For now, ripe banana or mashed berries make a lovely sweet treat.
9 to 12 months
Still best avoided. Fruit-sweetened bakes such as banana and oat muffins are a better treat, and they help keep sweet treats linked to real food rather than sweets.
12 months and up
An occasional small amount is fine, such as a square grated over banana or a little melted thinly over strawberries. Offer it with a meal rather than as a snack on its own, and check labels for milk, soya and nut warnings.
Choking safety
Hard chunks of chocolate can snap into sharp, hard pieces, so grate or melt it thinly for toddlers. Avoid chocolate containing whole nuts or hard pieces for under-5s, and chocolate-coated raisins or nuts too.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Contains caffeine and sugar.
- Often contains milk and soya, and may carry nut warnings.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains milk, soya, which are among the 14 major allergens. How to introduce milk · How to introduce soya
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat dark chocolate?
Can babies eat dark chocolate? It is best avoided for babies under 12 months and kept as an occasional treat after that. Dark chocolate contains sugar and caffeine, and many bars contain milk and soya or carry nut warnings.
When can my toddler have chocolate?
An occasional small amount from 12 months is fine, but it is never needed. Many families wait longer.
Is dark chocolate healthier than milk chocolate?
It has less sugar and more cocoa, but it also has more caffeine, so keep portions small.
How much caffeine is in dark chocolate?
More than in milk chocolate. A small square or two now and then is fine for a toddler, but avoid large amounts, especially close to bedtime.
Sources
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).