TinyPlate™
← Check another food
Can my baby have chocolate?
A quick, age-by-age answer with how to serve it safely. Checked against AAP, Solid Starts.
Wait until 12 months.
Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, stimulants that can disrupt a baby’s sleep and cause irritability. Dark chocolate has the most.
How to serve: Save it for after the first birthday, and keep dark chocolate minimal until age 2.
Tiny tastes of milk chocolate are okay, keep it minimal.
After 12 months an occasional small taste of milk chocolate is generally fine. Dark chocolate and cacao are higher in stimulants, so keep those minimal until age 2. Chocolate is also added sugar, which the AAP says to avoid under 2.
How to serve: Keep it occasional and small. Skip dark chocolate for now.
Fine in moderation from age 2.
From age 2, chocolate in moderation is okay. It is still a treat with added sugar and some caffeine, so it is best kept occasional.
How to serve: Treat it as an occasional sweet, not an everyday food.
Sources: AAP, Solid Starts. This is general guidance, not medical advice. Ask your pediatrician about your child.
Check any food for chocolate’s exact stage
TinyPlate checks any food for your baby’s exact age, tracks the top 9 allergens, and builds a week of safe meals from what’s already in your kitchen.
Download TinyPlate