Chips

Make sure to serve chips in an age-appropriate way, as they pose an increased choking risk for babies and toddlers.^[1]

Because they are common choking hazards, it is best to wait until around the second birthday to share chips, or whenever the child has molars and shows very strong chewing skills and the ability to listen to directions. Note that chips may contain common allergens like wheat or soy.

Chips—thin, crispy slices of starchy vegetables, fried or baked until brittle—exist in some form in nearly every culture in the world. In the United Kingdom and much of the Commonwealth, these chips go by the name crisps. The version most familiar in North America is perhaps the potato chip, developed in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, but the category is much broader: tortilla chips made from corn, plantain chips common across South America and West Africa, cassava chips found throughout South and Southeast Asia and many, many more.

• Offer water alongside chips. Chips can be dry; serving with a small cup of water can help the child better manage the chips in their mouth.

Yes. Chips typically have a hard, brittle texture, sharp edges, and can break into pieces that are difficult to move around in the mouth, qualities that increase the risk of choking. Note that the texture of chips often changes when stale, which can further increase the risk of choking or aspiration. To reduce the risk, wait until the child is older and, when they are ready, serve chips in an age-appropriate way as described in How to Serve. As always, create a safe eating environment and stay within reach of the child during meals.

Learn the signs of choking and more about choking first aid in our free guides, Infant Rescue and Toddler Rescue.

It depends on the variety. Some may contain allergens such as wheat, dairy, or soy, while others are free of all common allergens. Read the label carefully to look for common allergens before sharing chips with a child.

It is important to introduce common food allergens individually and rule out a food allergy before offering a child prepared foods that contain multiple potential food allergens. This way, when you are ready to share any particular kind of chip, you will be confident that the child has already safely eaten any common food allergens in it. This approach can also help you quickly identify potential culprits in the unlikely event that the child experiences an allergic reaction after eating a chip.

No. Chips in their whole, unmodified form pose an increased choking risk, making them unsafe to share with babies. In addition, their sharp edges pose a risk of scratching or hurting a baby’s mouth or throat in the case of a poorly managed bite of chip. That said, chips can be made safe for babies by crushing or grinding them and incorporating into a meal until they are no longer very firm or crunchy.

Yes. Puffs and dissolvable snacks marketed for babies are specifically designed to dissolve quickly in the mouth with minimal chewing and do not pose the same choking risk as conventional chips. Make sure baby is feeding themselves the food and that the puffs aren’t stale, as having food placed in the mouth and stale, chewy puffs both increase the risk of choking.

It depends. Regardless of a chip's ingredients, the choking risk is generally the same. Chips made from vegetables may offer more fiber, vitamins, and minerals compared to other chips, but most chips tend to be high in sodium.

In the United Kingdom and much of the Commonwealth (Australia, New Zealand, parts of Canada, South Africa, and others), crisps is the standard term for what other English-speaking parts of the world call chips, and “chips” refers to what are known in American English as french fries.