Get Started First Foods® Database Book Gift

Tacos

Prepared

Age Suggestion

6 months

Iron-Rich

Yes

Common Allergen

Yes

three soft tacos next to each other, one filled with avocado, black beans, and tomato, the other filled with black bean, lettuce and queso fresco, and the last with cabbage, squash, and cilantro

When can babies have tacos?

Tacos made with soft corn tortillas and age-appropriate fillings can be modified and shared as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.

Tacos are as diverse as the kitchens in which they are made. While the exact origin of the taco is unknown, Indigenous peoples across Central and South America have been wrapping food in corn tortillas long before Taco Tuesday entered weekly meal plans worldwide. In Mexico, home of the modern taco, tortillas may be filled with beans, vegetables, fish, or offal meats like heart, liver, and tongue, then topped with mole or salsa. Global interest in Mexican cooking has led to new taco interpretations influenced by different cultures and ingredients, such as wheat tortillas stuffed with spicy Korean barbecue, crispy tacos filled with tangy Filipino sisig, and French tacos that resemble a burrito stuffed with doner kebab.

How do you serve tacos to babies?

Every baby develops on their own timeline, and the suggestions on how to cut or prepare particular foods are generalizations for a broad audience.

6 months old +:

Cut a soft corn tortilla into halves or strips about the width of two adult fingers pressed together, then offer with fillings cut into age-appropriate sizes, such as avocado spears, chayote spears, cooked bell pepper strips, mashed beans, or sweet potato wedges. You can offer a small drizzle of crema, mole, or salsa once common allergens in the sauces have been safely introduced. Make sure any seasonings or sauces on baby’s food are suited to baby’s tolerance for spicy food. Try to avoid wheat or flour tortillas at this age, as they tend to get gummier in baby’s mouth. If you would like to offer a wheat tortilla, try toasting or lightly frying in a pan to make the tortilla less gummy. Crispy or hard-shelled tacos pose a higher risk of choking, so hold off on serving these until age 2.

9 months old +:

Serve bite-sized pieces of soft corn tortilla and low-sodium fillings to encourage baby to practice their developing pincer grasp (where the index finger and thumb meet). Try to avoid wheat or flour tortillas at this age, as they tend to get gummier in baby’s mouth. If you would like to offer a wheat tortilla, try toasting or lightly frying in a pan to make the tortilla less gummy. Avoid cubes of meat or cheese, as these foods pose a higher risk of choking. If you’re not sure how to prepare part of the taco, search for the specific food in the First Foods database to see age-appropriate serving suggestions. Continue to expose baby to a variety of fillings, flavors, and spices.

12 months old +:

Continue to offer bite-sized pieces of taco filling to hone the pincer grasp and encourage utensil practice. Soft corn or wheat tortillas may be offered whole or cut into strips about the size of two adult fingers pressed together to help the child develop tearing and biting skills. Continue to avoid crispy or hard-shelled tacos due to choking risk. When you and your toddler feel ready, try offering a whole taco made with soft tortilla and fillings cut into age-appropriate sizes. The taco may fall apart, but that’s okay—practice is part of the journey. The smaller the taco, the more success a young toddler is likely to have in consuming it, so consider using small tortillas or cutting a taco in half.

24 months old +:

At this age, feel free to serve whole tacos, but don’t worry if a child continues to deconstruct the taco and eat the components on their own. If your child has developed mature eating skills (taking small bites with their teeth, moving food to the side of the mouth when chewing, chewing thoroughly before swallowing, not stuffing food in their mouth, and spitting out food when it is not well chewed) they may be ready to practice eating hard taco shells, if desired. It's important to note that swallowing part of an unchewed crispy taco shell can certainly be uncomfortable, but is most likely not harmful to the esophagus.

a photograph of a hand holding a strip of corn tortilla spread with mashed black beans, a wedge of avocado, and a spear of cooked sweet potato — A strip of soft corn tortilla spread with mashed beans and some large pieces of age-appropriate taco fillings for babies 6 months +

a photograph of a hand holding bite-sized pieces of soft corn tortilla, flattened beans, cooked sweet potato, and avocado — Bite-sized pieces of soft corn tortilla and age-appropriate fillings for babies 9 months +

Videos

Milo, 6 months, eats half a corn tortilla with mashed black beans spread on it.

Anjani, 6 months, eats corn tortilla with black bean spread and avocado.

Julian, 2.5 years, eats tacos al pastor (soft corn tortilla with pork).

Are tacos a choking hazard for babies?

They can be. Wheat tortillas can get gummy in the mouth, and some tacos have hard, crunchy taco shells or challenging-to-chew fillings like cubes of meat or chunks of cheese, qualities that increase the risk of choking. To reduce the risk, prepare and serve tacos in an age-appropriate way as described in the How to Serve section. As always, make sure you create a safe eating environment and stay within an arm’s reach of baby during meals.

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

Do tacos contain common allergens?

Yes. Depending on the type, tacos may include dairy, egg, finned fish, shellfish, sesame, soy, and wheat. Corn tortillas may contain wheat; wheat tortillas may contain wheat or soy, and taco fillings may contain dairy, fish, sesame and shellfish allergens.

It is important to introduce each common food allergen and rule out a food allergy before sharing prepared foods that contain multiple potential food allergens. This way, when you are ready to share a taco, you will be confident that baby has already eaten any common food allergens in it. This approach can also help you narrow the possibilities of which food is responsible if baby has an allergic reaction.

As you would when introducing any new food, start by offering a small quantity for the first few servings. If there is no adverse reaction, gradually increase the quantity over future meals.

Are tacos healthy for babies?

Yes. While ingredients vary, tacos generally offer carbohydrates from the tortilla for energy, protein and iron from meats and beans to fuel growth, fat for brain development and energy for play, calcium from cheese to support bone health, and fiber from salsa and beans, which supports the developing microbiome in baby’s gut. Opt for tacos made with pasteurized cheese, as eating raw/unpasteurized cheese carries a significantly increased risk of foodborne illness, to which babies are more susceptible.

Taco ingredients are endless, so get creative as the child’s eating skills develop. For example, experiment with proteins such as meat, fish, or tofu, grains like rice and quinoa, and vegetables such as mushrooms, nopales, peppers, or squash. Top tacos with your favorite sauces like chimichurri, guacamole, or plain yogurt, herbs like cilantro and chives, and cheese.

Can babies eat taco seasoning?

Dishes that contain taco seasoning as an ingredient may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. While some taco seasonings can be high in sodium, a taste here and there of a dish containing taco seasoning is fine as part of a varied diet. Note that some taco seasonings contain common food allergens, so make sure to read the label before serving.

Can babies have hot sauce?

Yes, but it depends on the specific type of hot sauce and baby's individual tolerance for spicy food. Hot sauces can cause a burning sensation in the mouth, and we want to try and offer enjoyable eating experiences early on in baby’s solids journey. That said, some hot sauces are quite mild, and every person’s individual tolerance to spice is different and can change with time, so whenever you do decide to let a child taste hot sauce, start with a tiny amount of a mild variety and let them choose how much they would like (i.e. drip a small amount onto their plate for dipping rather than drizzling onto their food). Offer it alongside a cooling food, like sour cream, mashed avocado, or yogurt to help balance the spiciness.

How do you deconstruct tacos for toddlers?

Try offering small amounts of the taco’s components separately on a plate for toddlers. For example, you could place cooked ground meat, a slice of avocado, small scoops of salsa and sour cream, and a bit of shredded cheese on the child’s plate, as well as an age-appropriate piece of tortilla on the side. See our serving by age section for more details on how to offer deconstructed tacos that are safe for babies and kids.