FirstNom
Herbs & spices
Cinnamon for babies
There is no reason to feed a baby bland food. Cinnamon is a good first spice: warm, sweet-tasting without sugar, and it goes in almost anything.
When can babies have cinnamon?
From around 6 months. Only salt, sugar and honey are restricted in an infant diet — herbs and spices are not, and early exposure to varied flavours makes for a less fussy toddler.
How do you serve cinnamon to a baby?
The shape is what makes a food safe, and it changes as your baby’s grip and chewing change. Find your baby’s age band.
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6–8 months
A pinch stirred into porridge, apple purée, yogurt or sweet potato mash.
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9–11 months
In cooking and baking.
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12–18 months
As the family uses it.
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18–24 months
As the family uses it.
Prep tip
A pinch of cinnamon in porridge or apple makes it taste sweeter with no sugar. It is the single most useful spice in a baby's kitchen.
Storage
Ground spices lose potency within a year. Buy small quantities.
Is cinnamon a choking hazard for babies?
Ground cinnamon stirred into food poses no risk. Never let a child inhale dry cinnamon powder, and cinnamon sticks are a hard object that should not be given as a teether.
Whatever you serve, stay within arm’s reach, keep your baby upright in a supportive seat, and never let them eat in a moving car, buggy or carrier. Gagging is loud and normal. Choking is silent.
Is cinnamon a common allergen?
Cinnamon is not a common allergen, though large amounts of cassia cinnamon carry coumarin, which is best not consumed daily in quantity. Ceylon cinnamon has far less. Ordinary pinches in cooking are not a concern.
Is cinnamon healthy for babies?
Nutritionally negligible in the amounts used, but that is not why it is here. A baby fed bland food learns to expect bland food. Cinnamon makes porridge, apple and yogurt taste sweeter without any added sugar, which is a genuinely useful trick.
| Manganese | High |
|---|---|
| Polyphenols | Very high |
| Calcium | Some |
| Iron per serving | ~0.1 mg |
Common questions about cinnamon
Can babies have spices?
Yes, from 6 months. The only things restricted are salt, sugar and honey. Herbs, spices, garlic and citrus are all fine and help build acceptance of family food.
Is there a limit on cinnamon?
For everyday cooking amounts, no. Cassia cinnamon contains coumarin, which is why very large daily doses are not advised; Ceylon cinnamon contains far less. Pinches in food are fine.
Recipes with this food
Snack · 25 min
Soft cinnamon apple wedges
Peeled apple wedges gently pan-steamed with cinnamon until soft enough to squash, a warm first finger food with no added sugar.
Breakfast · 20 min
Three-ingredient oat and banana pancakes
Small, soft pancakes made from ripe banana, blitzed oats and egg, with ground flaxseed and cinnamon, cut into strips for little hands.
Snack · 33 min
Banana oat blueberry muffins
Soft mini muffins made from blitzed oats, ripe banana, yogurt and egg, studded with halved blueberries and sweetened only by the fruit.
Guides for this food
Reference material
Guidance on this page follows the sources listed below.
Foods parents look at next
Herbs & spices
Ginger
Warm rather than hot — a good early spice that is milder cooked than raw.
Herbs & spices
Turmeric
Mild, earthy and it stains everything — a fine spice for a baby.
Grains
Oatmeal
An iron-fortified porridge is one of the simplest ways to hit a 6-month-old's iron target.
Fruit
Apple
Cook it, grate it, or purée it — raw apple chunks are a choking hazard until about 4 years.