Is maltodextrin safe for babies?

Maltodextrin in baby food

Maltodextrin is a white powder made by breaking down starch from corn, rice, potato or wheat into short chains of glucose. In baby cereals, snacks and drinks it adds bulk and a mild sweetness, and Pikabee counts it as an added sugar. Infant formula is the exception: there it is a permitted carbohydrate, and it is not flagged.

What Pikabee flags, by age

0–6 monthsRED, not in formula

Any food other than breast milk or infant formula is flagged at this age, because WHO advises only breast milk for the first 6 months. In an infant formula, maltodextrin is a permitted carbohydrate under the Codex formula standard, so Pikabee does not flag it there.

6–12 monthsRED, not in formula

Flagged as an added sugar in cereals, snacks and drinks. WHO Europe's model allows no added sugars or sweetening ingredients in food for children 6–36 months. In a follow-up formula (stage 2) it is not flagged.

12–36 monthsRED FLAG

Still flagged, including in growing-up and toddler milks, which are judged as ordinary food rather than formula.

What it is

Maltodextrin starts as ordinary starch. Heat and enzymes cut the starch into short chains of glucose, the same sugar that makes up glucose syrup. The result dissolves easily, tastes faintly sweet and makes a powder flow.

On Indian baby food labels it shows up in instant cereals, malted drinks, puffs and biscuits, often near the top of the list. Because it is not called “sugar”, a pack can carry it and still look sugar-free at a glance.

Names it goes by on labels

Maltodextrin
Malto-dextrin
Corn maltodextrin
Rice maltodextrin
Glucose polymers
Corn syrup solids
Glucose syrup solids
Dried glucose syrup

Why Pikabee flags it

WHO counts sugars added by a manufacturer as free sugars, and WHO Europe's model for foods for children 6–36 months allows no added sugars or sweetening ingredients. Maltodextrin is made of glucose and is used in place of sugar, so Pikabee counts it the same way. Infant and follow-up formula follow their own Codex standards, which allow glucose polymers such as maltodextrin, so they are the one exception.

Questions parents ask

Is maltodextrin safe for a baby under 6 months?

Is maltodextrin safe for a 6 to 12 month old baby?

Is maltodextrin safe for a 1 to 3 year old?

Still flagged, including in growing-up and toddler milks, which are judged as ordinary food rather than formula. WHO counts sugars added by a manufacturer as free sugars, and WHO Europe's model for foods for children 6–36 months allows no added sugars or sweetening ingredients.

Is maltodextrin good for babies?

In cereals, snacks and drinks, Pikabee flags it for every child under three: it is made of glucose, and WHO Europe's model allows no added sugars or sweetening ingredients in their food. In infant formula it is a permitted carbohydrate and is not flagged.

Why is maltodextrin in my baby's cereal?

It makes an instant cereal dissolve smoothly, adds bulk cheaply and gives a mild sweetness without the word “sugar” on the pack.

My baby's formula has maltodextrin. Is that a problem?

Not by Pikabee's rules. Infant and follow-up formula follow their own Codex standards, which allow maltodextrin as a carbohydrate, so Pikabee does not flag it in a formula. Talk to your pediatrician before switching formula for any reason.

What should I look for instead?

Cereals and snacks whose ingredients are grains, fruit, vegetables or milk with nothing sweet added. Scan the back of the pack and Pikabee will tell you in seconds.

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Sources

Last reviewed 6 November 2026.

Related ingredients

Talk to your pediatrician about anything concerning.