How Should You Introduce Allergenic Foods?
The advice has flipped: common allergens are no longer postponed — they are introduced on schedule, in small amounts, under close watch.
The New Consensus: Introduce, Do Not Postpone
The common allergens are egg, fish, shrimp, peanut, nut butters, soy, wheat products, and cow-milk foods such as yogurt and cheese. Public guidance from the NHS, AAP and CDC now agrees that these no longer need to be delayed: from around 6 months they are introduced like any other food, in a form matched to the baby's age. For each of them the form matters as much as the timing: peanut as thinned butter, egg fully cooked, and never whole nuts at this age.
The reasoning behind the shift is that timely, regular exposure does more to lower the risk of some food allergies than avoidance does. Postponing the whole group past the first year is yesterday's advice.
A Four-Step Introduction Method
Step one: offer the new allergen in the daytime, when the baby is well and settled. Step two: start tiny — one spoonful of steamed egg, or a small taste of peanut butter thinned into a purée. Step three: watch for two or three days, checking skin for redness, hives or swelling around the mouth, gut for vomiting or diarrhea, and breathing for anything labored.
Step four: if nothing appears, move to normal amounts at the next servings — and then keep the food appearing regularly on the menu. An allergen that turns up once a month does less good than one that shows up week after week.
Ask Your Pediatrician First in These Cases
Some starting points deserve medical input before peanut, tree nuts or shellfish are served at home: recurring moderate-to-severe eczema, an already confirmed food allergy, or a parent or sibling with serious food allergies. In these cases the pediatrician may set a more cautious introduction plan rather than skip the food forever.
If widespread rash, swelling of the face or lips, fast breathing or repeated vomiting ever appears, stop the meal and seek emergency care at once. Waiting to see whether it passes is the wrong move with a reaction that can accelerate.
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General guidance from the public sources above — not medical advice. For your baby’s specific situation, ask your pediatrician. See our medical disclaimer.