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Baby and toddler

Allergen introduction

Giving a baby common allergy-causing foods, such as peanut and egg, early in the first year to lower the chance of a food allergy.

What It Means

Allergen introduction means giving a baby foods that commonly cause allergies, such as peanut, egg, dairy and sesame, as part of starting solids. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says there's no evidence that holding these foods back past about 6 months prevents allergies. For peanut, the 2017 guidelines from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) set the timing by the baby's risk, and babies at the highest risk need a doctor's check first.

Try It: Find Your Baby's Peanut Group

Pick the line that fits your baby to see the NIAID 2017 peanut guideline for that group. It isn't a diagnosis; talk with your pediatrician first.

NIAID guideline

Introduce peanut foods at an age-appropriate time, in line with your family's preferences and culture.

Never whole peanuts or a spoonful of peanut butter: CDC lists both as choking hazards.

How Parents Say It

  • "We did peanut for the first time this week."
  • "The pediatrician wants to test him before we try peanut."
  • "She's had egg a few times with no reaction."

The Breakdown

Peanut by risk group, per NIAID's 2017 addendum

Baby's historyWhen to introduce peanut foodsFirst step
Severe eczema, egg allergy, or both4 to 6 monthsEvaluation first, with a blood test and/or skin prick test
Mild to moderate eczemaAround 6 monthsAsk your pediatrician
No eczema or food allergyAn age-appropriate timeFollow family preference and culture

NIAID defines severe eczema as eczema that is persistent or keeps coming back and needs frequent prescription-strength creams or other anti-inflammatory treatment, despite regular moisturizing.

Other common allergens. The AAP's 2019 clinical report found no evidence that delaying egg, peanut, dairy or sesame past about 6 months prevents allergy. The AAP also points to evidence that early peanut may help prevent peanut allergy.

How to start

  1. Wait until your baby is ready for solids, at about 6 months and not before 4, per CDC.
  2. Offer one new food at a time at first. CDC notes that makes it easier to see which food caused a problem.
  3. Serve peanut in a form that's safe for a baby. CDC lists whole nuts and spoonfuls of nut butter as choking hazards, so ask your pediatrician how to prepare it.

Good to Know

A baby with severe eczema, an egg allergy, or both should see the pediatrician before having any peanut food, since NIAID's guideline calls for testing first. The guideline dates from 2017, and the AAP's clinical report from 2019; the fact check found no newer US guidance replacing either. In an emergency, such as a baby having trouble breathing after eating, call 911.

FAQ

When should babies have peanut?

NIAID's 2017 guidelines say around 6 months for babies with mild to moderate eczema, at an age-appropriate time for babies with no eczema or food allergy, and 4 to 6 months after a doctor's evaluation for babies with severe eczema or an egg allergy.

Should I wait to give my baby egg or peanut?

The AAP's 2019 clinical report found no evidence that delaying egg, peanut, dairy or sesame past about 6 months prevents allergies, once your baby is ready for solids.

Does my baby need an allergy test before peanut?

Only some babies. NIAID's guideline calls for testing first if a baby has severe eczema, an egg allergy, or both. Ask your pediatrician which group your baby is in.

Do It in Buhata

Calendar and Notes

Add each new allergen to the Buhata Calendar on the day you offer it, and note how your baby did in Notes (Premium) to share at the next checkup.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Purees

    Smooth, blended foods that many babies eat when they start solids at about 6 months, before moving on to lumpier and chopped textures.

  • Baby-led weaning

    A way to start solids where a baby feeds themselves soft pieces of food from about 6 months instead of being spoon-fed purees.

  • Finger foods

    Small, soft pieces of food a baby picks up and feeds to themselves, usually begun once they sit up and can bring food to their mouth.

  • Choking vs gagging

    Gagging is a noisy, normal reflex that keeps food out of a baby's airway; choking is a blocked airway, often silent, that needs 911 and first aid.

  • Food neophobia

    A child's reluctance or fear of trying unfamiliar foods, a normal stage that researchers say peaks around ages 2 to 6.

Baby and toddler

Sources

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States" (2017); American Academy of Pediatrics, "The Effects of Early Nutritional Interventions on the Development of Atopic Disease in Infants and Children," Pediatrics (2019); HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "When to Introduce Egg, Peanut Butter & Other Common Food Allergens to a Baby"; HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "AAP Clinical Report Highlights Early Introduction of Peanut-based Foods to Prevent Allergies"; CDC, "When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods"; CDC, "Choking Hazards"

Last updated .