When you start weaning your baby at 6 months, there are a few foods that are not yet suitable for your baby to try. Have a look at the list below to make sure you know which these are.
Talk to your health visitor if you are considering weaning before 6 months, as there are additional foods you will need to avoid such as those containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats), fish and eggs as well as the ones below:
- Raw and partially cooked eggs. Well cooked eggs can safely be introduced into your baby’s diet from 6 months, but less well cooked eggs may still contain salmonella bacteria which can cause food poisoning and should be avoided for young children
- Peanuts in the form of smooth pastes or spreads can be given to babies from six months unless there is a family history of allergy (asthma, eczema, hay fever as well as food allergy), in which case they should be avoided until three years of age
- Whole nuts shouldn’t be given to children under the age of five years because of the risk of choking. Chop or grind them instead, or use foods such as tahini and smooth peanut butter
- Honey should be avoided until one year as a baby’s stomach is still vulnerable to the bacteria that causes botulism that can sometimes be found in honey
- Cows’, goats’ and sheep’s milk are not suitable until one year of age, and if you choose to use them at this age, make sure they are pasteurised
- Pate should be avoided for the first year due to the risk of listeria food poisoning
- Raw shellfish. There can be a high food poisoning risk from raw shellfish, so you should avoid giving these to babies and young children
- Mould ripened soft cheeses, blue vein cheese and unpasteurised cheeses should also be avoided for babies due to the risk of listeria food poisoning
- Unprocessed bran is not suitable to include in the diet until five years of age as it can interfere with the absorption of important nutrients
- Shark, swordfish and marlin are not suitable for babies and children due to high levels of mercury contamination in these foods
- Salt should not be added into your baby’s diet and foods high in salt should be given sparingly. A baby’s kidneys are still not mature enough to cope with a lot of salt and up until a year their daily salt intake should not exceed 1g/day (this is 1/6th of the recommended adult daily maximum intake)
- Sugary foods should only be given in very limited amounts from one year and sugar should not be added to your baby’s food. Sugar contains calories but lacks other nutrients and can have detrimental effects on dental health