For most babies, common food allergens can join complementary foods around six months, once the baby is ready for solids. The useful question is how to introduce them in a suitable form and keep track of what happens. There is no universal day-by-day calendar that fits every baby, especially when eczema or an existing allergy changes the plan.
Who should speak to a clinician before starting?
The NIAID expert-panel peanut allergy prevention guidelines recommend considering peanut-containing food as early as four to six months for infants with severe eczema, egg allergy or both, after appropriate assessment. This can involve testing or supervised introduction. It is not advice to give every four-month-old peanut, and peanut guidance should not be applied automatically to every other food.
If your child has had a reaction, has a diagnosed food allergy or you have concerns about eczema, arrange individual guidance. Do not retry a food that caused a suspected reaction simply to check. A clinician can help distinguish allergy from other problems and avoid unnecessary dietary restrictions.
A practical timeline
Before first exposure
Action: Check readiness, medical advice, the exact ingredients and a suitable serving form.
At an introduction opportunity
Action: Offer one new allergen at a time in a small amount; choose a time when a caregiver can observe.
After the meal
Action: Note the food, preparation, time and any symptoms. Seek advice for suspected reactions.
Once tolerated
Action: Keep offering the food as part of the usual diet rather than considering it permanently checked off.
NHS: food allergies in babies and young children advises separate introduction and continued inclusion of tolerated foods. Most immediate reactions occur within minutes to two hours, though some reactions are delayed. Follow any individualized waiting or observation instructions. One symptom-free taste does not guarantee that an allergy cannot develop.
Serving ideas for common allergenic foods
These are preparation examples, not a dosing protocol. Use one new allergen with ingredients already tolerated. Check labels: a sauce, bread or mixed butter can add allergens you did not intend to introduce.
Peanut
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Smooth peanut butter thinned into a familiar puree or cereal.
What to check: Never whole peanuts or a thick sticky spoonful.
Egg
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Well-cooked egg mashed to a manageable texture.
What to check: Do not assume baked egg tolerance means all egg forms are tolerated.
Milk
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Plain pasteurized yogurt mixed into a familiar food.
What to check: Yogurt is a food; milk is not the main drink before twelve months.
Wheat
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Soft cooked wheat cereal in an appropriate consistency.
What to check: Mixed cereals can contain other allergens.
Soy
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Soft tofu mashed into a familiar vegetable.
What to check: Check sauces and marinades for additional ingredients.
Sesame
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Smooth tahini thinned thoroughly into familiar food.
What to check: Hummus can contain both sesame and other ingredients.
Tree nuts
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: A single-nut smooth butter, thoroughly thinned.
What to check: Different nuts are different foods; avoid whole nuts and mixed-nut introductions.
Fish
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Fully cooked, carefully deboned fish mashed as needed.
What to check: Choose suitable low-mercury fish and inspect for bones.
Shellfish
Example form to discuss or use when appropriate: Fully cooked shellfish finely minced or pureed to suit skills.
What to check: Fish and shellfish are separate allergen groups.
Lists differ across countries. Health Canada: common food allergens also identifies mustard among priority allergens and addresses sulphites. The table is not an exhaustive list of everything that can cause a reaction. Use local labels and your clinician’s advice rather than treating “the top nine” as a complete safety list.
Keep a useful introduction record
A simple entry might read: “Tuesday breakfast: thinned single-ingredient peanut butter in previously tolerated cereal; amount offered; symptoms or no symptoms noticed.” Record the brand and ingredients when possible. If symptoms occur, note when they began and what you observed. Bring the record to a medical appointment rather than using it to make your own diagnosis.
What to do if you suspect a reaction
Stop offering the food and get medical advice. Possible symptoms include hives, vomiting, swelling or worsening eczema; note what happened and do not retry the food without guidance. Breathing difficulty, tongue or throat swelling, collapse or a rapidly worsening reaction needs emergency help immediately: use prescribed epinephrine promptly according to the child’s allergy action plan and call 911 in Canada or the US, or your local emergency number. Do not delay epinephrine to make a call. Medical assessment is still needed if symptoms improve. Do not wait for a rash to decide a severe reaction is serious.
Keeping tolerated foods in the routine
Once an ingredient is appropriate for your child, plan repeat opportunities: egg at breakfast, yogurt with a meal, or a suitable nut preparation stirred into cereal. Keep the serving form manageable as foods change. Allergy filters in an app can help organize choices, but packaging and cross-contact still need a caregiver’s check.
Coordinate this with our baby food introduction schedule and food preparation guide. A family with several children may also find the shared meal planning workflow useful.
Sources and editorial review
Sources checked September 7, 2026. Written by the Meal Sprout Team. General feeding information, not an individualized medical or nutrition plan. MealSprout is not a clinical service. Ask your child’s clinician about allergies, growth concerns, prematurity or feeding difficulties.
- NIAID expert-panel peanut allergy prevention guidelines
- NHS: food allergies in babies and young children
- Health Canada: common food allergens
- NHS: your baby’s first solid foods
- Food Allergy Canada: treating anaphylaxis