When your baby reaches 4-6 months of age you will begin introducing solid foods into his diet.  At first it will be simple things like cereals so you won’t have to worry too much about it.  As your baby gets older you will begin introducing other foods into her diet.  There are some foods that are unsafe for babies that you will need to avoid.  Always talk to your pediatrician when you have questions about what foods are safe and OK for your baby.  If in doubt don’t introduce the food until you talk to your pediatrician.

Here are some foods to avoid based on your child’s age.

Newborn through 4-6 Months:

• All solid foods: Babies should be fed breast milk or formula only at this age unless directed to do something different by your child’s pediatrician.

4-12 Months:

• Citrus Fruits and Juices: introducing citrus into your baby’s diet before 12 months of age can induce an allergy.  This risk increases of allergies to citrus run in the family.
• Egg Whites: as with citrus, introducing egg whites prior to 12 months of age can induce an allergy.  If you think your child is at risk for an egg allergy talk to your pediatrician about holding off until age 2 before introducing egg whites.  It is OK for your baby to eat the yolks at this age though.
• Honey: honey can harbor spores of bacteria that cause botulism.  A baby’s digestive system is not able to prevent these spores from growing like an adult’s system can.
• Peanut Butter: peanuts can cause severe allergic reactions in children with nut allergies.  Avoid introducing nuts until your child is over 12 months of age.  Also, because of the consistency of peanut butter it can be difficult and unsafe for babies to swallow.
• Cow’s Milk: babies can’t digest the protein in cow’s milk in their first year as their digestive systems can’t handle it yet.  Stick with breast milk or formula until your child is over a year old.
• Large Chunks: your baby could choke on pieces of food that are too large.  All food should be in pea sized pieces or smaller.
• Small, hard foods: like nuts, popcorn, hard candies, raisins, etc for the obvious reason that they could choke on them.
• Any foods that could pose a choking hazard or presents a risk of allergic reaction.  Talk to your pediatrician about what is safe for your child prior to one year of age.

12-36 Months:

• Low-fat Milk: toddlers need the high fat and calorie content of whole milk as they develop.
• Foods that pose a choking hazard
• Foods that present a high risk of allergic reaction or foods you know your child is allergic to.

Always talk to your pediatrician about your child’s specific needs and situation.  If you have doubts or questions about a food you want to introduce into your child’s diet talk with your pediatrician or a pediatric nutritionist.  When you are introducing foods you should always do so one at a time so you are better able to identify a food that has caused an allergic reaction.