When should I introduce eggs and peanuts to my baby?
For most babies, around 6 months, as part of their first solid foods. Waiting longer does not protect them. Babies with severe eczema or an egg allergy may start peanut foods as early as 4 to 6 months, but only after your doctor checks them first. Serve egg well cooked and peanut thinned, never whole.
On this page
- The short answer: around 6 months, with other first foods
- Step by step
- Why early beats late: the peanut trial that changed the advice
- Which group is your baby in?
- How to serve egg and peanut safely
- Keep it on the menu once it's in
- What a reaction looks like, and what to do
- Do this
- When to ask your doctor
- People also ask
The short answer: around 6 months, with other first foods
Many parents still think the careful move is to hold off on peanuts and eggs until the first birthday or later. The best evidence points the other way. Current US guidelines say that most babies can have peanut foods along with their other first solids, and the CDC lists eggs, shellfish, nut butters and wheat as allergy-prone foods to introduce along with other foods, not after them.
Solids themselves usually start around 6 months. The CDC recommends starting around 6 months and not before 4 months. Your baby is ready when they can sit up with or without support, control their head, open their mouth for food, bring things to their mouth and swallow rather than push food back out.
Eggs earn their place for another reason too. A well-cooked egg brings choline, protein and some iron, all raw materials for a brain that is growing fast this year. If you're still planning the first menu, our page on the best first foods for a baby's brain covers the iron-rich foods to put first.
Step by step
- Check readinessWait until your baby can sit with support, control their head and swallow food rather than push it out, usually around 6 months and never before 4 months.
- Know your baby's groupIf your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy, see your doctor before starting peanut. Mild eczema or none means you can start at home.
- Start egg well cookedMash a hard-boiled egg into a puree, or offer strips of fully cooked soft omelet.
- Start peanut thinnedThin smooth peanut butter well or stir a little into a puree. Never whole nuts or spoonfuls of peanut butter.
- Watch afterwardStay with your baby and watch for rash, vomiting, swelling or trouble breathing after each new food.
- Keep it goingOffer the food a few times a week. For peanut, aim for about 6 to 7 grams of peanut protein a week over three or more feedings.
Why early beats late: the peanut trial that changed the advice
The advice changed because of a randomized trial called LEAP. Researchers took 640 babies aged 4 to 11 months who were at high risk of peanut allergy, because they had severe eczema, an egg allergy or both. Half were assigned to eat peanut foods regularly. The other half avoided peanut until age 5.
The results were striking:
- Among babies who were not already sensitized to peanut, 13.7% of the avoidance group had a peanut allergy at age 5, compared with 1.9% of the eating group.
- Among babies who already showed some sensitivity, it was 35.3% versus 10.6%.
In other words, avoiding peanut did not keep these babies safe. Eating it early and regularly went with far less allergy. That is why the guidelines now say "early, not late."
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Which group is your baby in?
US guidelines sort babies into three groups by their eczema and allergy history. Find yours, and if you're not sure, ask your pediatrician at the next visit.
| Your baby | When to start peanut foods | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Severe eczema, egg allergy or both | As early as 4 to 6 months | After your doctor checks first (they may test) |
| Mild to moderate eczema | Around 6 months | At home |
| No eczema or food allergy | Freely, along with other solids | At home |
For egg and the other allergy-prone foods, the same rule applies: if your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy, ask your pediatrician first about when and how to start. For everyone else, they can join the menu once solids are going.
How to serve egg and peanut safely
Egg. Cook it fully, with the yolk and white both firm. At 6 months you can mash a hard-boiled egg into a puree, or cut a soft, fully cooked omelet into strips your baby can hold. As your baby moves to finger foods, cut pieces no bigger than ½ inch (about 1 cm).
Peanut. Never give a baby whole nuts, chopped nuts or a spoonful of peanut butter. These are choking hazards. Instead, thin smooth peanut butter well, or stir a little into a puree your baby already eats, such as oatmeal or mashed fruit.
A few habits make every new food safer:
- Seat your baby upright and stay with them while they eat.
- Offer new foods at home, at a time of day when you can watch your baby afterward.
- The CDC suggests one new single-ingredient food at a time, with 3 to 5 days between new foods, so you can spot a reaction.
For the full list of foods to hold back in the first year, such as honey and whole grapes, see foods babies should not eat.
Keep it on the menu once it's in
Introducing a food once is not the goal. Keeping it in the diet is. Once egg or peanut is in and going well, keep offering it regularly, a few times a week.
For peanut, the guidelines put a number on "regularly": about 6 to 7 grams of peanut protein a week, spread over three or more feedings. You don't need a kitchen scale for this. The point is a steady habit, not a single taste at 6 months and then nothing until preschool.
An easy rhythm is to rotate: a little peanut stirred into breakfast cereal a few mornings a week, egg mashed into lunch on other days. Rotating foods also helps with other goals, like limiting rice products, which we cover in is rice cereal safe for babies.
What a reaction looks like, and what to do
Most babies eat egg and peanut without trouble. Still, after any new food, keep an eye on your baby for a while.
- Call your doctor about a rash or vomiting after a new food.
- Call 911 now if your baby has trouble breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue or face, or hives spreading over the body.
Some gagging is normal as babies learn to move food around their mouth, and it is not the same as an allergic reaction. If you're unsure what you saw, call your pediatrician and describe it. Taking an infant CPR and first-aid class before you start solids is a good idea for every family.
Do this
- Ask your pediatrician at the next visit which allergy group your baby is in.
- Introduce well-cooked egg and thinned peanut butter along with other first solids, after your doctor checks first if your baby has severe eczema or a food allergy.
- Keep both on the menu a few times a week once they're going well.
- Save the reaction signs that mean 911 on your phone or fridge.
- Book an infant CPR and first-aid class before solids start.
When to ask your doctor
Check with your doctor or midwife first if…
- Your baby has severe eczema, an egg allergy or both: your doctor should check first, and may test, before peanut foods.
- Your baby has any known food allergy: ask how and when to start the other allergy-prone foods.
- Your baby is younger than 4 months: solids are not recommended yet.
Call your doctor now if…
- Your baby has trouble breathing after eating: call 911 now.
- You see swelling of the lips, tongue or face, or hives spreading over the body: call 911 now.
- A rash or vomiting follows a new food: call your doctor.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every child is different. Ask your doctor, midwife or pediatrician before changing supplements, diet or care.
Grow a Genius
In the book: Chapter 17: Feeding the Growing Brain
The chapter turns the allergen advice into a full first-year feeding plan: iron-first menus, eggs and fish for babies, the no list, and recipes for first foods in The Genius Kitchen.
- The 7 Genius Builders, stage by stage
- 16 printable guides, including the Prenatal Label Decoder
- Built on 500+ sources from 35+ countries
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People also ask
Can I give my baby peanut butter at 4 months?
Only if your doctor advises it. Babies with severe eczema or egg allergy may start peanut foods as early as 4 to 6 months, but only after a doctor checks them first. For most other babies, peanut foods start around 6 months along with other solids. Never give a spoonful of peanut butter; thin it well or mix it into a puree.
Should I wait until 1 year for eggs?
No. Current advice is to introduce eggs along with other first foods, around 6 months for most babies. Cook the egg fully, with yolk and white firm. If your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy, ask your pediatrician first about timing.
How often should my baby eat peanut once it's started?
Regularly. US guidelines describe about 6 to 7 grams of peanut protein a week, spread over three or more feedings. In practice, a little thinned peanut butter stirred into food a few times a week keeps it in the diet.
Is gagging an allergic reaction?
Usually not. Some gagging is normal while babies learn to handle food. An allergic reaction looks different: rash, vomiting, swelling of the lips, tongue or face, spreading hives or trouble breathing. Call 911 for swelling, spreading hives or breathing trouble, and your doctor for a rash or vomiting.