Allergen introduction planner
Free tool · Checked against official guidance on October 19, 2026 · How we review
Offer common allergens from around 6 months, once your baby has started solids, but not before 4 months. One new allergen at a time, a few days apart, and once your baby tolerates it, keep offering it regularly.
Talk to your doctor first if your baby has…
- severe eczema, or eczema that's hard to control
- an egg allergy, another diagnosed food allergy, or has had an allergic reaction to a food
These babies have a higher chance of peanut allergy. US guidelines (NIAID, for severe eczema or egg allergy) and the AAP (for any earlier allergic reaction to a food) say to talk to your pediatrician first. They may involve an allergist, sometimes with allergy testing, before peanut is introduced. Early introduction, often around 4 to 6 months, matters most for them, so ask soon. Don't give the first peanut at home until your doctor has told you how.
In the UK, the NHS also advises talking to your GP or health visitor first if your baby has any eczema, or if there's a family history of food allergy, eczema, asthma or hay fever.
Your plan
Talk to your doctor first
Because of what you've ticked above, this is an order to discuss with your pediatrician or allergist, not a dated plan. Take it to the appointment: they can tell you which foods to start, in what order, and how. Early peanut matters most for babies at higher risk, so book this soon.
Don't offer a food your baby has reacted to until your doctor says it's safe.
For most babies, foods don't need to come in a certain order (AAP). This plan puts peanut and egg first because guidelines single them out for around 6 months, then foods that are easy to keep in everyday meals.
Peanut
Smooth peanut butter thinned with water, breast milk or formula, or stirred into another food. Peanut powder mixed into food works too.
Never whole or chopped peanuts, or spoonfuls of thick peanut butter.
Egg
Well-cooked egg: hard-boiled and mashed or cut into strips, a fully cooked omelet, or egg baked into food.
No raw or runny egg.No raw or runny egg, unless it has the British Lion stamp (see the egg page).No raw or runny egg.
Milk
Plain, full-fat yogurt; pasteurized hard cheese like mild cheddar, grated or in thin slices; cottage cheese or cream cheese; or cow's milk used in cooking.
The CDC says not to give cow's milk to drink before 12 months. If you follow US advice, use yogurt or cheese, or breast milk or formula in cooking, instead of cow's milk.The NHS says cow's milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, but not as a main drink until 12 months.The NHS says cow's milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, but not as a main drink until 12 months. The CDC says not to give cow's milk to drink before 12 months.
Not as a drink until 12 months. No chunks of cheese, and no brie, camembert or soft blue cheese.
Wheat
Soft wheat foods: well-cooked pasta, soft toast strips, or wheat infant cereal.
No whole wheat kernels, or bread and crackers with whole seeds or nuts.
Soy
Soft tofu strips or mashed tofu, or plain soy yogurt.
Sesame
Tahini thinned or stirred into food, or homemade hummus with no added salt, or finely ground seeds.
No whole seeds sprinkled on top.
Fish
Well-cooked fish, flaked or in strips, checked carefully for small bones. Choose fish that is low in mercury, like salmon.
No raw fish (sushi, poke, ceviche).
Shellfish
Fully cooked shrimp, finely chopped or mashed into another food.
Never raw or lightly cooked.
Tree nuts
Smooth almond or cashew butter, thinned, or finely ground nuts stirred into food.
Never whole or chopped nuts, or spoonfuls of thick nut butter.
"Offered today" saves the food to your First 100 Foods list in this browser.
All 9 common allergens are in your baby's diet. Keep offering them regularly.
If your baby is unwell on a planned day, move the rest of the plan back. If you see one mild sign on its own, such as a few hives, stop that food, stay with your baby, and call your pediatrician before offering it again. If there's trouble breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, floppiness, or signs in more than one part of the body, use their epinephrine auto-injector if they have one and call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia). See the signs below.
Keep these going
Your baby has already had these. Tell your doctor which ones, and whether there was any reaction, and ask whether to keep offering them.
Once a food is tolerated, keep it in your baby's usual diet regularly. In the study behind the US peanut guidelines, early peanut with continued, regular servings is what prevented peanut allergy. Keeping allergens in the diet
Only keep offering foods your baby has eaten with no reaction. If your baby reacted to one, stop it and follow your doctor's advice.
How to offer a new allergen
- Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.
- Start with a small amount, in a safe form, mixed into a food your baby already eats.
- Offer one new allergen at a time, and wait a few days before the next one.
- If there's no reaction, increase the amount gradually and keep offering it as part of your baby's usual meals.
Signs of an allergic reaction
Reactions usually start within minutes of eating, but can take up to 2 hours. Some, like cow's milk allergy, can take up to 3 days.
Mild to moderate
- Hives or a red, itchy rash, especially around the mouth
- Mild puffiness of the face or around the eyes
- Vomiting once, tummy pain or diarrhea
- Sneezing or a runny nose
- Eczema getting worse
If it's only one of these, stop offering the food, stay with your baby and watch them closely for the next couple of hours, and call your pediatrician before you try it again. If it gets worse, or signs show up in more than one part of the body at once, treat it as severe (below). Don't cut out a major food like milk for good on your own: ask your doctor, who may refer you to a dietitian.
Severe (anaphylaxis): call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia)
- Trouble breathing, wheezing, or a cough that won't stop
- Lips or mouth that suddenly swell
- Swelling of the tongue or throat, a hoarse cry, drooling or trouble swallowing
- Turning pale or floppy, or becoming very sleepy or unresponsive
- Signs in more than one part of the body at once, such as hives with vomiting
If your baby has been prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector, use it right away, then call for help. If you don't have one, call straight away. If you're alone with your baby, use the auto-injector first if they have one, then call on speaker; don't leave your baby to find a phone. Keep your baby lying down, not standing or walking: on their side if they're vomiting, with head and shoulders a little raised if breathing is hard. Go to the emergency room even if they seem better, because symptoms can come back.
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Sources
- NIAID: Addendum guidelines for the prevention of peanut allergy (2017)
- AAAAI/ACAAI/CSACI: Consensus on preventing food allergy through nutrition (2021)
- AAP: When to introduce egg, peanut butter and other common food allergens to a baby
- AAP: Starting Solid Foods
- CDC: When, what, and how to introduce solid foods
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- FDA: Food allergies: what you need to know
- AAAAI: Anaphylaxis
- FARE: Recognizing and responding to a reaction
- NHS: Anaphylaxis