The short answer
Once your baby has tolerated egg, peanut or another allergenic food, keep it in their usual varied diet in a safe, age-appropriate texture. NHS guidance does not set one weekly portion target for all foods. Seek individual advice before reintroducing a food after a reaction or with severe eczema.
In this guide · 11 sections
Keep in mind
- Continue including tolerated allergens in usual meals rather than leaving them out for months.
- Keep tolerated allergenic foods in your baby’s usual varied diet; guidance does not set one weekly amount for all foods.
- Avoid whole nuts and sticky spoonfuls of peanut butter because they can cause choking.
- Speak to a health professional before retrying a food linked to a possible reaction.
What changes after that first taste?
Your baby tried egg at breakfast one day without any symptoms. Trying something different the next day is fine, but there is no need to forget eggs for months afterward. Introducing a food is the start of making it part of family meals.
The NHS advises that once allergenic foods are introduced and tolerated, they should become part of your baby’s usual diet. Eating a food once without symptoms cannot guarantee that a reaction will never happen later.
Daily or a few times a week?
You do not need to offer every allergen every day, and NHS guidance does not set one weekly portion target for all foods. Keep tolerated foods in your baby’s usual varied diet, in a safe texture, and follow individual advice if allergy risk or previous symptoms are a concern.
For example, your baby might have egg on one day, yoghurt another day, and a safely prepared peanut-containing food on another. Your family’s eating habits, your baby’s appetite, and variety across food groups can shape the routine.
Continuing with egg, dairy and wheat
Previously tolerated egg can be served mashed or in small, soft pieces of a fully cooked omelet. How thoroughly it is cooked and its texture matter for safety; there is no reason to serve raw egg.
Plain pasteurised yoghurt and suitable cheeses can be included if your baby tolerates dairy. Cow’s milk should not be the main drink before 12 months. Previously introduced wheat can be offered as well-cooked, easily mashed grains or pasta.
Offering peanut and sesame safely
Whole peanuts, other whole nuts, and a sticky spoonful of thick peanut butter can pose a choking hazard at this age. One option is to thin smooth peanut butter your baby already tolerates by mixing it into a familiar purée.
If sesame has already been tolerated, it can be offered in a mixture made with thin tahini. Allergy risk and choking risk are different: tolerating an ingredient does not make every physical form of it safe.
What about fish, soya and other allergens?
Fully cooked fish with every bone removed, or appropriately prepared soy foods, can be included in varied meals when previously tolerated. Choose age-appropriate fish and follow local mercury guidance.
It helps to distinguish a newly introduced allergen from one that your baby has already tolerated. Offering several new allergens for the first time in the same meal can make it difficult to identify a possible trigger.
What if you have taken a long break?
Sometimes a food disappears from family meals for several weeks. That alone does not mean your baby is allergic. There is no one-size-fits-all “restart dose” or home-testing schedule after a break.
If your baby has previously had suspicious symptoms after that food, a diagnosed food allergy, or a condition such as severe eczema, discuss reintroduction with a paediatrician or allergy specialist rather than trying it on your own.
Which symptoms should you take seriously?
Hives, swelling of the lips or face, repeated vomiting, marked coughing, or wheezing after food may indicate an allergic reaction. Stop offering the suspected food and seek medical assessment.
Trouble breathing, tongue or throat swelling, a change in voice, unusual limpness, fainting, or unresponsiveness is an emergency. Call 999 immediately. Mild redness only around the mouth may sometimes be caused by contact, but a photo cannot establish what happened; ask a clinician if unsure.
What can you do today?
Think back over the allergens your baby has eaten comfortably in recent weeks: egg, yoghurt, wheat? Rather than removing them just because the first introduction is over, consider how to include them in the family meals you already prepare, in a safe texture.
Keep your baby upright and well supported during meals, with an adult present. Tolerated foods can remain part of a varied diet over time; this need not become a rigid weekly target.
When to seek support
Some signs need emergency help; other concerns can be discussed with your child’s healthcare team.
- Hives, swollen lips or face, repeated vomiting or wheezing after food: stop offering the food and seek medical help.
- Breathing difficulty, swollen tongue or throat, fainting or unresponsiveness: call 999 immediately.
Sources used for this guide
English editorial review:
The English text and regional guidance have been checked editorially. This is not an individual clinical assessment.
Luluna provides general parenting information. It does not diagnose conditions or replace your child’s healthcare professional.
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