Foods to Avoid during Your Baby's
First Year of Life

Written by Keeley Drotz, RD, CD of HealthCastle.com
Published in October 2008

(HealthCastle.com) Certain foods must be avoided entirely during a baby's first year of life because of their potential to cause food-borne illness, digestive upset, food allergies, or mercury exposure. It's also important to avoid foods that pose choking hazards for babies.

Foods to Avoid until Your Baby is at Least 1 Year Old

• Honey (in any form or amount) and corn syrup (to a lesser extent) may contain botulism, a serious food-borne illness that can be deadly for infants less than 1 year of age.
• Low-acid home-canned foods (such as meat, poultry, fish, green beans, carrots, and asparagus) can also carry botulism. If your family eats these foods, it may be wise to avoid serving them to your infant; discuss this with your pediatrician and consult with a reputable home-canning agency.
• Milk other than breast milk or infant formula (including cow's, goat's, soy, and rice milks) are difficult for your baby to digest, can lead to allergies, and are nutritionally inadequate for infants.
• If there is a family history of any type of food allergy, do not serve that food to your child at all during the first 12 months; discuss with your pediatrician the appropriate time to have your child try that food and/or the possibility of allergy testing. Also due to the risk of allergies, avoid:
  • Egg whites (egg yolk is okay after 8 months)
  • Citrus/acidic fruits and juices, including tomatoes – these may also cause digestive upset or rash due to their high acidity
  • Strawberries
  • Corn - also a choking hazard and low in nutrients
  • Shellfish (other types of fish are okay after 10 months unless there is a family history of fish allergy; see below regarding tuna)
  • Chocolate
  • Peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts and pecans), peanut butter, and nut butters – these are also a choking hazard; some experts recommend avoiding these until your child is at least 2 or 3 years old, particularly if there is a family history of nut allergies; discuss with your pediatrician
  • Wheat until your baby is at least 8 months old; you may choose to wait until your child is at least 1 year old if there is a family history of wheat allergy or gluten intolerance; discuss with your pediatrician
  • If there is a family history of any type of food allergy, do not serve that food to your child at all during the first 12 months; discuss with your pediatrician the appropriate time to have your child try that food and/or the possibility of allergy testing
• Due to the mercury content, avoid tuna fish until your child is over both 1 year of age and 20 pounds.
  
  

Avoid Sugar and Salt

Infants and toddlers should not be served sugary or salty foods, nor have sugar or salt added to their foods. Consuming large amounts of sugar or salt is not healthy for youngsters and causes them to develop a taste preference for sweet and salty foods.