Introducing allergens to your baby can feel a bit overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. With our allergen introduction calendar, you can confidently navigate this important milestone in your baby’s solid food journey. Below, you’ll find a week-by-week schedule designed to help you introduce common allergens safely and effectively.
Important Notes Before You Start
Before diving into the schedule, here are some essential tips to keep in mind:
- Start After 6 Months: Ensure your baby is at least 6 months old and showing signs of readiness before introducing allergens.
- Timing: Begin introducing allergens about 2-3 weeks after starting solids to give your bub to get used to the concept of food first.
- One per week: Introduce only one allergen per week to monitor any reactions.
- One new food at a time: If you’re not introducing the allergen on its own then always introduce it with previously tolerated foods eg veggie purees.
- Gradual Introduction: Start with ¼ teaspoon, then ½ teaspoon, and finally 1 teaspoon across the week.
- Early Introduction is Key: The earlier you introduce allergens, the easier life will be in the long run.
- Complete by 12 Months: Aim to introduce all allergens by the time your baby is 12 months old.
Week-by-Week Allergen Introduction Schedule
Note that you can have a week or two off in between allergen introductions if you need a break or are traveling etc.
Week 1: Egg
Eggs are a common allergen as well as a regular ingredient in lots of foods, so it’s a good idea to get this out the way earlier on.
Ways to introduce egg:
- Mashed or pureed hard-boiled eggs
- Mashed or pureed hard-boiled and mixed into veggie puree
- Egg powder (found in our allergen intro pack)
- scrambled eggs
- Omelet slices
- Baked into muffins or pancakes
Week 2: Wheat
Wheat is a staple in many diets, so it’s good to introduce it early on to make life easier.
Ways to introduce wheat:
- Iron fortified wheat-based cereals
- Semolina porridge mixed with breast milk or formula
- Weet-Bix with breast-milk or formula, pureed
- Cous cous mixed into veggie and meat or fruit purees
- Pasta such as risoni or well-cooked spiral pasta
- Bread, toasted and chopped into fingers
- Pikelets / pancakes
- Mini muffins made with wheat flour
Week 3: Dairy
Dairy is another common food which is handy to get out the way early so you can feed bub good things like Greek yoghurt.
Ways to introduce dairy:
- Plain, full fat, unflavoured yoghurt
- Plain full fat, unflavored yoghurt mixed into a fruit or veggie puree
- Low sodium cheese
- Cheesy pasta sauce (once wheat is tolerated)
- Milk powder (found in our allergen intro pack)
Week 4: Peanuts
It’s good to get peanuts out of the way by 10 months so you can build up bubs tolerance. If you’re feeling a bit nervous you can smear the teeniest bit of peanut butter on the inside of bubs lips and wait a couple mins to see if there's a reaction before offering bub some to eat.
Ways to introduce peanuts:
Use peanut butter or peanut meal (found in our allergen intro pack)
- Mixing peanut butter or peanut meal into a previously tolerated puree
- Mixing into porridge
- Mix into yoghurt
- Thinly smeared on toast
Week 5: Soy
Soy is another good one to get out of the way because its a common ingredient used in a lot of baked goods like bread.
Ways to introduce Soy:
- Soy milk in porridge
- Soy milk in puree
- Pureed edamame beans
- Soy powder in puree (found in our allergen intro pack)
- Silken tofu mashed into puree
Week 6: Fish
Fish is packed with nutrients especially salmon with its omega-3 fatty acids.
Ways to introduce fish:
- Pureed and mixed into a veggie puree (try our samon puree)
- Flaked cooked white fish or salmon
- Canned salmon or tuna mashed into a puree
- Fish cakes
Week 7: Sesame
Ways to introduce sesame
- Tahini mixed into puree
- Hummus
- Roll avocado in sesame seeds
- Bread containing sesame seeds
- Sprinkle sesame seeds on puree or any meal
- Sesame seed powder mixed into purees (found in our allergen intro pack)
Week’s 8 - 17 are the Tree Nuts our allergen intro pack contains each of the 9 tree nuts individually blended to make life easier.
Ways to introduce each individual tree nut:
- Smooth nut butter mixed into puree
- Smooth nut butter diluted with water
- Smooth nut butter on toast
- Nut meal mixed into puree
- Nut meal sprinkled over any of bubs meals
- Avocado rolled in nut meal
- Nut meal or nut butter mixed into yoghurt
Week 8: Almonds
Week 9: Cashews
Week 10: Walnuts
Week 11: Pistachios
Week 12: Pine Nuts
Week 13: Macadamia
Week 14: Pecans
Week 15: Hazelnuts
Week 16: Brazil Nuts
Week 17: Pistachios
Week 18 & 19: Shellfish
There are two types of shellfish:
- Crustaceans: prawns, crab, lobster, crayfish, marron
- Molluscs: clams, oysters, scallops, octopus, squid
It’s best to introduce crustaceans and molluscs separately as babies can be allergic to one and not the other.
Ways to introduce thoroughly cooked shellfish
- Pureed and mixed into veggie puree
- Mashed or finely chopped
- Mashed or chopped and mixed into fried rice
- In ‘fish’ cakes
Maintaining Exposure - Important!
Once you’ve successfully introduced an allergen, it’s important to continue offering it to your baby twice a week. This ongoing exposure can help reduce the chances of your baby developing an allergy in the future. To make life easier with the 9 different Tree Nuts we have created a Tree Nut Maintenance Mix which contains a blend of finely ground tree nuts.
Make Allergen Introduction Easier with Our Starter Pack
Our allergen intro pack includes all the allergens mentioned above (except fish, shellfish, and wheat). It’s designed to make the process easier and more convenient for you, giving you peace of mind as you navigate this crucial stage in your baby’s development.
Everything you Need for Starting Solids
Is your bub about to start solids? We have everything you need, to make life so much more convenient:
✅Veggie Puree Starter Pack (10 individual veggies)
✅Fruit Puree Packs
✅Salmon Puree
✅Beef Puree
✅Chicken Puree
✅Allergen Intro Packs (14 individual allergens)
✅Tree Nut Maintenance Meal Packs (all 9 tree nuts)
Disclaimer: Please note, our advice is general in nature and should not replace any advice provided by your health professional. Ensure your baby is over 6 months old and showing signs of readiness to start solids before introducing allergens. If you have any concerns about your baby’s development or starting solids, consult your GP or other health professional.