Foods to avoid for babies and young children

Choking hazards: foods to change or leave out

Any food can cause choking, but the NHS says "firm foods, bones and small round foods can be more risky". These are the ones to watch:

Do not give these as they are:

• • Whole nuts and peanuts: the NHS says not to give them whole to children under 5. Crush or grind them instead.
• • Popcorn: the NHS says not to give it to children under 5.
• • Whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, cherries, berries and strawberries: cut them into quarters and remove any stones.
• • Hard raw vegetables and fruit, such as raw carrot or apple: cook until soft, or grate.
• • Peanut butter or other nut butter by itself or by the spoonful: spread it thinly on toast or stir it into food.
• • Sausages and hot dogs cut into rounds: cut them in half and then lengthways, and peel off the skin.
• • Whole raisins and other dried fruit before 12 months: cut them into small pieces.
• • Boiled sweets, marshmallows, raw jelly cubes, chewing gum and ice cubes.
• • Bones in fish or meat: remove them all.

Keep your baby sitting upright in a high chair and supervise every meal. Gagging is noisy and common while babies learn; choking is quiet. Call your local emergency number if your baby is choking and can't cough, cry or breathe effectively, and start baby choking first aid straight away.

For shapes and textures food by food, see how to cut food for baby-led weaning.

Honey: not before 12 months

Do not give honey to a baby under 1 year old, even a small taste. The NHS, CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) all give this advice.

Occasionally honey contains bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's gut, causing infant botulism. The NHS calls this "a very serious illness". It is rare, but the advice is the same for every baby under 12 months.

From 12 months the AAP says honey is safe for children. It still counts as sugar, though: the NHS advises avoiding food and drink with sugar for children aged 4 and under, including "the natural sugar found in honey".

Nuts and peanuts: crushed or ground, never whole

Whole nuts and peanuts are a choking hazard. The NHS says they "should not be given to children under 5 years old".

Nuts themselves are not off the menu. The NHS says you can give them from the start of weaning "as long as they're crushed or ground and added to food". Smooth nut butter such as peanut butter can be spread thinly on toast fingers or stirred into porridge, but not given by itself. Nuts and peanuts are also common allergens: the NHS advises introducing allergens one at a time in very small amounts, and keeping them in your baby's diet once tolerated. If your baby has eczema or a food allergy, or there are food allergies in the family, talk to your GP, health visitor or doctor first.

For how to introduce peanut, egg and other allergens, see our baby allergen introduction guide.

Hard raw vegetables and fruit

Raw carrot, raw apple and similar firm pieces are hard for babies to bite and chew. The NHS lists "raw carrot or apple" among the hard foods to avoid, and the CDC lists "pieces of hard raw vegetables or fruit" as choking hazards.

Make them suitable instead:

• • Steam or simmer until soft, then cut into slices or narrow batons your baby can hold.
• • Grate or mash firm fruit and vegetables for younger babies.
• • Cut melon and apple into slices rather than small chunks.
• • Peel skins, and remove pips, stones and seeds.

A quick check: a cooked piece should squash easily between your finger and thumb. If it doesn't, cook it longer.

Salt, sugar and drinks to skip

Babies don't need salt or sugar added to their food or cooking water. The NHS says salt is "not good for their kidneys" and sugar can cause tooth decay; the CDC says "infants and young children should not have added sugars".

Leave out or avoid:

• • Added salt, stock cubes and gravy. Take your baby's portion out before you season family food.
• • Salty foods such as bacon, sausages, crisps, crackers, salted chips, ready meals and takeaways.
• • Added sugar and sweeteners, and sugary snacks and sweets.
• • Fruit juice and smoothies: the CDC says children under 12 months should not drink any; the NHS says it's best to avoid them before 12 months.
• • Cows' milk as a main drink before 12 months. It is fine in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months.
• • Rice drinks: the NHS says not before age 5, because they can contain too much arsenic. Rice itself is fine.
• • Tea, coffee and other drinks with caffeine.
• • Slush ice drinks: the NHS says not for children aged 7 and under.

Breast milk or first infant formula stays the main drink in the first year. With meals, offer sips of water from an open or free-flow cup.

For meals cooked without added salt or sugar, see our baby-led weaning recipes.

Eggs, cheese, fish and shellfish: how to make them suitable

These foods are good for babies from around 6 months, but only in certain forms. Advice on raw eggs differs between countries.

Check these:

• • Eggs in the UK: the NHS says hens' eggs stamped with the red British Lion mark are fine for babies raw or lightly cooked. The Lion mark is a UK scheme.
• • Eggs elsewhere, and duck, goose or quail eggs: the NHS says eggs without the red lion mark should be cooked until the white and yolk are both solid. If you live outside the UK, follow your own country's advice; if unsure, cook eggs until firm.
• • Cheese: pasteurised full-fat cheese, such as mild cheddar, cottage cheese and cream cheese, is fine from 6 months. Avoid mould-ripened soft cheese (brie, camembert), ripened goats' cheese, soft blue cheese (roquefort) and unpasteurised cheese, which carry a higher risk of listeria. The NHS says these cheeses can be used in a cooked recipe, because listeria is killed by cooking.
• • Unpasteurised (raw) milk, yoghurt and juice: avoid them because of the risk of harmful bacteria.
• • High-mercury fish: the NHS says children under 16 should not eat shark, swordfish or marlin. The FDA and CDC also list king mackerel, orange roughy, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico and bigeye tuna. Other fish, cooked and with bones removed, is fine.
• • Raw or lightly cooked shellfish, such as mussels, clams and oysters: only give shellfish that has been thoroughly cooked.
• • Fresh pâté, whether made from meat, fish or vegetables, because of the risk of food poisoning.

Where your national health service gives different advice from the NHS, follow your local guidance.

For how to cut eggs, cheese and fish safely, see how to cut food for baby-led weaning.

What to offer instead

Swaps that keep the food but lose the risk:

• • Grapes, cherry tomatoes and blueberries: quartered
• • Peanut butter: spread thinly on toast fingers, or stirred into porridge
• • Ground almonds or other ground nuts: stirred into porridge or yoghurt
• • Apple and carrot: steamed until soft, then cut into narrow batons
• • Eggs: hard-boiled and cut into wedges, or a firm omelette cut into strips
• • Cheese: pasteurised full-fat cheese, grated or cut into narrow strips
• • Fish: salmon or cod, cooked, with all bones removed, then flaked
• • Drinks: breast milk or formula, plus sips of water with meals

For first foods and how to prepare them, see first foods for baby.

Frequently Asked Questions