9 Common Allergens: When & How to Introduce Them

If you’ve started solids with your baby (or are getting ready to), it’s likely you’ve heard about introducing the most common food allergens. But you might not be sure exactly when, how or which foods fall into the allergen category.

The rates of food allergies in children are the highest they've ever been, so it’s completely understandable that introducing allergenic foods can feel scary.

Here's what you need to know: current guidelines recommend introducing the 9 common allergens before your baby's first birthday. Early introduction and frequent exposure actually reduces your baby's risk of developing a food allergy.

This post will walk you through which foods are considered common allergens, when and how to introduce them, and how to do it with confidence instead of fear.

What are the 9 common allergen foods?

First, it’s important to know that, technically, any of us could develop an allergy to any food at any time. But most allergies show up in early childhood, and over 90% of them are caused by the nine common allergens. These are:

Egg

Cow's milk (milk, yoghurt, cheese etc)

Wheat (bread, pasta, cereal, couscous etc)

Peanut

Other nuts aka tree nuts (almond, walnut, cashew etc)

Soy

Sesame (seeds or paste)

Fish

Shellfish (prawns, squid, crab, mussels etc)

To reduce your baby’s risk of developing an allergy to these foods, introduce them before your child’s first birthday, and then continue to offer them regularly.

This applies to all babies, even those with a family history of allergy, or who have eczema or other identified allergic conditions.

If your baby does have a diagnosed allergy to a food then you need to completely avoid giving that food to your child.

The Mealtimes method

Our national guidelines to help prevent food allergy are really clear about what to do. Mealtimes Members get support for how to actually follow them, with answers to the most common questions, plus recipes, meal ideas, tips and tricks.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, why not try a month of Baby Mealtimes to help you get confident.

How to introduce allergens safely: step-by-step tips

Introducing allergens doesn't have to feel overwhelming. Here's how to do it with confidence:

Start introducing the common allergens once your baby is swallowing food at most meals - a good sign of this is that their poos change consistency.

Start with foods that your family eats regularly. Guidelines recommend offering egg and peanut early (eg when your baby is between 6 and 9 months old), and the rest by about 12 months.

There's no need to rush to introduce all of the allergens in a very short space; I suggest one new allergen per week is the quickest you should go.

Offer a new allergen three times over a few days before you assume it's not going to cause a reaction.

Then, continue to offer the allergens at least once a week after that. Introducing a food and then not giving it regularly may result in an increased risk of allergy.

The first few times that you offer one of the common allergens, try to give it with foods your baby has already eaten plenty of times before, so if they do have a reaction you can be fairly confident of the cause and stop giving that food while you get a diagnosis.

You can also cook the common allergens well the first few times to reduce the chance of causing an allergic response. For example, a hard boiled egg is much less likely to cause an allergic response than softly scrambled or raw egg. This is because of the longer cooking time and higher cooking temperature.

Looking for support with introducing allergens?

If you want clear, evidence-based guidance that walks you through each allergen with recipes, meal ideas, and answers to every "what if" question, a Baby Mealtimes membership includes:

Step-by-step allergen introduction guide

An allergen tracker to reduce confusion and overwhelm

Information about allergic reactions

Recipes for each of the 9 common allergens

Answers to frequently asked allergen-related questions

Advice on what to do if you're really nervous

Related offerings

Introducing Food Allergens E-Book

$14.95

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Mealtimes Membership

From: $39.00 / month

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Reintroducing Dairy Foods to Babies and Toddlers

$19.95

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Eczema Masterclass with Jemma Weidinger

$40.00

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Introducing Solids Masterclass

$40.00

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A Baby Mealtimes Membership has everything you need to know about introducing allergens to your baby. We can answer those questions that might come, like "no one in my house eats shellfish, what should I do", "how do I give fish to my 10 month old?" or "does sesame oil count as sesame?". If it's not answered already inside our allergen content hub, you can post it in the members-only Facebook group or ask on a live Q&A and get an answer from a paediatric dietitian.

If you're feeling anxious about this process, that's okay. But with the right information and a clear plan, you can introduce allergens with confidence.

Dr Kyla

Dr Kyla is a paediatric dietitian with a passion for helping families to feed their children well, without the overwhelm. She has a PhD in childhood weight management and 20 years experience working with restrictive eaters in her clinic and online programs. Kyla is also a mum of two and she knows the struggle today’s parents have with navigating limited time, information overwhelm, picky eaters and societal expectations.