Foods to avoid giving babies
Once weaning starts, a few foods are best avoided or limited for safety. This summarises NHS guidance; check the source pages and your health visitor for the full picture.
Avoid
- Salt, don't add salt and avoid salty foods (babies' kidneys can't cope).
- Sugar and sugary snacks/drinks, to protect new teeth and habits.
- Honey until 12 months, it can cause infant botulism.
- Whole nuts and hard foods (and other choking hazards), avoid whole nuts under 5; offer smooth nut butters or ground nuts instead.
- Saturated fat in crisps, biscuits and cakes; raw shellfish and raw/lightly cooked eggs not stamped with the red lion.
Reduce choking risk
Cut round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes lengthways, remove stones and hard pips, and always supervise meals. Sit your baby upright to eat.
If you're unsure
Food allergies are a separate topic, see introducing allergens. When in doubt about any food, ask your health visitor or GP.
Note what works
Keep a simple food log in Cubby, what you've introduced, what they liked, and anything that didn't agree, ready for the next check-up.
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