How to Introduce Egg and Peanut to Your Baby: A Step-by-Step Guide
For many parents, the first spoonful of egg or peanut butter is the part of weaning they worry about most. It is completely understandable. You want to do the right thing and you want to know what to do if something happens.
The reassuring news is that, for most babies, introducing these foods is straightforward. This guide walks you through it step by step: which foods to use; how much to offer; how often to keep them going and what to look out for.
If you would like the background first, our guides Introducing Allergens Safely When Weaning Your Baby and Introducing Allergenic Foods to a Baby with Eczema explain why the advice has changed and which babies may need extra support.
Why introduce egg and peanut early?
For many years, parents were told to hold back foods like egg and peanut. The advice has now changed. Research, particularly the LEAP and EAT studies, suggests that giving egg and peanut as part of your baby's first foods, rather than delaying them, may help reduce the chance of an allergy to those foods developing. Delaying them beyond the first year may increase that chance.
Current UK advice is to start solid foods, including egg and peanut, at around six months (never before 17 weeks), once your baby is developmentally ready. For babies at higher risk of food allergy, BSACI and BDA guidance suggests introducing egg and peanut from four months, once a baby is developmentally ready. When egg and peanut are eaten without any problems, keep them in your baby's diet.
Before you start: is your baby ready?
Your baby should already be enjoying a few other first foods, such as vegetables, fruit or baby rice, and be showing the usual signs of readiness: sitting up with support, holding their head steady and picking up food and bringing it to their mouth.
A few things make the first try easier:
Choose a day when your baby is well, not when they are poorly, teething or have just had their vaccinations
Offer the new food in the morning or early afternoon so you can watch your baby for a few hours afterwards
Introduce one new allergen at a time so that, if there is a reaction, you know what caused it
Have a parent or carer at home with your baby for the rest of the day
Please speak to your GP, Health Visitor or us before you start if your baby:
Has moderate to severe Eczema, or Eczema that started in the first three months
Already has a food allergy, or has reacted to a food before
Has a brother or sister with a peanut allergy and you are feeling anxious
These babies have a higher chance of food allergy. They usually still benefit from having egg and peanut early, but it is worth getting tailored advice about how and when.
How do I give my baby egg?
Choose eggs with the British Lion stamp, which the NHS says are safe for babies. Start with egg that is well cooked all the way through, so the white and yolk are both firm. For example:
Hard-boiled egg, mashed and mixed into a vegetable purée your baby already enjoys
Well-cooked scrambled egg or a thin omelette, cut into strips your baby can hold
Egg baked into homemade foods, such as a small pancake or muffin, with no added sugar or salt
Start with a small amount, about the tip of a teaspoon. If all is well, offer a little more at the next meal or over the next day or two, building up to a normal baby-sized portion.
Baked egg (for example in a muffin or a pancake) is a gentle way to start, but it contains much less egg than a hard-boiled egg. Once baked egg is going well, move on to other well-cooked egg dishes, so that egg becomes a regular part of your baby's diet.
How do I give my baby peanut?
Never give whole or broken peanuts or other nuts to babies or young children, as they are a choking risk. Use smooth peanut butter instead, ideally one with no added salt or sugar.
Smooth peanut butter is thick and sticky on its own, so loosen it first:
Mix about half a teaspoon of smooth peanut butter with a little of your baby's usual milk or warm water, until it is runny
Stir it into a purée, porridge or baby rice your baby already enjoys
Or spread a very thin layer on a soft finger of toast
As with egg, start small (the tip of a teaspoon), then build up gradually over a meal or two if there is no reaction.
What about other nuts and nut butters?
Other nuts can be introduced in the same way, one at a time, using smooth nut butters (such as cashew or almond) or finely ground nuts (such as ground almonds) mixed into food. Tree nuts are a separate group from peanuts, so it is worth introducing them individually too.
How often should I keep giving them?
This is the step that is easiest to forget, and one of the most important. Once your baby has eaten egg or peanut without any problems, keep offering it regularly as part of their usual diet. Allergy specialists suggest aiming for at least twice a week.
Giving a food once and then stopping does not seem to bring the same benefit. Simple ideas include stirring peanut butter into porridge on a couple of mornings each week, or offering cooked egg on toast fingers as a regular breakfast or lunch.
What should I look out for?
Most babies have no reaction at all. Some redness around the mouth can be caused simply by food touching the skin, especially if your baby has Eczema.
Signs of an allergic reaction usually appear within minutes and up to around two hours after eating, and can include:
Hives (raised, itchy, blotchy patches) on the face or body
Swelling of the lips, face or eyes
Vomiting
A sudden flare of Eczema
Coughing, sneezing or a runny nose
If your baby has a mild reaction like this, stop giving the food and speak to your GP. Do not offer that food again until you have had advice, but carry on with your baby's other foods as normal. Taking a photo of any rash, and noting what your baby ate and when, can really help.
If your baby has any difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, a hoarse cry, becomes floppy, pale or unresponsive, call 999 straight away.
Some babies may experience delayed symptoms, which could appear 3 hours after the food is eaten and even up to 3 days later.
Signs of a delayed reaction can include:
Tummy pain
Unsettled behaviour
Loose or runny stools
Constipation
Blood or mucus in the stools
Sleep problems
Eczema flares
If your baby experiences any of the above symptoms, it is important to discuss your concerns with your GP, Health Visitor or Specialist Nurse to rule out other health conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I introduce egg and peanut on the same day?
It is best to introduce them on different days, a few days apart, so that if your baby does react you will know which food caused it.
Should I give peanut before egg, or egg first?
Either can come first. Many families start with egg, as it is easy to fit into first foods, then move on to peanut a few days later.
Do I need to do an allergy test first?
Most babies do not need any testing before egg and peanut are introduced. If your baby has moderate to severe Eczema or has already reacted to a food, speak to your GP or us first.
What if my baby refuses it?
That is very common with any new food. Keep calmly offering it alongside foods your baby likes. It can take many tries before a baby accepts a new taste.
My baby is older than one. Is it too late?
It is never too late to talk it through. If your baby has not yet had egg or peanut, speak to your GP, Health Visitor or us about the best way to introduce them.
How can Allergy Nurture Nurses help?
You do not need to have a concern to talk to us. A nurse-led consultation may be helpful if:
Your baby has Eczema and you are unsure how or when to introduce egg and peanut
Your baby has already reacted to a food and you feel anxious about trying others
You would like a step-by-step plan that fits your baby's feeding and routine
You are worried about keeping allergens in your baby's diet regularly
You want to feel prepared before speaking to your GP or Health Visitor
During your consultation, we take an allergy-focused history and take time to hear your baby's full story, then talk you through a practical plan for introducing allergenic foods with confidence, working alongside your GP and Health Visitor.
What we do and do not provide
Allergy Nurture Nurses is a CQC-registered, nurse-led allergy and allergy-triggered Asthma advisory service for children, young people and families.
We provide assessment through taking an allergy-focused history, education, support and practical guidance. We do not provide emergency medical care, allergy testing, medical diagnosis or prescribing. Where appropriate we can liaise with the patient's GP and signpost to appropriate services. Where further medical assessment is required, families will be advised to contact their GP, NHS services or an appropriate healthcare professional. In a medical emergency, call 999.
Your baby or child should remain under their GP, NHS team or relevant healthcare professionals for clinical diagnosis, medical treatment, prescribing and urgent care.
When should I seek urgent medical help?
Most allergy symptoms are not emergencies. However, allergic reactions can occasionally become serious very quickly.
Call 999 immediately if your baby or child develops difficulty breathing, significant swelling of the tongue or throat, becomes floppy, collapses, appears severely unwell or develops symptoms of Anaphylaxis.
Urgent medical advice should also be sought if your baby's skin appears significantly infected or your baby is becoming unwell. Urgent symptoms are not suitable for a routine consultation or online enquiry.
Feeling nervous about the first taste?
You do not have to do this on your own.
Allergy Nurture Nurses offers calm, compassionate, nurse-led consultations where you have time to talk through your baby's feeding, skin and any worries about allergy. We can help you make a clear plan and feel confident with each step.
Every child deserves the best start in life.
About the author
Written and clinically reviewed by Catherine Neale, NMC Registered Children's Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist, and founder of Allergy Nurture Nurses. Catherine has over 25 years' nursing experience, including 7 years as a specialist allergy nurse, and is a member of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI).
Last clinically reviewed: 27 October 2026.
Further reading
This article draws on current guidance from the following organisations, where you can read more for yourself:
