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Cheese for baby food


Foods to avoid giving babies and young children

Salt

Babies should not eat much salt, as it's not good for their kidneys. 

Do not add salt to your baby's food or cooking water, and do not use stock cubes or gravy, as they're often high in salt.

Remember this when you're cooking for the family if you plan to give the same food to your baby.

Avoid salty foods like:

  • bacon
  • sausages
  • chips with added salt
  • crackers
  • crisps
  • ready meals
  • takeaways

Sugar

Your baby does not need sugar. 

By avoiding sugary snacks and drinks (including fruit juice and other fruit drinks), you'll help prevent tooth decay.

Saturated fat

Do not give your child too many foods that are high in saturated fat, such as crisps, biscuits and cakes.

Checking the nutrition labels can help you choose foods that are lower in saturated fat.

See more on food labels.

Honey

Occasionally, honey contains bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's intestines, leading to infant botulism, which is a very serious illness.

Do not give your child honey until they're over 1 year old. Honey is a sugar, so avoiding it will also help prevent tooth decay.

Whole nuts and peanuts

Whole nuts and peanuts should not be given to children under 5 years old, as they can choke on them.

You can give your baby nuts and peanuts from around 6 months old, as long as they're crushed, ground or a smooth nut or peanut butter.

If there's a history of food allergies or other allergies in your family, talk to your GP or health visitor before introducing nuts and peanuts.

See more on food allergies in babies and young children.

Some cheeses

Cheese can form part of a healthy, balanced diet for babies and young children, and provides calcium, protein and vitamins.

Babies can eat pasteurised full-fat cheese from 6 months old. This includes hard cheeses, such as mild cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and cream cheese.

Babies and young children should not eat mould-ripened soft cheeses, such as brie or camembert, or ripened goats' milk cheese and soft blue-veined cheese, such as roquefort. There's a higher risk that these cheeses might carry a bacteria called listeria.

Many cheeses are made from unpasteurised milk. It's better to avoid these because of the risk of listeria.

You can check labels on cheeses to make sure they're made from pasteurised milk.

But these cheeses can be used as part of a cooked recipe as listeria is killed by cooking. Baked brie, for example, is a safer option.

Raw and lightly cooked eggs

Babies can have eggs from around 6 months.

If the eggs are hens' eggs and they have a red lion stamped on them, or you see a red lion with the words "British Lion Quality" on the box, it's fine for your baby to have them raw (for example, in homemade mayonnaise) or lightly cooked.

Hens' eggs that do not have the red lion mark should be cooked until both the white and yolk are solid. So should duck, goose or quail eggs.

Avoid raw eggs, including uncooked cake mixture, homemade ice creams, homemade mayonnaise, or desserts that contain uncooked egg that you cannot confirm are red lion stamped.

Rice drinks

Children under 5 years old should not have rice drinks as a substitute for breast milk or infant formula (or cows' milk after 1 year old) as they may contain too much arsenic.

Arsenic is found naturally in the environment and can find its way into our food and water.

Rice tends to take up more arsenic than other grains, but this does not mean that you or your baby cannot eat rice.

In the UK, there are maximum levels of inorganic arsenic allowed in rice and rice products, and even stricter levels are set for foods intended for young children.

Do not worry if your child has already had rice drinks. There's no immediate risk to them, but it's best to switch to a different kind of milk.

Raw jelly cubes

Raw jelly cubes can be a choking hazard for babies and young children.

If you're making jelly from raw jelly cubes, make sure you always follow the manufacturers' instructions.

Raw shellfish

Raw or lightly cooked shellfish, such as mussels, clams and oysters, can increase the risk of food poisoning, so it's best not to give it to babies.

Shark, swordfish and marlin

Do not give your baby shark, swordfish or marlin. The amount of mercury in these fish can affect the development of a baby's nervous system.

Further information

For more information and advice about babies and food, see:

  • food allergies in babies and young children
  • your baby's first solid foods
  • baby and toddler meal ideas

Age, Best and Worst Options, and Benefits

Starting solids with your baby? It’s such a fun (and messy) milestone!

While there seems to be a lot of focus on fresh fruit and vegetable purées, you might wonder when it’s OK to introduce other foods, like cheeses. Not only that, but you’re also probably curious as to which cheeses are safe and healthy to give to your little one.

Here’s what you need to know about offering your baby cheese in all its melty, gooey glory, including which cheeses are best and some notes on identifying potential lactose intolerance or milk allergy.

Check with your doctor before offering cheese to your baby. Some sources say it’s safe to offer cheese as early as 6 months while others say it’s better to wait until sometime between 8 and 10 months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares that cheeses are safe to add to your mealtime routine somewhere in between these ages — when your child is 7 to 8 months old.

Your doctor may have specific guidelines for you to follow with your baby given their unique development. Regardless, it’s important to wait 3 to 5 days between offering any new foods to your little one. This way, you can watch for signs of intolerance or allergic reaction, like diarrhea, vomiting, or a rash.

The key here is to offer your baby full fat cheeses that are also pasteurized for safety. Start with more mild varieties before moving onto stronger cheeses. You also want to seek out whole cheeses versus “cheese food products,” like Velveeta and others that contain added ingredients.

Look for:

  • Colby
  • cheddar (mild)
  • Monterey jack
  • mozzarella
  • parmesan
  • romano
  • cottage cheese
  • cream cheese
  • ricotta

Again, full fat cheeses and other dairy products are best. Babies under age 2 need the fat to help their bodies and brains grow.

Avoid soft aged or mold-ripened cheeses, like brie, Camembert, and bacteria-ripened goat cheese varieties. The same goes with blue-veined cheeses, like Roquefort. These types may contain Listeria, a harmful bacteria that can make your baby sick with food poisoning.

Always check the cheese’s label to ensure it’s made with pasteurized milk. If you’re buying cheese at a farm stand or smaller shop, simply ask if the product is pasteurized. Pasteurization is a process that heats food to a certain temperature to kill off bacteria.

Fortunately, most cheeses — including many soft cheeses — that are sold in grocery stores across the United States are made with pasteurized milk. Those are fine to offer. Otherwise, avoid giving unpasteurized products to babies (and children and teens as well).

Related: 5 nutritious and easy baby food recipes you can make from your farmer’s market haul

While it may be tempting to offer your baby an individually wrapped string cheese, a chunk of cheese this big and round is actually a choking hazard. Cheese cubes present a similar challenge and should also go on the things-to-avoid list.

Certain melted cheeses — like melted mozzarella — are stringy and can become a choking hazard if not cut into small pieces.

Safe ways to offer cheese to your baby include:

  • shredding (or buying pre-shredded) for finger food practice
  • cutting thin strips for easy chewing
  • melting atop vegetables or other foods
  • melting into scrambled egg yolks, pancakes, or in a grilled cheese sandwich
  • sprinkling or grating over pasta dishes
  • spreading cream cheese thinly atop toast

Cottage cheese is another good option. It’s soft (but safe) and comes in both large and small curd varieties. If your baby is only eating smooth purées, you may want to pulse it a few times in your blender to break up the curds even more.

You can also mix cottage cheese in with puréed fruits and vegetables if your baby prefers it that way.

Related: Is it safe for babies to eat eggs?

Start by offering your baby just 1 to 2 ounces of cheese (and other protein-rich foods) a day if your baby is between 6 and 8 months old. Babies between 8 and 10 months old may get double this amount — 2 to 4 ounces each day.

Even this small amount provides notable benefits. Full fat cottage cheese, for example, is a good source of calcium, protein, and other important nutrients. Just a half cup gives your baby an impressive 12 grams of protein.

With regard to key minerals, this amount provides 87 milligrams (mg) of calcium, 167 mg of phosphorus, and 10.2 micrograms of selenium. It also gives your baby a boost of vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, as well as a dose of healthy fats.

While starting solids is a fun time, baby should still be breast or bottle feeding for the bulk of their nutritional needs.

Whether you have a family history or not, you’ll want to be on the lookout for dairy intolerance (lactose or milk protein) or allergy when you first offer cheese to your baby. In fact, cow’s milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in babies and young children.

Symptoms of intolerance include things like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Your child may also have stomach cramping, bloating, or gas. Of course, they can’t tell you these things — so you may just notice your child is particularly fussy and uncomfortable.

Allergic reaction signs can range from mild to severe. The most severe reaction is anaphylaxis. This is a medical emergency. Symptoms include hives, wheezing, or vomiting. You may also notice that your child is coughing or that their lips, tongue, and/or throat is swelling.

If you observe any of these symptoms, take your child to the emergency room as soon as possible. Anaphylaxis can be treated with a shot of the drug epinephrine.

Related: What you need to know about milk allergies

Cheese is a nutritious food to offer your baby. Start small — but have fun finding new ways to incorporate it into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time.

Check labels and offer varieties that are pasteurized for safety. And remember to cut cheeses into small strips or melt it to address the potential choking hazard.

Last but not least, check in with your pediatrician if you’re unsure when you can give your baby cheese or if you have any concerns about dairy intolerance or allergy.

When can cheese be given to a child and what

Cheese has incorporated all the best that is in milk. High calcium content (about ten times more in cheese than in cottage cheese), vitamins A, B, D, PP and E, phosphorus and minerals, already fermented, easy to digest protein. But with all this splendor, cheese is not suitable for feeding children under 10 months. There is too much protein in cheeses (there is even more of it in cheese than in meat), and after all, an excess of protein is just as dangerous as its lack. A high proportion of minerals and a large amount of salt in almost all types of cheese overload the baby's kidneys.

Important!

The baby's body is not yet able to cope with excess salt and protein, so most pediatricians do not recommend giving cheese until 10-12 months.

Choose products for babies under one year old

Dozens of varieties of cheese are sold in the store. Not all are suitable for kids. We immediately discard the entire group of blue cheeses, smoked cheeses, cheeses with hot peppers, etc. Too spicy, too salty, not suitable for baby food. In the remaining assortment, we are looking for cheeses with a low fat content, preferably no more than 30-35%. In the usual varieties "Gouda", "Edam", "Creamy" fat content is 42-55% and up to 70%, they cannot be used in the diet of children under one year old.

Next, among the remaining cheeses, sort out those with the inscription "pickled cheese". These are the varieties "brynza", "suluguni", etc. The technology of their preparation includes several days of soaking in brine. These cheeses are too salty, which is dangerous for the baby. You can significantly reduce the amount of salt in cheese by soaking a small piece in cold water for 2-3 hours. It is better to change the water a couple of times. The taste, of course, will become insipid and uninteresting, but such cheese will only benefit the child. Of the remaining cheeses, we look at varieties with a minimum salt content. These are Ricotta, Mozzarella, Cheddar, etc. If the cheese seems too salty, a piece can be soaked in water and only then given to the baby.

Important!

Ideal for baby food - special baby cheeses. They are low-fat, with a reduced amount of salt and minerals.

At 11-12 months, the baby can be introduced to the taste of cheese, a couple of times a week to give a piece the size of a pea.

After one year, cheese can be increased to five grams per day. Offer cheese at least one meal away from meat, such as pear or zucchini. It is not recommended to treat the baby with cheese daily, it is better to set aside 2-3 “cheese” days a week. After one and a half years, the daily portion of cheese can be increased to 10-15 grams, by two years - up to 20 grams.

It is convenient to add grated cheese to an omelette or vegetable puree. If the baby does not make friends with cheese, do not insist. Tastes change, perhaps closer to school he will love cheese sandwiches.

Lactose-free cheese is available for children with lactose intolerance; it is low in fat, but, unfortunately, often too salty. A slice of lactose-free cheese can be soaked in water for several hours and offered to the baby.

Eat to your health!

What kind of cheese and when can children: at what age can cheese be given to a child

05/14/2020