Are Strawberries, Peanuts & Shellfish an Allergy Risk to Your Baby? by Kristen Yarker, MSc, RD

The old rules about waiting until certain ages to introduce foods didn’t prevent allergies. In fact, there’s some evidence that delaying the introduction may actually increase the risk. As a result, scientific researchers have gone back to the drawing board to find why babies develop food allergies.

So, what should you do? Starting at about 6 months of age, introduce almost any food that your family eats. There’s no need to wait to introduce any of the foods previously off limits, such as strawberries, peanuts or shellfish. And, you want to keep these foods in your baby’s weekly diet to build up and maintain tolerance.

Keep in mind, though, that you do still want to avoid foods that risk food poisoning – honey and raw meat and poultry.