Foods to Avoid for Babies Under 1: The Full List, and Where US, UK and EU Advice Differs

Most foods are fine for a baby from around 6 months. A short list is not, and the reasons fall into four groups: a bug the baby cannot fight yet (honey, unpasteurised dairy, raw egg in some countries), a nutrient their kidneys or gut cannot handle (salt, cow's milk as a drink), a shape they cannot swallow safely (whole nuts, whole grapes), and a contaminant that builds up (mercury, arsenic).

The lists from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the UK's NHS and Europe's ESPGHAN and ANSES overlap almost entirely. Where they differ, mostly on eggs, nuts and how strictly to read the mercury list, we say so and name the body.

When each 'avoid' rule ends, by the body that sets it. Choking shapes apply to about age 4.

Which foods are unsafe for babies under 12 months?

These are the hard "no" items, with the authority behind each.

Two of these catch parents out. The first is honey in cooking: baking does not reliably kill botulism spores, so honey cakes and honey-sweetened cereals count. The second is cow's milk, which is a drink problem rather than a food problem; a splash in porridge or a cheese sauce from 6 months is fine in every country.

What about salt and sugar?

Not banned, but close to it. Every body says the same thing in different words.

• Salt. The NHS puts a number on it: babies under 1 should have "less than 1g" of salt a day, "because their kidneys are not fully developed and cannot process it." Breast milk, formula and unsalted food already supply that, so the practical rule is to add none, and to watch stock cubes, gravy, bread, cheese and processed meat, which carry most of a family's salt. The CDC says to "avoid feeding foods high in salt (sodium) to young children." ESPGHAN: "no sugar or salt should be added to complementary foods."
• Sugar. The CDC is the strictest: "Children younger than 24 months should not have added sugars," listing muffins, flavoured yoghurts and cookies as the usual sources. The NHS says to avoid sugar and sweeteners for children 4 and under to prevent tooth decay. ESPGHAN adds the drinks: no fruit juice or sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Saturated fat. Only the NHS mentions it, advising against crisps, biscuits and cakes for babies. Fat itself is not the problem (babies need it; see our healthy fats guide); the processed packaging is.

Our salt and sugar guide has the label-reading detail, including how to convert sodium on a US label into the NHS's salt number.

Which foods are choking hazards for babies?

Choking is about shape and texture rather than the food itself, which is why most of these foods are fine once cut or cooked differently. The CDC's list of "potential choking hazards for young children":

• "Pieces of hard raw vegetables or fruit, such as raw carrots or apples"
• "Uncut grapes, berries, cherries, or melon balls"
• "Whole or chopped nuts and seeds"
• "Hot dogs, meat sticks, or sausages"
• "Potato or corn chips, pretzels, popcorn, or similar snack foods"
• "Round or hard candy, jelly beans, caramels, gum drops, or gummy candies"

The NHS adds raw jelly cubes and puts an age on nuts: no whole nuts or peanuts for "children under 5 years old," though ground or crushed nuts and smooth nut butters can go in from around 6 months.

For grapes, the NHS says to cut "small round foods like grapes into quarters"; the CDC says to cut round foods into short, thin strips and small round foods into small pieces, and to remove fat, skin, bones, seeds and pits.

Our gagging vs choking guide explains the difference between the noisy, normal gag and silent choking, and every food page on this site, for example grapes and carrot, shows the safe shape for each age.

Where US, UK and European advice differs

Most of the list above is unanimous. These five points are not.

The egg difference is the one that matters at the breakfast table. A UK parent can give a 7 month old a soft-boiled Lion egg; a US parent following FDA advice should cook it until firm. Both are following their national body correctly. If you move between countries, follow the rule where the egg was laid, because the Lion mark reflects UK flock vaccination against salmonella rather than anything about the baby.

Which "avoid" foods are actually allergens to introduce early?

A short detour, because the list above is often confused with the allergen list, and the advice is the opposite. Peanut, egg, cow's milk (as yoghurt or in cooking), wheat, fish, shellfish, sesame and tree nuts are foods to introduce early and keep offering, not to avoid.

The NHS says these "can be introduced from around 6 months," one at a time; the CDC says to "introduce potentially allergenic foods when you introduce other foods"; ESPGHAN says they "may be introduced when complementary feeding is commenced any time after 4 months." The only avoid rule inside this group is about form: smooth peanut butter rather than whole peanuts, cooked egg rather than raw outside the UK.

Our allergens 101 guide and the common allergens hub cover how to do it.

Which drinks should a baby have?

Breast milk or formula, and water. From the start of solids, the NHS and CDC both say to offer sips of water from an open or free-flow cup at mealtimes.

Everything else is on an avoid list somewhere: juice (AAP, CDC, ESPGHAN), sugar-sweetened drinks and flavoured milk (CDC, under 24 months), caffeinated drinks (CDC, under 24 months), rice drinks (NHS, ESPGHAN), slush drinks (NHS, under 7), and cow's or plant milks as a main drink before 12 months. The CDC adds that "fortified dairy alternatives" are not a drink before 12 months either.

If you are keeping track of what your baby has had, this is the kind of list that is easier in an app than in your head. Avo Starting Solids flags the foods above on each food's page, logs every taste with the date, and marks allergens separately from the foods to avoid, so the two lists never get mixed up.

What changes at 12 months?

Several of the rules expire on the first birthday, which is why the lists are written for "under 1":

• honey is allowed
• whole cow's milk can become the main drink (CDC, NHS, ESPGHAN)
• a small amount of 100% juice becomes acceptable in the US: "no more than 4 ounces" a day for ages 1 to 3 (AAP, via the CDC page); the NHS still prefers water and milk
• salt rises to the NHS's "no more than 2g" a day for ages 1 to 3

What does not change: no whole nuts until 5 (NHS), no added sugar until 24 months (CDC), the choking shapes until around 4, the high-mercury fish, and unpasteurised dairy. Our guide to what changes at 12 months covers the rest of the transition.

When should I call a doctor?

Call emergency services if a baby is choking and cannot cough, cry or breathe. Call your paediatrician, GP or health visitor urgently if, after eating honey or any food, a baby under 1 becomes constipated and unusually floppy or weak, feeds poorly, or has a weak cry: these are the early signs of infant botulism, which is treatable.

For a suspected allergic reaction with facial swelling, difficulty breathing or floppiness, call emergency services; for a rash or vomiting alone, call your doctor the same day.