Babies can eat eggs from 6 months, when they start solids. At 6 months: cooked firm all through: an omelet strip to hold, or hard-boiled egg mashed smooth with water, breast milk or formula. Why so big: babies this age grab with the whole hand, so a finger-sized piece with a bit sticking out of the fist is easiest to hold and gnaw, and gnawing helps them learn to chew. Feeding themselves carries no more risk of choking than being fed with a spoon; always stay with your baby while they eat.
- Other names and forms
- hen's egg and chicken egg
- Start
- 6 months, when solids begin
- Common allergen
- Yes: egg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg per 100 g, an iron-rich food
- Textures
- Mashed and finger food
How to serve eggs by age
6 to 8 months
Cooked firm all through: an omelet strip to hold, or hard-boiled egg mashed smooth with water, breast milk or formula. Why so big: babies this age grab with the whole hand, so a finger-sized piece with a bit sticking out of the fist is easiest to hold and gnaw, and gnawing helps them learn to chew. Feeding themselves carries no more risk of choking than being fed with a spoon; always stay with your baby while they eat.
9 to 11 months
Omelet, hard-boiled or dry scrambled egg in chickpea-sized pieces about 1 cm; give sips of water with hard-boiled egg. Why smaller now: between about 9 and 12 months babies learn to pick food up between thumb and finger, and small soft pieces let them practice. Babies who don't move on to lumpy food by about 9 to 10 months are more likely to have feeding difficulties later.
12 months and up
A hard-boiled egg in quarters with water to sip, or scrambled egg and omelet from the family pan.
Sito shows this card at your baby's exact age, for 583 foods.
Eggs and food allergy
Egg is one of the nine major food allergens. ASCIA, the Australasian allergy society, advises introducing common allergy foods in the first year, by 12 months, one new one at a meal, and once a food is tolerated, keeping it in the diet at least once a week.
If your baby has severe eczema or a known food allergy, talk to your doctor before offering common allergy foods.
Signs of a reaction soon after a food include swelling of the lips, face or eyes, hives or welts, vomiting, and a sudden change in behavior. Difficult or noisy breathing, a swollen tongue, or a baby who turns pale and floppy is an emergency: call 911 or your local emergency number.
Iron and other nutrients
USDA figures per 100 g (Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled): iron 1.2 mg, zinc 1.1 mg, calcium 50 mg, vitamin A 149 mcg and vitamin D 2.2 mcg. Babies aged 7 to 12 months need 11 mg of iron a day, according to the NIH, so iron foods matter from the first meals. Household measures from USDA: 1 half (hard-boiled) is about 25 g and 1 large egg is about 50 g.
Starting Solids in the Sito app
Sito is our app. From 4 months, the home screen is Starting Solids: the signs of readiness, how to serve each of 583 foods at your baby's age, and a quick log for every taste. Spears to grip or mashed on a spoon, each food's card shows the shapes that fit your baby's age, and swipes ahead to how it changes as they grow.
The Allergen Ladder takes 9 common allergens, one at a time, with a check-in after each. At 12 months the full app opens on its own: meals from a photo, 18 nutrients, and how to cut every food until age 4.
Every first food, served right
Add your baby and Starting Solids opens at 4 months.
FAQ
When can babies eat eggs?
From 6 months, when your baby starts solids.
How do you serve eggs to a 6-month-old?
Cooked firm all through: an omelet strip to hold, or hard-boiled egg mashed smooth with water, breast milk or formula. Why so big: babies this age grab with the whole hand, so a finger-sized piece with a bit sticking out of the fist is easiest to hold and gnaw, and gnawing helps them learn to chew. Feeding themselves carries no more risk of choking than being fed with a spoon; always stay with your baby while they eat.
How do you serve eggs to a 9-month-old?
Omelet, hard-boiled or dry scrambled egg in chickpea-sized pieces about 1 cm; give sips of water with hard-boiled egg. Why smaller now: between about 9 and 12 months babies learn to pick food up between thumb and finger, and small soft pieces let them practice. Babies who don't move on to lumpy food by about 9 to 10 months are more likely to have feeding difficulties later.
How do you serve eggs to a 12-month-old?
A hard-boiled egg in quarters with water to sip, or scrambled egg and omelet from the family pan.
Are eggs a common allergen?
Yes. Egg is one of the nine major food allergens. ASCIA advises offering common allergy foods by 12 months, one new one at a meal, and once one is tolerated, at least once a week after that.
Sources
- CDC: When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods
- CDC: Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- ASCIA: How to introduce solid foods to babies for allergy prevention
- USDA FoodData Central: Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Zinc
- AAP HealthyChildren: Movement Milestones: Babies 4 to 7 Months
- CDC: Important Milestones: Your Baby By One Year
- ESPGHAN: Complementary Feeding: A Position Paper by the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition (2017)