When Can My Toddler Eat.................?

My pediatrician told me those things can be introduced after the age of 2. I've heard some say wait until after the age of 3 for peanuts. My son is 21 months old right now.

Hi M.- I am a working mom of an 11 month old boy and at my son's 9 month check up my pediatrician told me he could start eating white fishes. So I would think that might be a safe place to start for your son. I would stick to mild things if he's already showing signs of allergies. Good luck!

Fish has been fine from the start (just watching the mercury levels), and I think shellfish is probably ok by now. Honey isn't usually an allergen. (Studies actually show that regular consumption of honey can DECREASE allergies!) Doctors here worry about botulism in babies, but even infants have honey in almost every other country. By 2-3, honey is totally fine no matter who you ask!

Start with a tiny amount of anything you're worried about. Just like when he was a little guy- start with 1 Tbsp one day, then 2 Tbsp the next, etc. He'll be ok!

I had the same question just the other day. I asked my cousin and she said what she used to do was sit in the parking lot of the ER whenever she tried new foods. I thought it was hysterical, but also not a bad idea. My daughter is allergic to tree nuts. So i am very hesitant about trying new foods also.

nuts and shellfish you're supposed to wait until two. Honey was already mentioned, he could have had that almost 2 years ago. Other fish he can have whenever. You can go crazy about the mercury levels if you want but once or even twice a week is fine I think. Did you have him allergy tested. I had my son tested when we found out he was allergic to peanuts at age 18 months. Some people think it a cruel and unecessary thing to do but it honestly wasn't that bad. He barely cried at all and it's better that finding out the hard way if he's allergic to something else. We found out that he's not allergic to tree nuts so we don't have to freak out about that.

I would say all of those things are fine for a child of that age. Just introduce them one at a time and with nothing else new so that you can monitor if he has a reaction to anything.
I gave my kids fish starting from around 9 months old, beginning with bland white fish then moving onto the stronger flavors, and shrimp from 18 months or so. I understand that honey is fine over one year.

Is there anyone in the immediate family allergic to shell fish? If so proceed with caution. I have a shell fish allergy that I developed as a 20 something person. My daughters 7yo and 2 1/2 yo both eat shell fish with no problem but could develop it later in life. Talk to your pediatrician and I would suggest having bebedryl on hand and know the proper amount. shell fish MAY run in familys but peanuts allergied DO run in families. I would try it or even let them just hold it and see if their skin reacts first. I get "running" hives that spread FAST but can stop them with water and soap and the itching goes away if I rub lemon on the hives. This may not work for everyone but it is a good solution for me! Good Luck!!! A.

should be all of the above. but do it like he was a baby. introduce one thing every few days to a week.

For your toddler's sake I'd rather you be safe than sorry... so check with your son's pediatrician first.

Hi M.,

You are ok to start these things. I always started them at 2, but I've heard after 12 months it is ok to start introducing these items. The reason babies should not have honey is not due to allergies, it is because their immature systems would not be able to fight the bacterias that are present in honey. I always give my one year olds peanut butter and honey sandwiches and have never had them get sick from the honey. Definitely if your child has some food allergies, I would only present these foods one at a time to be sure if there is a reaction, what the reaction is to. And of course, you can always ask your pediatrician or a nutritionist about when to start certain foods.

D.
35 year old mother of 5 with one more on the way

Regular fish you can give to your child once they start eating solids. I would avoid fish high in mercury. I'm planning on avoiding tuna until my children are 8. But both of my kids have been eating salmon since they were old enough for table foods. Salmon is rich in omega 3's. Fish in general is very good brain food.

My kids have been eating shellfish and honey since they turned one. Introduce foods slowly and watch for signs of allergic reactions.

Good luck!

Hi M.,
I think that at age one, it is fine to feed seafood (low mercury types) usually - but since your son has a history of food allergy, if it were me I would ask his doctor about introducing anything that was a potential allergen. Good luck!

Hi,
You can ask your pediatrician but my experience is (keep in my mind, my son has no allergies). He had shrimp on his first birthday. We introduced foods one at a time. A week apart, so if there was a reaction we could isolate what it was. He tried pretty much everything during his first year. He is almost nine, but if I remember correctly, he didn't have honey until he was 3, because the pediatrician recommended waiting on that.
Seafood is my son's favorite food now. How this helps.

Great Job waiting on these items! Most things are ok by that point, just watch the tuna, not more than once a week I would say. Like the previous post, start out with a little at a time and see how it goes.

For a child without allergies, 3 is certainly old enough for all those things (in moderation for the fish because of the mercury). But since your son has allergies, I would ask your pediatrician rather than go with any advice you get here. You can't be too careful with these type of food allergies.