First foods database
🌰 Hazelnuts for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat hazelnuts? Yes, from about 6 months, but only finely ground or as a smooth hazelnut butter. Whole and chopped hazelnuts are a choking risk for children under 5. Hazelnuts are a tree nut, one of the common allergens.
Good source of: Vitamin E, Healthy fats, Manganese, Protein
How to serve hazelnuts by age
6 to 9 months
Stir a small amount of finely ground hazelnuts or smooth hazelnut butter into porridge, yoghurt or fruit purée. Start with a little and keep offering regularly if all is well.
9 to 12 months
Add ground hazelnuts to pancakes, baked oats and muffins, or spread thinned hazelnut butter on toast fingers.
12 months and up
Continue with ground hazelnuts or smooth butter. Chocolate hazelnut spreads are mostly sugar, so they are not an everyday food.
Choking safety
Whole and chopped nuts can block a child's airway and must not be given to under-5s. Grind hazelnuts to a fine powder and spread nut butters thinly.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Tree nut allergen: introduce on its own and keep offering.
- No whole or chopped nuts for under-5s.
- Chocolate hazelnut spread is high in sugar.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains tree nuts, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce tree nuts
Easy ideas
- Ground hazelnuts in porridge with pear
- Thin hazelnut butter on toast
- Ground hazelnut and banana pancakes
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat hazelnuts?
Can babies eat hazelnuts? Yes, from about 6 months, but only finely ground or as a smooth hazelnut butter. Whole and chopped hazelnuts are a choking risk for children under 5. Hazelnuts are a tree nut, one of the common allergens.
Can babies have chocolate hazelnut spread?
It is high in sugar, so it is best avoided for babies. A homemade blend of ground hazelnuts with a little cocoa is a better option for older toddlers.
How do I introduce hazelnuts?
Stir a small amount of finely ground hazelnut into a food your baby already eats, watch for any reaction, then keep offering it regularly.
Sources
- BSACI: Early feeding guidance
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: How to stop a child from choking
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).