First foods database
🍨 Ice cream for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat ice cream? It is best left until after 12 months, and even then as an occasional treat, because it is high in added sugar. Babies do not need it, and frozen fruit or plain yoghurt give them a cold, creamy taste without the sugar.
Good source of: Calcium, Energy
How to serve ice cream by age
6 to 9 months
Not yet. Ice cream is a sweet treat that babies do not need, and early weaning is about learning to enjoy savoury and less sweet flavours. For a cold, soothing option, offer frozen mashed banana blended with plain full-fat yoghurt.
9 to 12 months
Still best avoided. Try homemade banana or mango 'nice cream' (frozen fruit blended until smooth), or freeze plain yoghurt and fruit purée in ice-lolly moulds for teething gums.
12 months and up
An occasional small scoop of pasteurised ice cream at a party or on holiday is fine. Offer it after a meal rather than instead of one, and keep fruit-based homemade versions as the everyday choice.
Choking safety
Ice cream itself is low choking risk, but watch toppings and cones: chocolate chips, nuts, sprinkles and hard cone pieces can be a hazard. Never offer whole nuts to under-5s.
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
- High in added sugar, which is not recommended for babies.
- Contains milk and often egg; check the label for nuts too.
- Soft-serve or homemade ice cream must use pasteurised milk and cooked or British Lion eggs.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains milk, egg, which are among the 14 major allergens. How to introduce milk · How to introduce egg
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat ice cream?
Can babies eat ice cream? It is best left until after 12 months, and even then as an occasional treat, because it is high in added sugar. Babies do not need it, and frozen fruit or plain yoghurt give them a cold, creamy taste without the sugar.
When can babies have ice cream?
After 12 months, as an occasional treat. Before then there is no need for it, and fruit-based frozen treats are a better choice.
Is homemade ice cream safe for toddlers?
Yes, if made with pasteurised milk and cream and either cooked egg custard or British Lion eggs, and kept frozen properly.
What can I give instead of ice cream?
Frozen fruit blended smooth, frozen plain yoghurt, or yoghurt and fruit ice lollies give a cold, creamy treat without added sugar.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
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).