Once a food allergen is safely introduced, try to keep it in the diet on a regular basis, at least once and ideally twice a week. It is okay if you occasionally miss a week, or if your baby doesn’t eat much of the food when it is offered. The goal is steady exposure over time.

Once they are introduced, common food allergens do not need to be served on their own. They can be mixed into meals, and you can offer dishes that check the box for multiple food allergens at once, such as:

▶ energy balls (peanut, tree nuts)

▶ ground-up granola (peanut, tree nuts)

▶ pancakes (dairy, egg, wheat)

▶ peanut noodles (peanut, wheat)

▶ tofu egg scramble (egg, soy) 

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No-Cook Meals with Allergens

Once peanut and tree nuts are safely introduced, mixed nut butter and ground-up granola are the fastest way to maintain exposure to multiple food allergens at once. 

You can buy or make mixed nut butter or ground-up granola from scratch, and use them in meals in different ways. Got bread, fruit, and yogurt? Sprinkle some finely ground-up granola on fruit or yogurt one day, then spread some mixed nut butter on toast on another day, and you’re good to go for the week.

If you need meal ideas with just peanut or a specific tree nut, below are few ideas to try.

Peanut

Almond

Cashew

Hazelnut

Walnut

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Meal Ideas with Egg

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Meal Ideas with Dairy

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Meal Ideas with Wheat

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Meal Ideas with Sesame

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Meal Ideas with Soy

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Meals with Fish & Shellfish

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often do they need to eat each allergen?

Once a common allergen is safely introduced, try to offer it at least once ideally twice a week when possible. It is okay if you occasionally miss a week, or if your baby doesn’t eat much of the food when it is offered. The goal is steady exposure over time. 

Do small amounts count or do they need to eat a whole portion?

The exact quantity isn’t as important as consistency. Even small amounts (like a spoonful of yogurt, a smear of peanut butter, or a bit of scrambled egg) can help maintain tolerance.

What if they refuse the allergen for a week or two?

It's okay. Tolerance is built and maintained through regular, ongoing exposure over months and years. Short breaks are common. Babies and toddlers often go through phases of food refusal, and sometimes they eat more breast milk or formula than solid food when they are sick or tired. Taking a short break from eating common food allergens is not likely to reverse a child’s tolerance to that food once it has been established. Long gaps carry more risk; for example, if an allergen is completely avoided for many months due to dietary restriction, illness, or extended food refusal), there’s a greater chance that tolerance may wane, particularly in the early years. If your baby or toddler needs to skip an allergen for a week or two, simply reintroduce it when possible.

What if they don't like the taste?

Try different dishes that contains the allergen. Not all babies and toddlers take to all foods easily. Fortunately, many allergens can be incorporated into dishes and presented in many forms. There's nothing we can do to "make" a child eat, but we can control what foods get served, and we can get creative, model how we eat and enjoy foods, and continue to offer them with no pressure in the hopes that they will eventually give it a try.

At what age can I stop being so diligent about exposure?

Keep up exposure through the first 5 years of life. This is when the immune system is still actively learning to recognize foods as safe. After age 5, the risk of developing a new IgE-mediated allergy to foods that have been consistently consumed is much lower, and maintaining allergens in the diet is helpful, but it doesn’t require the same level of careful tracking. As long as a child continues to eat these foods as part of their normal diet, they’re likely to sustain tolerance.