Eggs for babies: when to start, how to cook them and allergy signs

Babies can eat egg from around 6 months, once they've started solids. Egg is one of the most common food allergens, and current advice is to offer it early rather than wait. Australia's ASCIA's guide to introducing solid foods, updated in January 2026, says to include well-cooked whole egg, such as mashed hard-boiled egg, soon after your baby starts solids, and to introduce all the common allergy foods in the first year (by 12 months). Once egg is tolerated, keep it in your baby's diet at least once a week.

How well to cook the egg depends on where you live. Australian and US advice is to cook it until the white and yolk are firm. In the UK, hen's eggs with the British Lion mark can be eaten runny. This guide covers when to start, how to cook and serve egg at each stage, the signs of a reaction, and what to do if your baby chokes or reacts.

When can babies eat eggs?

All three countries say around 6 months, as one of your baby's early foods.

Australia's ASCIA says delaying egg has been shown to increase the chance of an egg allergy, and that this applies to babies with eczema or a family history of allergy too. The NHS guide to food allergies in babies says delaying hen's egg beyond 6 to 12 months may increase the risk of allergy, and suggests introducing allergy foods one at a time so you can spot a reaction. The AAP's allergen guide suggests starting allergy foods once your baby has managed a few first foods.

Egg also helps with iron. Australia's ASCIA lists well-cooked whole egg among the iron-rich foods to offer from around 6 months, alongside meat, fish, tofu and legumes. See iron-rich first foods for more.

Do eggs need to be well cooked for babies?

Raw and undercooked eggs can carry Salmonella, a cause of food poisoning. The FDA's egg safety page says even fresh eggs with clean, uncracked shells may contain it. The CDC's safer food choices for children under 5 explains that young children's immune systems are still developing, and that children under 5 are three times more likely to be hospitalised if they get a Salmonella infection.

Advice on runny eggs differs by country:

• Australia. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, the Australian Government's pregnancy and parenting service, lists raw egg as unsuitable for babies. Food Standards Australia New Zealand advises cooking eggs until both the yolk and white are firm, and lists raw and lightly cooked eggs, such as lightly poached eggs, homemade mayonnaise and mousse, as higher-risk foods.
• US. The CDC lists eggs cooked until the yolks and whites are firm as the safer choice for children under 5, and runny eggs, raw cookie dough or batter, homemade eggnog and Caesar dressing as riskier.
• UK. The NHS list of foods to avoid says hen's eggs with the red lion stamp can be given to babies raw or lightly cooked. Other hen's eggs, and duck, goose and quail eggs, should be cooked until the white and yolk are solid. The UK Food Standards Agency's home food fact checker, updated in August 2026, also accepts eggs from the Laid in Britain scheme, and says the advice doesn't apply to people who are severely immunocompromised.

If you're outside the UK, or not sure where your eggs came from, cook them until firm. Australia's ASCIA's advice to start with well-cooked egg is a sensible first step wherever you live.

How do I prepare egg for my baby at each age?

Start with a texture your baby already manages, and move on as their eating skills grow. Cook egg until firm unless you're in the UK using Lion-stamped eggs.

The NHS first solid foods guide lists boiled eggs among finger foods from around 6 months, and says pieces about the size of your own finger work well. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby lists eggs and omelette among the finger foods most babies can manage at about 8 months. For how textures progress overall, see food textures by age.

A few practical points:

1. Hard-boil eggs fully, until both the yolk and white are set, then cool, peel and mash or cut them.
2. Cook scrambled egg and omelette until there's no runny or glossy egg left, then cut into strips or small soft pieces.
3. Skip added salt. Cook your baby's portion before seasoning the family's.
4. Let it cool before serving, and check there are no shell fragments.

How do I introduce egg as an allergen?

Australia's ASCIA gives a simple approach for egg, the same as for peanut:

1. Pick a good time. Offer egg when your baby is well and you can watch them for the next couple of hours. Australia's ASCIA says allergic reactions usually happen within minutes to two hours.
2. Start small. Mix about 1/4 teaspoon of hard-boiled whole egg into food your baby already eats.
3. Build up. If there's no reaction, offer about 1/2 teaspoon next time, then keep doubling up to a normal serve for their age.
4. Keep it going. Once egg is tolerated, give it at least once a week. Australia's ASCIA says keeping it in the diet can reduce the chance of an allergy developing.

The AAP gives about 1/3 of a well-cooked egg, scrambled or hard-boiled, as an example of a routine portion once egg is part of your baby's diet. Only introduce one new common allergy food at a meal, so you know which food caused any reaction. Australia's ASCIA also says never to rub egg on your baby's skin to "test" for allergy.

If your baby has eczema or a diagnosed food allergy, the NHS suggests talking to your GP or health visitor first. Australia's ASCIA's advice is that these babies should still have egg in the first year. Introducing allergens has the full plan, and peanuts for babies covers the other early allergen.

What does an egg allergy reaction look like?

Reactions usually start quickly. Australia's ASCIA's anaphylaxis FAQ separates mild to moderate signs from anaphylaxis, the most severe type of allergic reaction.

Australia's ASCIA classes lip swelling as a mild to moderate sign, while the NHS urgent-help guide lists swollen lips among the reasons to call an ambulance, so this guide treats sudden lip swelling as an emergency. A mild reaction can come before anaphylaxis, so keep watching closely.

Redness or hives only around the mouth, with no other signs, is not usually an allergic reaction, according to Australia's ASCIA. Offer egg again when your baby is well.

For anaphylaxis signs, follow the Australia's ASCIA first aid plan for anaphylaxis: hold your baby flat, give an adrenaline device if one has been prescribed (if in doubt, give it), call 999, and start CPR if your baby is unresponsive and not breathing normally.

For hives, face or eye swelling, or vomiting with normal breathing, stop giving egg, stay with your baby, watch closely for signs of anaphylaxis and get medical help today. Australia's ASCIA says to get specialist advice before offering egg again, and to keep introducing the other allergy foods. Australia's ASCIA's dietary guide for egg allergy notes that some children with egg allergy tolerate egg baked into cakes and biscuits, but only to try this with specialist advice.

What if my baby gags or chokes on egg?

Gagging is common while babies learn new textures. It's noisy, and your baby keeps breathing. Choking is usually quiet: your baby can't cough, cry or breathe properly. Choking vs gagging explains the difference and the full first-aid steps.

If your baby can't breathe, cough or cry, shout for help and call 999. The NHS first-aid steps for a choking baby are up to 5 back blows, then up to 5 chest thrusts, repeated until help arrives. If your baby becomes unresponsive, start CPR and follow the call-taker's instructions. Get medical help afterwards, even if the food came out.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne in Australia recommends that anyone caring for children does a first-aid course. An infant first-aid course before or soon after starting solids lets you practise these steps.

What's worth noting when you introduce egg?

A quick note each time helps: how the egg was cooked, roughly how much your baby ate, the time, and anything you noticed over the next two hours. If there's a reaction, a photo of any rash and the time it started are useful for the doctor. A running list of the weeks egg was eaten makes it easier to keep it in the diet regularly.

When should I get help?

Call 999 now if your baby:

• has difficult or noisy breathing, a wheeze or a persistent cough
• has sudden swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
• has a hoarse voice or cry, or becomes pale, floppy or drowsy, or collapses
• is choking and can't breathe, cough or cry
• has had no wet nappy or wee for 12 hours

Get medical help today if your baby:

• has hives or welts beyond the mouth area, or swelling of the face or eyes, with normal breathing (stop the food and watch closely for anaphylaxis signs)
• vomits after eating egg
• needed back blows or chest thrusts, even if they now seem well
• has diarrhoea or vomiting with fewer wet nappies than usual (see signs of dehydration)

Talk to your GP or health visitor if:

• your baby has eczema or a diagnosed food allergy and you haven't started egg yet
• your baby has reacted to egg before and you'd like a plan for other foods
• you're unsure how to keep egg in the diet after a mild reaction (call NHS 111 after hours)