Yogurt can be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.
You can introduce yogurt and cheese once your baby is six months old, as long as they continue to eat a variety of iron-rich foods. Let your baby enjoy the taste of plain unsweetened yogurt, or add fresh, canned or frozen fruit.
Why can babies have yogurt but not cow's milk? Health professionals note that because yogurt is made by fermentation, its proteins can be easily digested by tiny tummies. This is one reason why feeding yogurt to babies under one year is recommended, while offering cow's milk is not.
Yogurt is an excellent choice for one of your baby's first foods because it contains calcium, protein, and vitamins. The best option is plain, unsweetened, pasteurized yogurt (regular or Greek) made from whole milk and containing "live cultures."
Keep it simple starting out. Scoop some plain yogurt into a baby-safe bowl (or directly on your baby's tray) and give your baby a chance to explore. She might like to rake it up with her fingers, but pay attention to her cues: If she doesn't seem to like touching it, that's okay.
Offer full-fat (whole milk), pasteurized, plain yogurt. Greek yogurt is perfect for this age and will be easiest for babies to self-feed.
A baby can eat plain whole milk yogurt at 6 months, or whenever they start solid foods. Follow the same advice when trying this food out as others and know that while cow's milk is too hard for a baby to digest, yogurt is often much easier on the tummy.
So, when can babies eat eggs? Start offering eggs around the same time you start your baby on solid foods, after 6 months of age. Your little one's menu can begin with purees and very soft food (like infant cereal) and then expand to include more textured foods, such as eggs, fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Yogurt is a great food for most babies and toddlers! A 2-4 oz serving of whole milk yogurt at mealtimes or snack times is perfect! It is packed with calcium and also has a good amount of calories. Also, since most babies and toddlers are not great meat eaters, yogurt can be good protein source.
Strawberries may be introduced as soon as a baby is ready for solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.
Babies can start eating cheese as soon as they begin baby-led weaning. The key is to serve it in a way that's easy for them to pick up, but is also safe. Around 6 months, try shredded cheese pieces or serve soft cheese such as ricotta or cottage cheese on a preloaded spoon.
You can serve this yogurt once your baby is ready for solid foods, usually at around 6 months. As cow's milk is a common allergen, introduce it separately first starting with small amounts. Full-fat yogurt is recommended for babies.
Examples of appropriate solid foods listed by age:
6 months: Well-cooked and pureed meat, poultry or beans. Ground, cooked, single-grain cereal or infant cereal with breast milk or formula.
You can start weaning with single vegetables and fruits – try blended, mashed, or soft cooked sticks of parsnip, broccoli, potato, yam, sweet potato, carrot, apple or pear. You could also try baby rice mixed with your baby's usual milk. Make sure any cooked food has cooled right down before offering it to your baby.
Toast can be introduced at around 6 months of age, or at the time when it's safe to introduce solids to your baby. The exact age for this will depend on if your baby is showing all the developmental signs of readiness for starting solid foods.
The serving size for a child age eight to 12 months is 1/4 to 1/2 cup of yogurt. Toddlers (ages 12-24 months) need two or three servings of dairy a day, which is equivalent to 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 oz cheese, and 1/3 cup of yogurt.
“Yes,” says Nicole Lattanzio, pediatric dietician at Phoenix Children's Hospital. “Greek yogurt is a safe option for infants who have started complementary foods. We want to choose a plain full-fat version for baby in order to avoid added sugars and to offer healthy fats.”
The bottom line
Yogurt is a delicious and healthy food that you can give your baby from the time they start to enjoy solid foods. There is no difference in the ingredients or the nutrition in “baby” yogurt vs regular yogurt. The only difference is the label on the package, and of course, the cost.
Nearly all dairy products in Australia, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt, are pasteurised. This means they have been heat treated for a short period to kill any bacteria. Pasteurisation has done a great deal to reduce food borne disease over the years.
While there are many flavours of yogurt available in the world, there are also two types of yogurt available: baby yogurt and regular yogurt. Baby yogurt is made with full cream milk. Regular yogurt is made with 2% lower fat milk. Organic milk is used to produce baby yogurt most of the time.
Made from just 5 simple ingredients with no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, Yoplait Baby is a perfect, wholesome choice for your baby. Yoplait Baby is made with whole milk, which pediatricians recommend for children under 2 years to help with healthy growth and development.
Dairy products like yogurt and cheese, however, can be introduced as early as 6 months of age. Because they are fermented, the harder-to-digest proteins can become partially broken down, and may make them easier for baby to tolerate. Ghee and butter have minimal to no protein and are usually well tolerated by babies.
Eggs are not considered a common choking hazard for babies. However, you should still prepare them safely by making sure they're soft and easy to chew (such as by scrambling them or serving them in a frittata), then cut into small, bite-sized pieces that are manageable for your baby's age.