🧂 Herbs
Allergen note
Culinary herbs, fresh or dried, rarely cause allergies. Parsley, cilantro and dill belong to the celery family and can occasionally cross-react in children with celery or pollen allergy. Offer one new herb at a time, watch for a rash or lip swelling, and check dried blends for added salt, sugar, celery or mustard.
How to serve
From around 6 months, stir finely chopped soft herbs such as basil, parsley, dill or mint, or a small pinch of a dried herb such as oregano or thyme, into purées, yogurt, lentils or mashed potato. At 9–12 months, add them to omelets, patties and pasta, and from 12 months to family dishes.
Preparation
Wash fresh herbs, pat them dry, strip the leaves from tough stems and chop them very finely or blend them into a sauce made without salt. Crumble dried herbs finely and add them early in cooking so they soften, choose plain herbs rather than salted seasoning mixes, and cook woody rosemary and thyme into the dish.
Texture and choking risk
Whole fresh leaves can stick to the roof of the mouth or the throat and cause gagging, while woody stems, whole bay leaves and rosemary needles are hard to chew and can catch in the throat. Chop fresh herbs finely, crush dried ones, remove stems and bay leaves, mix herbs into moist foods and always supervise meals.
Starting ages are typical guidance for healthy, full-term babies who show signs of readiness. Your paediatrician may advise differently, especially where there is a family history of allergy.
Track first tastes and reactions
Log when your child first tries herbs, note any reaction and see it in the allergen tracker.
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