🌾 Millet
Allergen note
Millet is naturally gluten-free and is not a common allergen, though rare reactions are possible. Offer it from around 6 months as a single new food and watch for hives, vomiting or swelling. Packaged millet can be processed alongside wheat, so check labels if your child must avoid gluten.
How to serve
At 6–8 months, serve millet as a smooth, thick porridge or stirred into vegetable or fruit purees. From about 9 months, offer a thicker, lightly textured porridge or soft millet patties and balls baby can pick up. Toddlers can eat fluffy cooked millet like rice or couscous.
Preparation
Rinse millet, then simmer 1 part grain in about 3–4 parts water for 25–30 minutes until very soft; add more liquid for porridge. Flavor it with breast milk, formula, or fruit or vegetable purees instead of salt or sugar, and serve it with vitamin C–rich foods to help your baby absorb its iron.
Texture and choking risk
Well-cooked millet is soft, but dry or undercooked grains can scatter in the mouth and cause coughing or gagging. Cook it until mushy, bind patties with mashed vegetables or egg (once introduced) so they hold together, never offer raw grains, and always supervise.
Sources: cdc.gov · cdc.gov · healthychildren.org · healthychildren.org · nhs.uk · nhs.uk
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 millet, note any reaction and see it in the allergen tracker.
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