Brie

Choking risk

Brie is a low choking risk served melted - it softens into whatever it's cooked with.

Two things to mind: keep any melted layer thin, since a thick pool of brie turns sticky and clings, and trim off the white rind, which stays chewy even when the middle melts. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Brie is made from cow's milk, and milk is a common food allergen. There's no reason to delay it, though - waiting doesn't prevent allergies, and allergens can start alongside other solids from around 6 months.^[1]

Milk is the same allergen whatever form it takes, so brie counts toward the same introduction as yogurt or cheese.^[3]

If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, check with your pediatrician before starting allergens. If dairy is already comfortably in the diet, brie needs no separate introduction - just serve it melted into food, fully hot, from the start.

If brie happens to be baby's first dairy, start with about 1/4 teaspoon melted through a familiar food, earlier in the day, not near bedtime, and watch for a reaction over the next couple of hours.^[2] Once tolerated, keep dairy in the diet a few times a week.

Food safety

Brie is a soft-ripened cheese, the family where listeria risk concentrates - so for babies, serve it cooked into food until it's fully melted and piping hot, which settles the question.

Use pasteurized brie only, and babies are more vulnerable to food poisoning than adults.^[3] Cold brie from the wedge is one for later childhood.