HeySolids
Choking risk
Nutmeg grated into food is a low choking risk, and neither the CDC nor the AAP lists it as one to avoid.
Finely grate it or use ground nutmeg and stir it through food, and never offer a whole seed, which is hard and round. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.
Allergens
Nutmeg is not a common food allergen, so a true allergy to it is rare.[1]
Despite its name it is a seed, not a tree nut, and it does not cross-react with tree nuts, so it is usually fine even with a nut allergy. A true nutmeg allergy is rare.
Start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.
If baby refuses
Nutmeg is fragrant and can be strong. If a dish seems too much, use a smaller grating next time, or stir it into a food baby already enjoys like mashed potato or oatmeal.
Food safety
The small pinch used in cooking is safe and well within everyday use. In large amounts, though, nutmeg is genuinely toxic - a few teaspoons can make a child seriously ill - so keep it a background flavoring, never something baby eats by the spoonful, and store the jar out of reach like anything else that's fine in pinches and not in quantities.[2]
How to serve
6-24 months+
A small pinch of ground nutmeg in cooking
Cooked into food, not sprinkled on top
From 6 months, cook a small pinch of ground nutmeg into baby's food - oatmeal, fruit purees, squash and sweet potato mashes, rice pudding. Nutmeg is warm, not spicy, so there's no reason to wait. A pinch is the right amount at every age: unlike most flavors, nutmeg doesn't scale up as baby grows - it stays a background note in family cooking, and the jar stays out of reach. Skip spice blends like pumpkin pie mix unless you've checked the label for added sugar and salt.
How to cook
Stir a small pinch into the pot while food cooks, or grate a little fresh from a whole nutmeg - fresher flavor from a smaller amount. Whole nutmegs are also a hard, round choking hazard in their own right, so grate at the counter and put them away, never on the table where small hands reach.