Brie cheese
- First taste
- 12 months
- Choking risk
- medium
- Common allergen
- yes
- Iron
- low
After 12 months · pasteurized and baked only
Contains allergens
Each new allergen is offered on its own and watched for two hours. Our allergen introduction guide is available in Turkish for now.
When can babies eat Brie cheese?
Pasteurized brie is an option once a child turns 12 months. Soft, mold-ripened cheeses carry a higher risk of foodborne illness, and symptoms are more severe in babies.
Raw milk brie
Unpasteurized brie is not seen as fully safe at any age. The risk of salmonellosis and listeriosis is high. It is a personal decision, to be made knowing the risk.
Pasteurized is not risk-free
Pasteurized soft cheeses can also carry Listeria if made in unsanitary conditions or stored unsafely.
Origin
Brie takes its name from the French region where this soft, mold-ripened cheese began. Curds of raw cow's milk were left to meet natural molds in caves and cellars, cool dark places. The mold forms a rind on the outside and flavors the creamy inside as the cheese ripens. Only brie from the towns of Meaux and Melun has official origin protection (AOC). This traditional raw milk brie is hard to find in the US, since imported cheese must be pasteurized and aged at least 60 days.
How do you prepare Brie cheese for babies?
To lower the risk further, bake pasteurized brie to an core temperature of 165 F or higher (74 C). Waiting until 12 months is preferred. If you still want to share a taste, bake only the pasteurized kind, spread it thinly and let it cool.
Preparation by age
The same food is served differently at each age. What matters is how your baby sits, grasps and chews, more than the calendar.
12 months
12 months · How to serve as a thin sliceslice
Cut: Thin slice
Choose pasteurized brie. When you can, bake it until the center reaches 165 F (74 C) or more. Offer a thin slice for bite and tear practice. Think about your child's health before serving.
12 months · How to serve as small piecescube
Cut: Bite sized piece
Cut pasteurized brie into bite-sized pieces. Let your child practice picking them up. A thin smear on a soft cracker or bread slice works too.
12 months · How to serve spread on toastmash
Bake pasteurized brie to an core 165 F (74 C) or higher. Spread the soft inside thinly on a well-toasted strip of bread. Let it cool before it reaches your child.
Is Brie cheese a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: medium
Brie is not very firm, but it is sticky and clumps in the mouth. Spread it thinly on bread, or give thin slices and small pieces.
Brie is soft rather than firm. Even so it is sticky and may clump together in the mouth. That raises the choking risk. Spread it thinly, or give thin slices and small pieces, as the age cards describe.
Safe setting
Seat your child upright and stay within arm's reach during meals.
Is Brie cheese a common allergen?
Brie is mostly made from cow's milk. The World Health Organization counts cow's milk as a common allergen. Among young children about one in five childhood food allergies is to milk. Sheep, goat and buffalo milk can trigger similar reactions. Most children outgrow milk allergy by age six. Many babies with mild milk protein allergy can bring milk back near their first birthday with a health professional's guidance.
Milk causes a delayed allergy called FPIES. A few hours after eating, repeated vomiting and diarrhea start, and without treatment fluid loss follows. When milk is eaten regularly, chronic FPIES can show up as reflux, weight loss and poor growth. Symptoms generally ease once milk is removed. FPIES that starts early often fades by ages 3 to 5.
Lactose intolerance brings bloating, gas and diarrhea and can be mistaken for allergy. It is uncommon in babies and toddlers. Many cheeses are better tolerated.
If you suspect a milk allergy, see an allergist before offering cheese.
At the first try
Give a small portion by itself at the first meals. If all is well, raise the amount slowly over later meals.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about Brie cheese
Can children have brie?
Pasteurized brie can be considered from 12 months at the earliest. Baking it to an internal 165 F (74 C) or higher brings the risk down.
At what age is raw milk brie safe?
At no age is it fully risk-free. The risk of salmonellosis and listeriosis is high and more severe in babies. Serving it is a personal choice, made with that risk in mind.
Why does brie carry a choking risk?
It is not very firm, but it is sticky and clumps in the mouth. Spreading thinly or serving thin slices lowers the risk.
Sources for this page
- COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES, COMMITTEE ON NUTRITION, Brady MT, Byington CL, Davies HD, Edwards KM, et al. (2014). Consumption of Raw or Unpasteurized Milk and Milk Products by Pregnant Women and Children. American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics 133(1):175-179. doi:10.1542/peds.2013-3502
- Schvartzman MS, Gonzalez-Barron U, Butler F, Jordan K. (2014). Modeling the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of smear- or mold-ripened cheese. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2014.00090
- Warren CM, Jhaveri S, Warrier MR, Smith B, Gupta RS. (2013). The epidemiology of milk allergy in US children. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2013.02.016
- Nowak-Węgrzyn A. (2015). Nowak-Węgrzyn A. Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings 36(3):172-184. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings. doi:10.2500/aap.2015.36.3811
- CDC. (n.d.). Listeria (Listeriosis).
Guides on iron, allergen introduction, gagging and drinks. Read the starting solids guides
Medical note
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your pediatrician before any feeding decision, especially about allergen introduction and reactions.
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Astro Tasarım Simay Yenice · Türkiye · merhaba@lokmini.com