Ham
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- medium
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- high
Iron-rich · no honey-glazed ham before 12 mo
Note
For children under 5, reheat until steaming hot before serving. Processed meat is very salty; serve rarely.
When can babies eat ham?
When to start
Honey-free ham can be offered once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months. Ham made with honey waits until after the first birthday, because infants can get botulism from it.
This meat is cut from the top of a pig's back leg. It is sold raw, or preserved with brine, salt, or smoke. Asia and Europe make many regional products with these methods. Examples include American country ham, Spanish jamón serrano and Italian prosciutto.
Pork
Ham is pork. If your family does not eat pork, you can skip this food.
Why it matters
Ham is a source of protein and contains iron, which supports growth. Ham tends to be salty. Babies eat small amounts while they learn to feed themselves, so the sodium they get from solid food usually stays low.
How do you prepare ham for babies?
Start with flat strips. Trim off the rind and skin, as well as loose gristle and fat. Thick, rubbery ham is hard for a baby to manage. Very thin, floppy slices are hard to grab. In those cases, chop the meat fine and stir it into mashed potato or porridge.
Read the ingredient list on packaged ham. Products with honey are not given before 12 months.
No honey before 12 months
Honey is in many glazed and cured hams. Infant botulism is rare but serious. Check the label.
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.
6 months
6 months · Flat strip of meatstrip
Cut: Finger strip
Cut a flat strip from honey-free ham, about as wide as two adult fingers side by side. Cut away the rind or skin, and pull off loose gristle and fat. If sliced ham is too thin and floppy for your baby to hold, try the next card.
6 months · Finely chopped into a mashmash
Cut: Finely chopped
Chop the meat very fine and stir it into a scoopable food such as mashed potato or porridge. It works best with ham that is paper thin or thick and rubbery.
9 months
9 months · Flat strips and shredsstrip
Serve honey-free ham as flat shreds or strips about two fingers wide. Offer it on its own or fold it into family dishes such as mashed potato, macaroni and cheese, or stews. Keep cutting off rind, skin, gristle, and fat.
12 months
12 months · Bite-sized piecescube
Serve ham in bite-sized pieces or shreds. Do not cut it into cubes. From this age, honey-glazed ham is fine too, cut into shapes suited to age, like flat shreds or long flat strips.
12 months · Ham sandwich (toward 18 months)slice
Around 18 months you can make a sandwich with thinly sliced ham. Give a sandwich, whole or in halves, and show your child how to hold it together to take a bite. Your child may take it apart and eat the pieces one by one, which is very normal. Watch closely if mixed textures are new.
Is ham a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: medium
Ham chunks and cubes feel firm and take effort to chew. Cut off rind, skin, and loose fat. Do not cut cubes.
Ham chunks and cubes feel firm and take real effort to chew, so they raise the choking risk. Do not cut cubes. Serve flat strips, shreds, or finely chopped meat.
Stay near your baby while they eat and keep within reach. Set up a safe eating space.
No cubes
Keep avoiding cube-shaped pieces of ham after 12 months too.
Is ham a common allergen?
Ham is not a common allergen. Pork reactions have been reported, but they are rare.
Some tick bites are linked to alpha-gal allergy. Alpha-gal is a sugar found in many red meats. In this allergy, the reaction begins 3 to 8 hours after eating the meat. People with alpha-gal allergy may also react to tiny traces of that sugar in dairy, gelatin, and mammal organ meats. Rarely, people with cat allergy develop an allergy to pork as well. This is called pork-cat syndrome.
Offer a small amount the first time. If there is no reaction, raise the amount slowly over later meals.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about ham
Can babies have deli ham?
There is no single right age. Deli meats have been linked to foodborne illness such as Listeria. Waiting is generally advised for babies. If you do serve it, heat it until steaming, let it cool, and check that it contains no honey.
Which ham is suitable for babies?
Ham without honey. Honey is in many glazed and cured hams, so check the ingredient list. Give honey-containing products only after 12 months.
When can my child have a ham sandwich?
At about 18 months you can give a sandwich, whole or in halves. Show how to hold it together for a bite. Your child may take it apart and eat the pieces separately, which is normal.
Sources for this page
- Wilson JM, Platts-Mills TAE. (2018). Meat allergy and allergens. Molecular Immunology. doi:10.1016/j.molimm.2018.03.018
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Alpha-gal syndrome.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Listeria (Listeriosis).
- NHS. (n.d.). Preparing food safely for babies.
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