Sausage
- First taste
- 6 months
- Choking risk
- high
- Common allergen
- no
- Iron
- high
High choking risk · salty · no honey
When can babies eat sausage?
When can babies have sausage?
Sausage can be offered once baby is ready for solids, from about 6 months, prepared for the right age. It must be thoroughly cooked and free of honey. Honey carries a risk of infant botulism. Sausage is high in sodium. A now-and-then bite fits within a varied diet.
Honey and salt
Sausage or sauce containing honey is not for babies under 12 months. Do not serve it often because it is high in sodium.
What is sausage?
Sausage-making is one way of keeping meat. Almost every food culture has a version of its own. Firm, dry sausages are cured and need no refrigeration. Soft, fresh sausages contain raw meat and must be cooked. The source mentions many varieties made from meat and fish.
How do you prepare sausage for babies?
Preparation basics
Peel off the casing when it comes away. Give young babies crumbles or a large soft patty. Avoid round slices and coin shapes. Cutting off the tapered ends lowers the risk.
Cooking: Reheat sausage all the way through, including cured and pre-cooked kinds. The target temperatures are 145 F (63 C) for fish or shellfish sausage, 160 F (71 C) for red meat sausage such as beef, lamb, or pork, and 165 F (74 C) for chicken.
As they grow: after 24 months, a child with mature eating skills can learn to eat a whole sausage. Expect a lot of spitting. A whole sausage carries less choking risk than rounds. From age 2 to 3, a child who follows directions can eat round slices, one by one, while sitting down and being watched.
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 · Tiny crumbles stirred into soft foodmash
Cut: Shredded
Crumble thoroughly cooked sausage into very small bits. Peel off and discard the casing if it comes off. Stir the crumbs into a soft food baby can scoop, such as vegetable mash, porridge or thick stew. Do not give crumbles on their own at this age, and skip slices and big pieces too. Avoid dry sausage and cured meats. Avoid anything containing honey.
6 months · Large, soft sausage pattyslice
Cut: Large piece
Shape a sausage patty large enough for baby to hold and chew. It should be too big to fit entirely in the mouth, at least 5 cm, and soft enough for gums to mash. Test it by squeezing it gently between thumb and forefinger. Dipping in applesauce or yogurt makes it easier to manage. Heat it to the safe internal temperature for the meat or fish it contains.
9 months
9 months · Bite-sized patty piecescube
Cut: Shredded
Fold small crumbles of well-cooked, soft ground sausage into sauces or spoonable foods. Break soft, mashable sausage patties into bite-sized pieces for baby to pick up. A whole patty is still fine under the same size and softness rules. Keep avoiding dry sausage and cured meat.
12 months
12 months · Lengthwise quartered sticksstrip
Cut: Quartered
Once your child is ready, split the sausage in four lengthwise to make long sticks, and the casing may stay on. Trim off the tapered ends to lower the choking risk. Do not cut coins or rounds. Hold off on dry sausage until at least 24 months.
12 months · Casing-free soft crumbles and pattiescube
Cut: Shredded
Offer soft cooked crumbles with the casing removed. Sausage patties can be served whole, as thin strips or in bite-sized pieces. For breakfast sausages whose casing will not come off, wait until around 12 months, then slice into four strips lengthwise.
Is sausage a choking hazard for babies?
Choking risk: high
Sausage is cylindrical, firm and springy, so it carries a choking risk. Never cut it into round coins. Crumble it or cut it lengthwise into quarters.
Choking risk
Sausage carries a choking risk. Its cylindrical, firm, springy shape raises the risk. Prepare it for the right age and stay within arm's reach during meals.
Do not cut coins
Do not cut sausage into rounds or coin shapes. Do not serve dry sausage or cured meat before 24 months.
Is sausage a common allergen?
Allergen status
Sausage rarely causes food allergy. But allergy to ingredients such as beef or pork is possible. Sausage may also contain common allergens such as egg, finned fish, shellfish, soy or wheat, so read the label.
Some tick bites are linked to allergy to a sugar in mammal meat (alpha-gal). Symptoms start 3 to 8 hours after eating red meat. Some people also react to small amounts in dairy, gelatin and organs such as liver. People with cat allergy may have a higher risk of pork allergy, called pork-cat syndrome. Start with a small amount the first few times.
Key nutrients
Frequently asked questions about sausage
When can babies have breakfast sausage?
When it contains no honey and is prepared for the child's age, once baby is ready for solids. Cook casing-free ones well, crumble and stir into soft food from 6 months. Wait until 12 months for those whose casing will not come off, and cut lengthwise into quarters.
Can sausage be eaten uncooked?
No. Even cured and pre-cooked sausage should be reheated thoroughly. Raw-meat sausage must be cooked to kill harmful bacteria.
Is it safe to share sausage with babies?
Occasionally, yes, if it is well cooked, honey-free and prepared to reduce choking risk. It is high in sodium.
Sources for this page
- Wilson JM, Platts-Mills TAE. (2018). Meat allergy and allergens. Molecular Immunology. doi:10.1016/j.molimm.2018.03.018
- CDC. (n.d.). Alpha-gal Syndrome.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org. (n.d.). Choking Prevention.
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