NEVER BEFORE
24 months
Not before 24 months. Ice cream is a food with added sugars, and the CDC says infants and young children should not have added sugars.
CDC
| Age | Can they have it? | How to serve it |
|---|---|---|
| 4 months | No — not yet | — |
| 6 months | No — not yet | — |
| 9 months | No — not yet | — |
| 12 months | No — not yet | — |
| 18 months | No — not yet | — |
| 2 years | Yes | — |
Ice cream is not on the AAP or CDC choking-hazard lists. That is not the same as no risk: any food can choke a baby if the piece is too big or the wrong shape. Cut it to no larger than half an inch, keep your baby sitting up in a high chair, keep mealtimes calm, and watch them the whole time they are eating.
Ice cream is one of the common allergens (cow's milk). The current AAP guidance is to introduce it EARLY rather than delay it: newer research found no benefit to waiting, and for peanut, waiting can increase the chance of an allergy. Offer a small amount in an infant-safe form, watch for a reaction, and then keep it in the diet regularly. If your baby has severe or persistent eczema, or has already had an immediate allergic reaction to a food, especially egg, talk to your pediatrician first about how and when to introduce it.
Watch for diarrhea, rash, vomiting or hives after a new food. Call 911 for trouble breathing or swelling of the face, lips or tongue.
Plain whole-milk yogurt with no added sugar is the version of this that a baby can have from around 6 months.
If you are working through the Sweets and snacks group, the same serving and allergen questions come up for marshmallows, chewing gum and cookies and granola bars. Each one has its own introduction age and choking guidance — they are not interchangeable.
Not before 24 months. Ice cream is a food with added sugars, and the CDC says infants and young children should not have added sugars. Plain whole-milk yogurt with no added sugar is the version of this that a baby can have from around 6 months.
There is no infant serving form for this one — see the answer above.
Ice cream is not on the AAP or CDC choking-hazard lists, but any food can choke a baby if the piece is too big. Cut it to no larger than half an inch, keep your baby sitting up while they eat, and watch them the whole time.
Watch for diarrhea, rash, vomiting or hives after a new food. Offer one single-ingredient new food at a time and wait 3 to 5 days before the next one, so a reaction is easy to trace. The emergency signs are at the top of this page.