NOT RECOMMENDED
Avoid
No — unpasteurized (raw-milk) cheese isn't recommended for babies or young children at all. Not at any age in childhood. Unpasteurized foods — including unpasteurized cheeses — may put a child at risk for harmful bacteria that cause severe diarrhea.
CDC
| Age | Can they have it? | How to serve it |
|---|---|---|
| 4 months | Not recommended | — |
| 6 months | Not recommended | — |
| 9 months | Not recommended | — |
| 12 months | Not recommended | — |
| 18 months | Not recommended | — |
| 2 years | Not recommended | — |
Unpasteurized (raw-milk) cheese 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.
Unpasteurized (raw-milk) cheese 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.
Pasteurized cheese is a different matter and is on the CDC's list of foods to encourage from around 6 months.
If you are working through the Hard rules group, the same serving and allergen questions come up for raw (unpasteurized) milk, foods with added sugar and toddler milk / 'next stage' formula. Each one has its own introduction age and choking guidance — they are not interchangeable.
No — unpasteurized (raw-milk) cheese isn't recommended for babies or young children at all. Not at any age in childhood. Unpasteurized foods — including unpasteurized cheeses — may put a child at risk for harmful bacteria that cause severe diarrhea. Pasteurized cheese is a different matter and is on the CDC's list of foods to encourage from around 6 months.
There is no infant serving form for this one — see the answer above.
Unpasteurized (raw-milk) cheese 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.