For most infants, well-cooked egg can be introduced around six months, alongside other solids, with no prior testing. Infants with moderate to severe or early-onset eczema carry the highest risk of egg allergy, so introduction should not be delayed for them. Start with a small amount of well-cooked egg mixed into food, increase over the following days, and keep it in the diet regularly. Raw or lightly cooked egg is more allergenic and not a good first exposure.
- Introduce well-cooked egg at around six months, not later, in all infants including those with eczema.
- Give it regularly — two to three times a week — once tolerated.
- Teach parents to recognise hives, facial swelling, vomiting or breathing difficulty after a new food.
- Treat eczema actively; poorly controlled eczema is itself a route to food sensitisation.
Why it matters
Delaying egg out of caution, still common advice from families, raises rather than lowers allergy risk.
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