Is It Safe for Babies To Eat Ice Cream?

Studies show that parents are giving babies solids way too soon. And once those solids are introduced, it’s generally believed babies can have anything — including ice cream. Some parents are OK with following that rule of thumb, while others feel that it’s best to wait a little longer. When we spoke to a pediatrician, she shared her advice about whether it’s a good idea to give a baby ice cream.

“Though it's tempting, probably not,” said Dr. Rashmi Jain, pediatrician and founder of BabiesMD, a pediatric urgent care. “While babies might start solid foods at 4 to 6 months of age, we recommend introducing whole milk, cheese, and ice cream only after 1 year of age.” She says this allows for the baby's gut to mature enough to digest these products.

Similarly, Leah Alexander, a pediatrician and a medical reviewer for MomLovesBest, says ice cream is assumed to be “safe” for babies once solids are introduced, but parents should proceed with lots of caution. “Soft, pureed versions of foods are initially given to infants,” Dr. Alexander explains. “And because ice cream is quite soft — unless it contains pieces of fruit, nuts, or other choking hazards — it would theoretically be safe to give a 6-month-old ice cream based on texture alone.”

But Dr. Alexander advises we think about the ingredients of ice cream: milk, cream, eggs, flavorings, and, most of all, sugar. “The most concerning ingredient of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or similar foods is the sugar content. Introducing sugary foods early in life contributes to a 'sweet taste' preference. This can encourage an infant to reject healthy foods that don’t taste sweet, and contribute to picky eating habits as a toddler.”

If you’re still on the fence about whether ice cream is a good choice for a baby under 1 year old, you may agree with Nina Pegram, RN and lactation consultant at SimpliFed. “If babies have been exposed to formula, dairy will not be entirely new to the baby as most formulas are composed of cow's milk protein. Breastfed babies should be introduced to dairy alongside solids.”

So what’s so bad about ice cream for babies, besides the obvious sugar? “Dairy has a lot of proteins and minerals that might be taxing on a baby’s kidneys,” cautions Dr. Jain. “Ice cream has a lot of added sugar, artificial colors/flavors, preservatives and potentially allergens, like nuts. All that can make it very difficult for a baby’s gut to digest ice cream without gas, discomfort or possibly even diarrhea.”

Another reason to avoid ice cream for their first year is that it gives your baby a chance to try a few different foods beforehand. “By this age, a variety of foods have been introduced into the diet, and most food allergies have been identified,” explains Dr. Alexander. “Many food preferences would have been established at this point, and offering an ice cream ‘treat’ will have less of an effect on eating habits.”

All of our health experts agree that yogurt is a healthier alternative to ice cream. “We often introduce yogurt between 6 to 9 months of age because it is made with live cultures that serve as probiotics to help the gut with digestion of the dairy in yogurt,” Dr. Jain said. “If a very simple yogurt made of whole milk, without added preservatives, sugars, and artificial flavors is frozen, a baby can enjoy that on a hot day or when they’re teething.” She also suggests that frozen yogurt that we get for ourselves more than likely has too many ingredients to be safe for a baby under the age of 1.

Get creative and make frozen treats at home for you baby to ensure they’re the best ingredients and quality. “A good option for a frozen treat is to mix plain Greek yogurt with puréed fruit and mix together, and can freeze it,” recommends Kathy Murphy, lactation consultant at SimpliFed. “That way you're getting high protein, low sugar, as well as other nutrients.”

“The best option to start babies with is a whole fat Greek yogurt because it is a great source of dairy without any added sugars,” adds Pegram. “At this age we are still somewhat limiting added sugars, and that includes ice cream or other processed frozen treats. A small taste will be OK, but shouldn’t be regular. Families could try a reduced sugar Greek yogurt frozen as an option.”

When feeding our little ones, it’s our job to give them the best nutrition we can to encourage proper growth, including full fat. So stay away from low-fat versions. “Infants actually need lots of fat in their diets which is important for brain development,” says Dr. Alexander. “Whole milk, coconut milk, or other such versions of ice cream are fine to give an infant. There is no need to restrict the fat content.”

While we’re thinking about adding ice cream to our children’s new foods, here are some other guidelines from our health experts to keep in mind:

• When offering an infant new foods, they should be in single-ingredient forms, one at a time, for a few days in case of an allergic reaction. If a “combination food” such as ice cream is eaten and an allergic reaction occurs, it may be difficult to determine which component of the ice cream caused the reaction.
• In the same vein, make sure the product doesn’t contain any ingredients you know your baby is allergic to or can’t consume yet.
• Though pediatricians now encourage the introduction of allergens like nuts earlier in life, Dr. Jain suggests: “I still want parents to be cautious if introducing nut-based ice creams.”
• After giving your baby ice cream or other new foods, keep an eye out for any signs of allergic reaction. This may include vomiting, hives, swelling, itching, or difficulty breathing.
• Your baby may also seem fussy or gassy or have changes in her bowel movements if she eats too much ice cream in one sitting. Offer a few tastes and then move on to something else.
• It is also important to remember that children under the age of 4 are at risk of choking on hard foods, like nuts or chocolate chunks, that might be incorporated into ice creams.

Overall, when choosing to give your baby ice cream — or any food for that matter — it comes down to minimizing artificial ingredients, preservatives, and sugar content. “Ingredients that you can’t pronounce or don’t identify from nature are generally not desirable for our bodies,” says Dr. Jain, who also informed us that US Dietary Guidelines are updated every five years and the most recent guidelines were just released. “They recommend no added sugars in foods for babies under 2 years of age. This throws a big hurdle in the way of introducing babies to sweets like ice creams, cookies and cakes. It pretty much means parents might start getting creative on how to make healthy and natural ice creams at home for their babies.”

And once you begin giving that ice cream or frozen yogurt to your baby, don’t forget to start introducing ice in small bites to avoid brain freeze!

Dr. Leah Alexander, MD, FAAP, is a medical consultant at Mom Loves Best, a parenting website.

Dr. Rashmi Jain is a Pediatrician with 15 years of experience, founder of BabiesMD, a pediatric urgent care.

Kathy Murphy, PA-C, IBCLC, is a lactation consultant at SimpliFed.

Nina Pegram, RN, PNP, IBCLC, is a lactation consultant at SimpliFed.