can i feed my 8-month old hummus?

[dmpearls]

hi there--

can i feed my 8 month old store-bought hummus? it'd be a great source of protein and so easy. she loves pea soup, so she's had onion and garlic already. can't seem to find a definitive answer and am waiting to hear back from pediatrician.

does anyone have a really good list of which foods are safe to introduce when?

thanks!

hadassah

[ahrimie]

We did! For references, I used wholesomebabyfood.com and AAP book.

[Piglet]

The only reason not to is that there was a study done in Israel (where hummus is very popular) that found that children were getting a higher incidence of sesame allergies i than ever before (like peanuts here). They think it is from early exposure and continued exposure in products like hummus which is made with tahini (sesame paste). Check the ingredients of the hummus (or make your own) to be sure it is sesame free if that is something that might be of concern.

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/giving-baby-sesame.html

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=107&title=sesame_allergy

[Katigre]

As long as it's tahini-free then it should be fine. Both my kids have loved hummus as babies and toddlers, I just make sure to get tahini-free b/c of sesame allergy concerns. (Trader Joe's makes great tahini-free hummus).

[AnnieW625]

Go to about.com and type in hummus. We have made that recipe many times without tahini and tastes great and it's really easy!

[dmpearls]

i will go to trader joe's and check out the tahini-free hummus. thanks everyone!