Your baby can begin eating cheese as young as 6 months, according to BabyCenter. Introducing new foods in your baby’s diet comes with a risk of stomach irritation or food allergies. If your baby seems irritable after finishing a cheese serving, this could indicate an allergy or that your baby hasn’t yet become accustomed to the new food. Always speak to your physician regarding your baby’s symptoms to ensure they aren’t signs of a more serious condition.
Introducing Cheese
While your physician recommends waiting until your baby is 12 months old to introduce cow’s milk into his diet, cheese can be introduced as early as 6 months. This is because cheese typically undergoes a culturing process that means the food does not contain as much of the milk protein known as lactose, which can upset baby’s stomach. However, you should not give your baby cheese made with unpasteurized milk because it is more likely to contain harmful bacteria. When you introduce cheese into your baby’s diet, do not introduce other new foods into his diet at the same time to ensure the irritability is due to cheese and not another new food.
Irritability
When your baby acts irritable after eating cheese, this could be a sign the cheese is irritating your baby’s stomach. Although cheese does not contain as many lactose proteins as milk, your baby could still be sensitive to it. If she does not have a severe reaction, yet continues to be fussy after eating cheese, discontinue giving her cheese until she is older and her stomach has had more time to develop enzymes that help to digest milk proteins. Your baby’s pediatrician may recommend a timeline, such as waiting until your baby is 12 months old.
Severe Reactions
Symptoms of a severe reaction from eating new foods include difficulty breathing, mouth swelling, vomiting or diarrhea. While irritability is not considered a severe symptom, you may naturally be disconcerted if your baby seems fussy after eating cheese. If his irritability is accompanied by gas or bloating, this could indicate the presence of a food intolerance, meaning your baby has difficulty digesting cheese.
Alternatives
Irritability after eating cheese does not always suggest a medical condition. Just as you have preferences for certain foods, your baby may simply not like the type of cheese you are feeding her or the irritability could be unrelated to her diet. Try giving her a different cheese type the following day. If she continues to be irritable, discontinue giving her the cheese and speak with her doctor.
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