can babies have yogurt?

Yogurt can be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.

Turns out, your little one can have her first taste of yogurt early on in her foray with solids. Here’s the scoop on when to introduce yogurt to babies and how to serve it, plus what to look for on the nutrition label.

Dairy is a common allergen, and though experts used to recommend waiting to introduce allergenic foods, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now says there’s no reason to hold off. In fact, delaying on dairy-based foods like yogurt for too long may even raise a child’s allergy risk.

In other words, as long as your pediatrician gives you the green light, you can plan to introduce yogurt shortly after your baby starts eating solid foods, usually around 6 months (and at least 6 if you’re going the baby-led weaning route, an approach that involves introducing solids in the form of soft, gummable finger foods; at 6 months, your baby is more likely to be capable of starting to self-feed).

The fact that yogurt packs a nutrition punch (and is beloved by most babies and toddlers) isn’t the only reason to offer it early on.

If yogurt is the first dairy-based food you serve, plan for your baby’s first introduction to happen at home (versus at day care or in a restaurant). That’ll make it easier to keep an eye on her for the first hour or two after eating so you can watch for any potential allergic reactions. You’ll also know for sure about all of the ingredients she ate at mealtime, making it easier to pinpoint yogurt as the culprit if there’s a problem.

Good news: You don’t have to do anything special to serve yogurt to your little nosher. Just spoon-feed it to her or scoop some into a baby-safe bowl (or right onto her tray — things are going to get messy either way!).

Even if you wouldn’t eat yogurt completely plain, resist the urge to add anything extra for your baby’s bowl at first. Honey isn’t safe for babies under 1 (it may cause a rare type of food poisoning called infant botulism), and added sugars in general should stay off the table until your tot turns 2. After your baby tries yogurt all by itself, it’s fine to serve it with fruit (be sure to cut into tiny age-appropriate pieces) or as part of other dishes.

Though the serving instructions are pretty simple, it’s important to know what to look for when buying yogurt at the grocery store: Seek out plain, whole milk yogurt with nothing extra. Yogurts marketed for babies and toddlers, along with flavored yogurts, tend to pack gobs of added sugar plus other possible additives that your baby doesn’t need.

Both regular and Greek yogurt are fine, though Greek yogurt’s texture might be easier for your sweetie to scoop. (Greek yogurt is typically tart, so see if it’s a fit for your sweetie.) Greek varieties are also higher in protein and calcium, but that’s only because it’s been strained more and contains less water. Nutritionally speaking, regular yogurt is a great choice, too.

As for whether you need to buy organic yogurt for your baby? It’s nice when possible, but it certainly isn’t a must.

The tips below can help parents determine how to serve yogurt at different stages, but keep in mind that all babies develop at their own pace. Speak with your pediatrician before beginning baby-led weaning, and talk to him or her if you have any concerns about your child's oral-motor skills, chewing skills, swallowing skills or if you're unsure whether or not your baby is ready for certain food preparations.

Erin Lenczycki/What to Expect

If your pediatrician has given you the green light to try whole milk dairy products like yogurt, you can introduce it at this age. Keep it simple starting out. Scoop some plain yogurt into a baby-safe bowl (or directly on your baby’s tray) and give your baby a chance to explore. She might like to rake it up with her fingers, but pay attention to her cues: If she doesn’t seem to like touching it, that’s okay. You can also try offering the yogurt on a loaded spoon for her to put in her mouth.

Erin Lenczycki/What to Expect

Your baby can still scoop yogurt with her hands or eat from a preloaded spoon. But you can also use thick Greek yogurt to help her work on her pincer grasp. Try putting yogurt on smooshed blueberries or O-shaped cereals for her to pick up.

Once you get the green light from the pediatrician to start serving multi-ingredient foods, you can offer yogurt as part of other dishes. Think smoothies, fruit-and-yogurt parfaits or homemade dips.

Erin Lenczycki/What to Expect

Heading towards your tot’s first birthday, you can try encouraging her to scoop her own yogurt from the bowl with a toddler spoon instead of offering spoonfuls that have been preloaded. Though if her hands are still her preferred utensils, that’s okay, too.

You can’t blame your baby for getting bored with plain old yogurt after a while. Keep her tastebuds guessing — and introduce different flavors and textures — with these easy ideas. Just remember to always introduce one food at a time, especially other top allergens like eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat and seafood.

Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, a mineral that’s a must for helping your baby build strong, healthy bones, muscles and teeth. Many versions are fortified with vitamin D, too, which helps with calcium absorption. Just check the label before you buy. It’s also an easy way to give your cutie’s meal a quick protein boost, especially if she tends to turn her nose up at meat.

Also important? Yogurt is rich in probiotics, the beneficial kind of bacteria that promotes healthy digestion (and may help fight diarrhea, should a stomach bug strike). Some evidence also suggests that eating probiotic-rich foods can help with conditions like eczema and allergies.

Cow’s milk is one of the most common baby food allergens, along with eggs and peanuts. (Though thankfully, many kids outgrow their milk allergies by age 3.) So it’s particularly important to watch for signs of a possible reaction when introducing yogurt, especially if it’s the first dairy food you’re serving.

Your baby or toddler might have a food allergy if, immediately, or within an hour or two after eating, she experiences:

It’s possible that yogurt could bother your baby or toddler if she’s lactose intolerant, meaning she can’t breakdown or digest lactose — a sugar found in milk. Lactose intolerance is very rare in babies and infants, but when it does occur, it’s marked by problems like gas, diarrhea, bloating, spotting up, irritability and even failure to thrive or gain weight.

On the other hand, lactose intolerance doesn’t necessarily mean all types of dairy are totally off limits. Yogurt contains less lactose than milk, and many kids who can’t tolerate a glass of milk are still able to tolerate yogurt.

If you suspect that your baby or toddler has a milk allergy or an intolerance, discuss her symptoms with her pediatrician. The doctor might recommend blood or skin testing to confirm the diagnosis.

An allergic reaction may be more severe or possibly life-threatening (called anaphylaxis) if multiple areas of the body are affected. In the rare event that your child shows signs of a life-threatening allergic reaction like trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911 right away.

Nearly all flavored and fruit-on-top yogurts, even products marketed for babies, contain added sugar, which can contribute to tooth decay and obesity. The USDA guidelines recommend that children under 2 years old get no added sugar from their diet. Choosing plain yogurt is the easiest way to avoid added sugar.

To see whether a product has added sugar, check the nutrition label. Look at the line under "Total Sugars" to see how much of the sugar in a product is added sugar. (All yogurt contains some natural sugar in the form of lactose.)

Yogurt made from whole milk is best for babies and toddlers because they need the calories and fat in full-fat dairy products. Don't offer your child reduced-fat or fat-free yogurt before age 2 unless your healthcare provider advises it.

Greek yogurt is strained for a rich, creamy texture, and has twice as much protein as regular yogurt, making it another good choice for babies. Plus, it's often easier to find Greek yogurt in sugar-free varieties.

In addition to being a good source of calcium and protein, some types of yogurt contain live cultures, also known as probiotics. These are living microorganisms (bacteria) used to convert milk to yogurt, or added to yogurt afterward. They promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut, which researchers believe may help with digestion.

How can you tell whether yogurt has this good bacteria? The product label should state that the yogurt contains live or active cultures, which means the organisms haven't been destroyed by heat during processing. However, a label that says "made with active cultures" does not mean that the yogurt still contains living cultures, only that the yogurt was made with them (as all yogurt is).

It can be hard to tell if a yogurt contains a significant amount of beneficial bacteria. One way is to look for the Live & Active Cultures sealOpens a new window by the International Dairy Foods Association. This seal identifies products that contain at least 100 million live and active cultures per gram. But participation in the program is voluntary, so a product without the seal isn't necessarily short on cultures.

You may wonder why it's okay for babies to eat yogurt, when drinking cow's milk isn't recommended until a baby is at least 12 months old.

Actually, a little bit of cow's milk, like the amount in the occasional serving of yogurt, won't hurt your baby. It's just not a good replacement for the breast milk or formula that still makes up most of their diet for the first year.

That's because babies can't digest cow's milk as easily or completely as breast milk or formula. And cow's milk doesn't have the ideal proportion of fats and nutrients that your baby gets from breast milk or formula.

For more information, see our article on when and how to introduce cow's milk to your child.

If your baby has been diagnosed with a milk allergy or shows signs of a food allergy (such as eczema), don't give them yogurt until you've checked with your healthcare provider.

Otherwise, as with any new food, wait at least three days after introducing yogurt before giving your baby another new food. That way, if your baby has an allergic reaction, it will be easier to tell what caused it.

Common symptoms of an allergic reaction include itchy red spots or patches, swelling around the lips or eyes, or vomiting within two hours of eating the recently introduced food. If you notice any of these symptoms, don't give your baby any more of the food until you've checked in with your provider.

Lactose intolerance – which is different from a milk allergy – is very rare in babies. Even if your child becomes lactose intolerant, it may be fine for them to eat yogurt. The production process breaks down much of the lactose, making yogurt more easily tolerated than other dairy products.

Your baby may not be a fan of plain yogurt, so try adding flavor (and nutrients) by mixing in fruit or vegetables. For babies who are new to solids, start with pureed fruit and cooked, pureed vegetables. For older babies, you can add soft fruit and cooked vegetables chopped into small pieces. Mashed avocado, applesauce, oatmeal, and wheat germ are also good additions.

Never give honey to a baby younger than 12 months because it may contain bacteria that can cause botulism in children that age.

Try these baby food recipes with yogurt:

With its versatility, yogurt is a staple food for many adults and children alike. But you might not know that yogurt also makes an excellent first food for babies.

Yogurt’s nutritional profile boasts important nutrients for babies such as calcium and phosphorus for bone strength, as well as protein and fat for babies’ rapid growth.1,2,3,4

Many yogurts are also fortified with vitamin D, which is important for many babies, particularly those who are partially or fully breastfed.5

And finally, most yogurts contain probiotics; good bacteria that at an early age may help influence immune development.6

Learn more: Probiotics 101

Health professionals note that because yogurt is made by fermentation, its proteins can be easily digested by tiny tummies. This is one reason why feeding yogurt to babies under one year is recommended, while offering cow’s milk is not.

Not only is cow’s milk more difficult to digest, but it is higher in minerals and protein which may be more difficult for a baby to tolerate in large quantities.7 While small amounts of cow’s milk before 1 year are safe, such as using a splash in scrambled eggs or a bit in baking; too much cow’s milk during infancy may lead to anemia as well as other issues.8,9,11

With yogurt, which may be offered once or twice per day for infants (¼-½ cup at a time), these are not concerns – so you can feel confident providing nutrient-dense yogurt to your baby!

Plain, whole milk yogurt is an ideal choice as a first food for babies as it contains no added sugar but also provides protein, fat, vitamin, and minerals. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should get about half of their calories from fat.3

As you continue to advance flavors and foods in your baby’s diet, look for a whole milk yogurt blended with fruit, but make sure it has no added sugar or stick with plain whole milk yogurt and add in your own blended or mashed fruit.

Be sure to avoid sweetening yogurt with honey if your baby is under 1 year.10 Honey may contain the harmful bacteria called Botulism, which babies are particularly susceptible to.

Read more:

How to Incorporate Yogurt into your Child’s Diet

Starting Solids: First Foods and Textures

Because store-bought yogurt is conveniently packaged in refrigerated containers, serving it to babies is a breeze as there is no prep work or blending required! The creamy texture is both palatable and soothing to teething gums. As babies get older, they’ll love self-feeding with a scoop of yogurt on a spoon.

Plain yogurt has a neutral flavor, so it can be mixed with a variety of ingredients to transform the flavor of your baby’s food, as well as add more nutrients. As long as your baby has already had the fruits, vegetables, or spices previously without adverse reaction, you can use them in any combination with yogurt to create a new meal for your little one such as:

*Remember to always provide your baby with foods in a texture they can handle. This may mean providing the below recipes mashed or cut into pea-sized pieces so that they are safe for your baby.

Banana & Yogurt Muffins

Fruit and Yogurt Pops

Sweet Yogurt Dip

Edamame and Yogurt Blend

While most store-bought yogurt is conveniently packaged in smaller servings, your little one may not finish the entire container in one sitting. It’s best to scoop out the amount of yogurt you’d like to offer your child into a separate bowl, allowing you to save the remaining yogurt, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

Should you feed your child directly from the yogurt container, bacteria from your little one’s mouth gets transferred to the yogurt; any leftover food must be thrown out directly after the meal.

We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond.

Our Happy Baby Experts are a team of lactation consultants and registered dietitian nutritionists certified in infant and maternal nutrition – and they’re all moms, too, which means they’ve been there and seen that. They’re here to help on our free, live chat platform Monday - Friday 8am-6pm (ET). Chat Now!

Read more about the experts that help write our content!

For more on this topic, check out the following articles and recipes: