Soy: How to Introduce Your Baby to This Potentially Allergenic Food

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May 12, 2025

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INSIGHT

Soy Allergy Insights

Soy allergy is less common than other major allergens but still important to introduce early to babies.
Early and frequent exposure may help prevent soy allergy.

ADVICE

Introduce Soy Via Tofu

Introduce soy to your baby using firm or extra firm tofu cut into finger-sized strips.
Serve plain tofu to allow safe self-feeding and to observe for any allergic reaction.

ADVICE

Early and Frequent Soy Introduction

Introduce soy early and often, ideally once or twice a day on several days with no other new foods.
Monitor for reactions over weekend, then introduce other new low-risk foods during the week.

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#37: Soy is one of the Top 9 allergenic foods, but it often causes confusion for parents when their baby is starting solid foods: can my baby eat soy and if so, what’s the safest way to prepare it? In this episode, you’ll learn how to safely introduce soy to your baby for 2 different ages and stages, plus a look at soy milk and why it’s not ideal for babies. We’ll cover soy allergy stats, debunk some common myths, and walk through the best practices for offering this food early and often. If you’ve heard conflicting things about soy, this episode will give you the facts you need to move forward confidently.

Listen to this episode to learn:

1. Why soy is less allergenic than the other foods on the Top 9 list of potentially allergenic foods, but still no less important to introduce to your baby early and often

2. The easiest way to introduce your baby to soy (...spoiler alert: it’s tofu) and I’m including tips on what type of tofu to choose and how to serve to baby safely

3. A comparison of tofu vs. soymilk for the introduction of soy to baby and why tofu is a better bet than soy milk for a number of reasons

Shownotes for this episode can be found here:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.babyledweaning.co/podcast/37

Links from this episode:

• Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) information page on soy and soy allergy, click here. https://www.foodallergy.org/living-food-allergies/food-allergy-essentials/common-allergens/soy

• Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://babyledweaning.co/program⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners⁠⁠⁠⁠