Parents starting dairy during weaning
For carers choosing a first dairy food around 6 months while continuing breast milk or first infant formula. NHS guidance points to pasteurised, full-fat plain yoghurt or fromage frais with no added sugar.
Who is this for?
Families planning summer days out
For anyone taking a baby to a park, beach or holiday accommodation who needs to decide whether a chilled pot can be kept cold until serving.
Shoppers comparing children’s dairy products
For carers checking whether a product’s age guidance, ingredients and storage instructions fit early weaning, rather than relying on child-focused packaging alone.
What should you check?
Check whether the baby is ready for solids and the dairy food fits NHS guidance before deciding how to carry and serve it.
| Priority | What to check | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Starting solids | Look for the recognised readiness signs: sitting with a steady head, coordinating eyes, hands and mouth, and swallowing food rather than pushing it back out. Check the product’s age guidance separately. | My baby is around 6 months, and I want to introduce dairy when they are ready to eat solid food. |
| Dairy and ingredients | The NHS recommends pasteurised, full-fat plain yoghurt or fromage frais with no added sugar from around 6 months. Read the ingredients as well as front-of-pack wording. | I’m choosing a first dairy food, not assuming that every fruit-flavoured or child-labelled pot follows this guidance. |
| Milk feeds | Keep offering breast milk or first infant formula on demand; NHS Best Start in Life says it remains the main source of nutrition at this stage. | A serving of fromage frais would be part of weaning, not a replacement for a usual milk feed. |
| Storage away from home | Follow the pack’s storage directions. For chilled food, NHS Best Start in Life recommends a cool bag with frozen water bottles or ice blocks; food that has not stayed cold should be eaten as soon as possible, within 4 hours maximum, and leftovers discarded. | For a day out, I need a way to keep the food cold until serving or a different food plan. |
| First exposure to dairy | Check the current allergen declaration. NHS Best Start in Life advises introducing foods that can trigger allergic reactions one at a time and in very small amounts so a reaction can be spotted. | If dairy is new to my baby, I’d rather introduce it when I can watch for a reaction than for the first time during travel. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming a children’s snack is suitable from 6 months
Child-focused packaging or nutrient claims do not establish an age recommendation for early weaning.
Check the current label for age guidance, pasteurisation, fat content and ingredients. For a first dairy food, use the NHS advice on plain, full-fat products with no added sugar.
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Reading “no refined sugar” as “no added sugar”
Those claims are not interchangeable: the Ella’s Kitchen Stage 1 fromage frais listed by Tesco mentions no refined sugar but lists agave nectar.
Read the ingredients before deciding whether a product fits the NHS no-added-sugar guidance.
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Packing chilled dairy without a way to keep it cold
A hot outing changes how long a chilled food can be kept before serving.
NHS Best Start in Life recommends a cool bag with frozen water bottles or ice blocks. If the food has not stayed cold, serve it as soon as possible, within 4 hours maximum, and throw away leftovers.
Packing chilled food also means bringing a cool bag and frozen water bottles or ice blocks.
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Using fromage frais instead of a milk feed
NHS Best Start in Life says breast milk or first infant formula remains a baby’s main source of nutrition when solids begin.
Offer dairy as part of complementary feeding while continuing usual milk feeds.
Brand labels worth checking
These examples concern particular products, not every food sold under each brand.
Ella’s Kitchen
Tesco lists an Ella’s Kitchen Stage 1 whole-milk fromage frais with ingredients labelled suitable from 6 months.
- The listed product comes in 6 × 55g pots and carries an explicit age statement.
- It lists agave nectar, so its “no refined sugar” wording does not establish that it meets the NHS no-added-sugar advice. Check the current label before choosing it.
Petits Filous
Petits Filous describes its Strawberry & Banana fromage frais as a no-added-sugar product for children.
- The manufacturer identifies this particular variant as having no added sugar.
- Its product page does not state suitability from 6 months. Check the current pack rather than treating children’s branding as an age recommendation.
Müller
Tesco lists Müller Little Stars fromage frais in an 18 × 50g pack.
- The listing identifies a specific children’s fromage frais product.
- Before considering it for early weaning, check the current pack for age guidance, ingredients and the dairy details relevant to NHS advice.
Joybuy yoghurt options
These 6+ months fruit yoghurt pouches are alternatives to consider alongside the question of fromage frais for a summer outing. They are not plain fromage frais; check each current pack against the dairy and storage guidance above.
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Ella’s Kitchen Organic Mango Greek Style Yoghurt Pouch 6+ Months 90g
For a snack during an outing, this 6+ months mango yoghurt pouch is a fruit-flavoured option rather than plain fromage frais.
Check the current pack for full-fat status, ingredients and storage directions before deciding whether it fits your feeding and travel plans.
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Ella’s Kitchen Greek Yoghurt With Strawberry 6+ Months 90g
This 6+ months strawberry yoghurt pouch is another fruit-flavoured option for a snack, rather than plain fromage frais.
Check the current pack for pasteurisation, full-fat status, ingredients and storage directions before choosing it for early weaning or a day out.
Common questions
Can a baby have fromage frais from around 6 months?
Yes, once the baby is ready for solids. The NHS recommends pasteurised, full-fat plain yoghurt or fromage frais with no added sugar from around 6 months; continue breast milk or first infant formula as the main source of nutrition.
Does “no refined sugar” mean no added sugar?
No. Check the ingredients: the Ella’s Kitchen Stage 1 fromage frais listed by Tesco uses “no refined sugar” wording but lists agave nectar. NHS advice is to choose first dairy foods with no added sugar.
How should I carry fromage frais on a summer day out?
For chilled food, NHS Best Start in Life recommends a cool bag with frozen water bottles or ice blocks to keep it cold until serving. If it has not stayed cold, it should be eaten as soon as possible, within 4 hours maximum; throw away leftovers.
Can I keep a half-eaten serving for later?
No. NHS Best Start in Life advises throwing away leftovers rather than saving a half-eaten serving.
What if dairy is new to my baby?
Introduce foods that can trigger allergic reactions one at a time and in very small amounts, as NHS Best Start in Life advises, so you can spot a reaction. Plan a first dairy serving for a time when you can observe your baby rather than introducing it for the first time while travelling.