Pine nuts and pine nut butter that have been prepared in an
age-appropriate way may be introduced as soon as your baby is ready
to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. Nuts
and nut butters are common allergens as well as choking hazards and
must be modified to be safe for babies. Whole pine nuts must be
finely ground, and pine nut butter must be completely smooth and
thinned with breast milk, formula, or yogurt.
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine cones. Also called pignoli,
pion, and pinyon nuts, they grow in the Northern Hemisphere, where
there are 18 varieties of pine trees with nuts that are suitable
for human consumption. Compared to other nuts and seeds, pine nuts
are soft in texture and buttery in taste, which makes them a tasty
way to add nutritional value to sauces (like pesto!) and texture in
grain dishes for older babies.
