Don’t give babies whole nuts as finger food: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises offering nut butter or ground nuts to children under 4. For organic products, check the certification and ingredients of the exact variant. Follow Dutch age guidance when introducing peanuts, and speak to your baby’s doctor or dietitian first if they have severe eczema or a food allergy.
You’re looking for a form that’s suitable for your baby and want to avoid serving whole organic nuts as finger food. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises offering nut butter or ground nuts to children under 4.
You’re looking for smooth peanut butter to use when introducing peanuts. If your baby has severe eczema or a food allergy, discuss this with their doctor or dietitian first, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
You want to be able to check where the ingredients come from and are choosing between ready-made butter and nuts to prepare yourself. The European Commission explains what the EU organic logo means, while product information from Albert Heijn and PLUS gives details about the variants reviewed.
Suitable when: you want to introduce peanuts after your baby has got used to trying solid foods.
Things to consider: ready-made butter needs less preparation, but check the exact variant for pieces, added salt and sugar.
Suitable when: you want to make an appropriate ground form or butter yourself and assess the ingredients in the nuts you’re using.
Things to consider: you’ll need to prepare it yourself; the cashew products from Albert Heijn and PLUS that we reviewed also contain sunflower oil.
Suitable when: you deliberately want to use several types of nuts in one ingredient and prepare them yourself in an appropriate form.
Things to consider: you’ll need to check several ingredients and allergens, so a mix is harder to assess than a product containing one named type of nut.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against giving whole peanuts or nuts to children under 4: choose nut butter or ground nuts instead. The percentages below refer to consumers considering organic nuts or relevant peanut butter for baby-led weaning and breakfast.
| What to consider | What should you look for? | Who is it more important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable form | Don’t give whole nuts to children under 4; choose nut butter or ground nuts. If you’re buying peanut butter, check whether it contains pieces too. | When I prepare food for my baby, I want to be sure that nuts aren’t served whole. Around 36% of consumers prioritise a suitable form without whole nuts. |
| Introducing peanuts | Check that it’s made from peanuts and that the peanut butter is smooth, with no added salt or sugar. Follow the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice; if your baby has severe eczema or a food allergy, speak to a doctor or dietitian first. | If I want to introduce peanuts, I pay attention to the product and the guidance on when to introduce them. Around 29% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Organic origin | Check the EU organic logo, control code and agricultural origin of the exact product. Also review the ingredients list. | When choosing organic, I want to be able to check the origin of this exact pack, rather than relying on words such as ‘natural’. Around 21% of consumers prioritise verifiable organic origins. |
| Breakfast and preparation | Check the usage and storage instructions, and consider how much preparation the variant requires. Only compare products that are suitable for the form you want. | For a regular breakfast, I want to know how much preparation and care the product needs when it comes to storage. Around 14% of consumers prioritise everyday convenience above all else. |
Organic certification doesn’t change how a product should be served: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against giving whole nuts or peanuts to children under 4.
Only buy whole nuts as an ingredient to process yourself into nut butter or ground nuts.
The Albert Heijn and BIO+ cashews we reviewed contain sunflower oil as well as cashews.
Read the full ingredients list, regardless of whether the product is labelled ‘organic’ or ‘unsalted’.
A serving size shown on a pack of nuts is not the same as advice on introducing peanuts.
For peanuts, follow the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s specific guidance rather than applying a general serving size.
Albert Heijn’s product information lists organic peanut butter and organic cashews as separate options to consider.
The option reviewed is BIO+ cashewnoten ongezouten: an ingredient to prepare yourself, not food to give directly to a baby.
A Jumbo product page describes an organic, unroasted nut mix containing five types of nuts.
The Joybuy option below is an unsalted peanut product. Check the pack to see whether this variant is organically certified; only give peanuts to a baby in a suitable ground form or as butter.
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Only suitable as an ingredient to process yourself into an appropriate ground form; don’t give whole peanuts to children under 4.
Check the pack for the organic certification and ingredients of this exact variant.
No. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against giving whole peanuts or nuts to children under 4. Choose nut butter or ground nuts instead; organic certification doesn’t change this guidance.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, you can introduce peanuts once your baby is used to trying solid foods, and before they reach 8 months. If your baby has severe eczema or a food allergy, starting early, before 6 months, is especially important. Speak to their doctor or dietitian first.
Check the labels on the pack of the exact product. According to the European Commission, the EU organic logo can only be used for products certified as organic by an authorised control authority or control body. The control code and agricultural origin should also be shown.
Albert Heijn advises stirring this peanut butter well before use and storing it somewhere cool, dark and dry. GroeiGids describes mixing it with mashed fruit or cooked vegetables; choose a smooth variant when introducing peanuts.
Check your school or group’s rules first. For example, OBS De Venen sets out rules on nuts and peanuts in its lower-year classes. This is local policy, not a nationwide ban.
