Okay, I am wondering when my fellow mumsnetters let their children have unpasterised cheese, pate and rare meat

[Overrun]

I am not aware of any guidelines, although I do have some vaque memory of being told that they can have seafood when they are 3. My natural caution wars with my love of food, and my desire for them to be adventoruous in their tastes.

A good example is, we like our beef rare, and the dcs (2 and 4) eat it that way too. Are we endangering them?

The reason why I have suddenly thought of this, is dt2 has just grabbed and obviously enjoyed some brie. I let him do it, but was wondering if I should. It turns out that it was pasterised any way btw. Is it the case, that soft cheeses are pasterised now?

Anyway, thats enough questions, I think

my 20 month old eats everything. parma ham ("am" as she calls it) is a particular favourite.

don't know about rare met but have done interesting cheeses from one onwards and all still alive and kicking!

Thanks Loopymumsy, we are obviously not being as negligent as I thought

This is all good to know, they love parma ham as well.

I should think they'll be fine from now Overrun my angel. Mine like their meat mooing as well (apart from DD1 who is a vegetarian that's not hugely keen on veg!)

I want to know about this too. What are European mums told? I can imagine French babies being weaned on soft cheeses!

Si is that right - no seafood til 3? Often wonder oif I can give DS some prawn curry!

The DTs have been eating prawns since they were 1.

I used to live in farming country where we all drank unpasteurised milk.

I never thought much about this really and just gave them things as they wanted them.

I think soft cheeses are good for kids. they have to get their immunity from somehwere ffs. well, wait till they're one or two, but there's no need to wait longer.

I thought toxoplasmosis was aproblem in older childrent hough but I've just looked it up and it isn't.

Chocolate, it was only a vague memory I had. We give them all sorts Really glad to hear that we are not alone. Hi Marsey, lol at the Mooey meat. DT2 insists on calling every animal a cow atm, and I know its just laziness

Aren't all cheeses pastuerised now in the EU? Had to tell my SIL tactfully that i didnt think smoked salmon was the best thing for her 6 mo old..., i mean smoked is not even cooked!

It wouldn't worry me.

Malaleche, I think people forget with smoked salmon, because its seems so innocuous Mine love it, such expensive tastes don't you know

I'm sure you can still buy unpasteurised cheese. Can't see the french bowing down to a law like that! But it's true that most cheese you'll see in supermarkets is pasteurised.

Senora, I am amazed that the brie I bought was pasterised, as I really didn't think it was.
As you say, the french wont stand for it, but maybe you can't get it in our supermarkets I am going to have a good look next time I am in the cheese aisle

i hate parma ham

have rpetedned to liek ti for too long

From 1 mine were having everything - even raw eggs in cake mix and sushi. And tbh I think dd had parma ham, smoked salmon and brie well before that. IIRC the only things I held off on at all were nuts and honey

from weaning age in my house subject to dd actually liking it!!

what about booze used in recipes?

Oh Cod, it is so divine you are missing out. Prfruck, when you say cake mixtures, do you mean letting them like out the bowl. Or would you let them have a syllabub or something with raw egg in?

My fridge is full of unpasteurised brie and camembert. It really helps having French visitors.

I personally don't worry about booze, I think it is all burned off in the cooking process

Lucky you Mars, thats what I loved about living in Kent years ago, I could just hop over the channel and stock up