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Special diets for children

Key facts

  • Your child might need a special diet because of an allergy, a condition, or your beliefs.
  • If your child needs a special diet, visit your doctor or a dietitian for guidance and support.
  • Some special diets can be life saving for your child.
  • Avoid fad diets for children.
  • Examples of special diets for health conditions include gluten-free diets for coeliac disease, and avoidance of dairy for lactose intolerance.

    • Why might my child need a special diet?

    Your child might need a special diet for various reasons, such as:

    No matter the reason for the special diet, it's important that your child has the nutrients and energy they need:

    • to be healthy
    • to grow and develop properly

    If your baby is born with a genetic condition (Opens in new tab) that affects their ability to process a certain nutrient, they will need a special diet for life.

    If your child does not need a special diet, give them a variety of foods from the five food groups. Be sure to avoid fad diets for children.

    How do I know if my child needs a special diet?

    There are many ways you may find out your child needs a special diet, including:

    When your baby is about 6 months of age, you should start introducing them to foods, including foods that commonly cause allergies. It's recommended that you start giving allergy foods before your baby reaches 12 months old. This can reduce their chance of developing an allergy. If you think your child has an allergy, their doctor can confirm a food allergy with tests such as:

    Read more on introducing 'allergy foods'.

    There are no specific tests to diagnose a food intolerance. Your child's doctor can diagnose a food intolerance based on:

    • your child's symptoms
    • checking for other conditions
    • suggesting an elimination diet to see if symptoms go away when the suspect food is stopped

    Read more about food allergies in children (Opens in new tab).

    Read more about how to introduce allergy foods (Opens in new tab).

    What do I do if my child needs a special diet?

    If your child needs a special diet, their doctor will refer you to an accredited practicing dietitian (Opens in new tab). A dietitian is best qualified to help you manage your child's dietary requirements so they can:

    • enjoy healthy foods
    • get the nutrients they need
    • avoid foods that can be dangerous to them

    Your child's healthcare team will work together with you so that you feel you can support your child in getting the care they need.

    Sometimes your child may outgrow their food allergies.

    FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

    What changes may be needed in my child’s diet?

    Your child's special dietary requirements will depend on:

    • their health conditions
    • any allergy they have
    • your family's beliefs

    Coeliac Disease

    Coeliac disease (Opens in new tab) is an immune disease. When gluten (a type of protein) is eaten, the gut becomes inflamed. This prevents your body from absorbing nutrients properly, and can cause:

    If your child has coeliac disease, they will need to eat gluten-free foods (Opens in new tab) at all times. Symptoms such as an upset tummy are common to many health conditions, so before you exclude gluten from your child's diet, check with their doctor or a dietitian.

    Phenylketonuria (PKU)

    In Australia, all babies are tested at birth for phenylketonuria (PKU) (Opens in new tab). Babies with PKU lack an enzyme needed to break down one of the amino acids (phenylalanine) in protein (Opens in new tab). High levels of the amino acid can lead to problems with the development of their brain.

    If your baby tests positive for PKU, they will need to eat a special diet for life that has:

    • low protein
    • foods with low levels of phenylalanine

    Glutaric acidaemia (GA1)

    GA1 is a genetic disorder that occurs when there's not enough of a specific enzyme. This leads to a build-up of 3 amino acids:

    • lysine
    • hydroxylysine
    • tryptophan

    High levels of these amino acids can damage your child's brain. A child with GA1 will need to eat a high calorie, low protein diet, and avoid these 3 amino acids.

    Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD)

    In Australia, babies are screened for MSUD as part of their neonatal screening. MSUD is a rare genetic condition where there's not enough of the enzyme that breaks down:

    • leucine
    • isoleucine
    • valine

    These 3 amino acids can cause brain damage if they build up. MSUD is treated with a low protein diet, and supplements for other amino acids.

    Galactosaemia

    Babies with galactosaemia lack an enzyme needed to break down the sugar (Opens in new tab) galactose, which is found in:

    This genetic condition can cause vomiting (Opens in new tab), liver (Opens in new tab) problems and intellectual disability (Opens in new tab).

    If your child has galactosaemia, they will have to avoid foods made with milk or milk products for their whole life.

    Soy and chickpea products should also be avoided, as they can contain some galactose.

    Food allergies

    The most common food allergies are to:

    Your child will need to avoid foods that trigger a reaction.

    Read more on allergy foods and diets.

    Food intolerance

    Unlike allergies, food intolerances don't involve your immune system. They generally do not cause severe reactions. Intolerance to lactose, a type of sugar found in milk is common.

    If your child has a food intolerance, they may need to avoid that food.

    Vegan and vegetarian diets

    You may wish to feed your child a vegetarian or vegan diet (Opens in new tab) due to your personal beliefs. There are many variations of vegetarian and vegan diets. If you keep a vegetarian diet, you most likely do not eat red meats, poultry and fish.

    Vegan diets exclude meats and any animal products including:

    • milk
    • cheese
    • yoghurt
    • eggs
    • honey

    Animal products are high in:

    A vegan and vegetarian diet, if planned properly, can provide your child with all the nutrients they need to be healthy and grow. An accredited practicing dietitian or your GP can guide you. You may need to supplement vitamin B12 and other nutrients.

    Your child is at the highest risk of lacking calcium (Opens in new tab) and vitamins B12 and D. If your child is deficient in some nutrients, this can affect their development.

    A well-balanced vegetarian diet shouldn't cause any nutritional problems and can have health benefits. The nutrients found in animal products can be gained from:

    • legumes
    • tofu
    • seeds
    • nuts
    • leafy green vegetables

    Vitamin B12 is only found in animal products. To get this vitamin, your child can:

    • drink vitamin B12 fortified plant-based milk
    • take a vitamin supplement

    Children should be given full fat dairy until they are 2 years old.

    Read the vegetarian and vegan feeding guide for babies.

    Read the vegetarian and vegan feeding guide for toddlers.

    How do I manage my child’s diet outside of the home?

    It can be difficult to explain to children that they need to stick to a special diet. It is important that they understand this as early as possible.

    Tips to help you manage your child's diet outside of the home are:

    • write them a simple list of foods they can and can't eat
    • give a copy to your child's childcare or school
    • share it with your child's friends and their parents
    • use a smartphone app to help them identify problem foods

    When you are eating out, here are tips you can teach your child to stay safe:

    • Tell the waiter about your child's dietary requirements.
    • If you are not sure what is in the food, ask the waiter.
    • If the staff are unsure, eat somewhere else.
    • Avoid self service areas as they could be contaminated.
    • If your child has an adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen or Anapen) (Opens in new tab) for their allergy, take it with you.

    Read about how to use an adrenaline autoinjector (Opens in new tab).

    Resources and support

    Speak to your doctor or child health nurse for more information on allergy foods.

    Other languages

    Nip Allergies in The Bub has translated resources about introducing common allergy causing foods (Opens in new tab) to your bub into a variety of community languages.

    Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

    Get up and grow (Opens in new tab) is a resource for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people that talks about the first foods you will feed your baby.

    Speak to a maternal child health nurse

    Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 (Opens in new tab) or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

    Last reviewed: February 2025

    Need more information?

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    How to add variety to your diet | Eat For Health

    The Australian Dietary Guidelines highlights the importance of eating a wide variety of nutritious foods. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating groups similar types of foods together in five different groups. The foods in each group have similar nutrients and are often used the same way in cooking. To make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need, it’s important to eat enough from all the five groups.
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    Learn more on NHMRC website