Sesame and tree nuts can be harder to spot in a baby's menu than egg or yogurt. They may appear inside another food, under a broader dish name, or in a form that is less obvious when you scan a feeding history.
We isolated those two series from Tummi's cumulative allergen data because they occupy the bottom of the recorded ranking at every published age. Both become more common from month 6 through month 9, but neither closes the gap with the other five groups.
The finding is about what the app records, not why families made particular choices. Lower reach cannot prove later introduction, avoidance, lack of access, or concern. The dataset shows the pattern clearly while leaving its causes unresolved.
Key Findings
- Sesame appeared on 1.8 percent of eligible recorded menus by month 6.
- Tree nuts appeared in 4.5 percent by the same milestone.
- Both groups increased at every published age from month 6 through month 9.
- By month 9, sesame reached 11.0 percent and tree nuts reached 20.8 percent.
- Sesame and tree nuts remained the two least widely recorded tracked groups throughout the window.
How often do sesame and tree nuts appear by month 6?
Sesame appears in 1.8 percent of eligible histories by the end of month 6, the lowest value among the seven tracked groups. Tree nuts appear in 4.5 percent, the second-lowest value. Fish, the next group above them, appears in 9.8 percent.
These are cumulative record shares, not counts of verified first introductions. A profile enters the percentage when a tagged food appears in the history available to the analysis. An earlier unrecorded serving remains invisible.
| Allergen | 6 mo | 7 mo | 8 mo | 9 mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sesame | 1.8% | 5.4% | 8.2% | 11.0% |
| Tree nuts | 4.5% | 12.5% | 20.1% | 20.8% |
Source: Aggregated Tummi product data. Samples change by age. Later age cells are withheld because the eligible group becomes too small.
How do the two series change through month 9?
Sesame rises from 1.8 percent at month 6 to 5.4 percent at month 7, 8.2 percent at month 8, and 11.0 percent at month 9. Tree nuts rise from 4.5 percent to 12.5 percent, 20.1 percent, and 20.8 percent across the same milestones.
Both trends move upward, but their final steps differ. Tree nut reach changes only slightly from month 8 to month 9, while sesame continues a steadier rise. The chart does not establish whether that difference would persist beyond the published window.
Do they remain below every other tracked allergen?
Yes. Sesame is the least widely recorded group at every shown age, and tree nuts are the second least widely recorded. At month 9, fish and peanut are both near 40 percent, while tree nuts are at 20.8 percent and sesame at 11.0 percent.
That ordering is descriptive rather than evaluative. It does not mean the higher groups were introduced correctly or the lower groups incorrectly. It also does not show that an individual family omitted a food just because the food is absent from the recorded menu.
What does less common mean in this report?
Less common refers to cumulative reach across eligible profiles. It means fewer profiles contained a sesame-tagged or tree-nut-tagged record by each milestone. It does not measure how often the food was served within the profiles where it appeared.
The phrase also does not measure recognition. A mixed food may contain an ingredient that was not entered separately, and product tagging can simplify a complex dish. The result therefore belongs to recorded history rather than a complete ingredient audit of every meal.
How do official sources frame sesame and tree nuts?
The FDA includes sesame and tree nuts among the nine major food allergens in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides parent-facing context on readiness, timing, and baby-safe forms for common allergens. Those sources explain why both groups merit attention even when they appear less often in this dataset.
The Tummi chart cannot replace that guidance. It contains no individualized allergy history, preparation details, or reaction record for this question. Families with a known allergy, severe eczema, a previous reaction, or another risk factor should use clinical advice tailored to their baby.
Can the data explain why these records stay lower?
No. The analysis did not measure availability, cultural eating patterns, parent confidence, clinician recommendations, food labeling, recipe composition, cost, or perceived risk. Any of those could be discussed as a hypothesis, but none can be selected as the cause from this figure.
Recording behavior adds another uncertainty. Some caregivers may enter every ingredient, while others may choose one name for a mixed meal. A gap in tagged foods can reflect eating patterns, recording choices, classification, or some combination the current dataset cannot separate.
Methodology and limitations
This report uses the sesame and tree nut rows from Tummi's cumulative allergen dataset, with published milestones at months 6, 7, 8, and 9.
A profile contributes to a group once a tagged food appears in available history by the age milestone. Repeat entries do not increase cumulative presence, and the analysis cannot see an earlier serving that was not recorded.
The percentages describe eligible profiles, not meals or servings. They do not measure frequency, amount, preparation, ingestion, tolerance, reaction, diagnosis, or the complete ingredients of mixed dishes.
The age cells are aggregate groups and should not be read as one controlled set of babies followed without attrition. Months 10 through 12 are withheld because their eligible groups are too small for stable publication.
Tummi users are self-selected trackers. The FDA and American Academy of Pediatrics sources provide allergen context and guidance, but they do not validate the product percentages or explain the observed gap.
The dataset is self-selected because it describes families who chose to use Tummi. The findings describe aggregated app activity and are not population estimates for every family, baby, or country.
Everything shown here is aggregated. No names, individual profiles, free-text answers, or personal meal histories are published.
Conclusion
Sesame and tree nut foods become more common on recorded menus through the published ages, but they remain the two least widely recorded allergen groups. Sesame moves from 1.8 percent at month 6 to 11.0 percent at month 9, while tree nuts move from 4.5 percent to 20.8 percent.
The consistency of the ordering is the result. The reason for it is not available in these data. A lower share cannot establish delayed introduction, avoidance, availability, confidence, or any other cause, especially when mixed meals and recording choices can hide ingredient detail.
Official and clinical sources explain why both allergen groups matter. This report adds a narrower behavioral view: among eligible babies' recorded menus, they appear less widely than the five other tracked groups through month 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does lower recorded reach mean parents introduced these foods late?
No. The chart cannot verify first introduction or explain timing. A food may have been served earlier without a separate Tummi record.
Are sesame and tree nuts major allergens?
Yes. The FDA includes both among the nine major food allergens in the United States. This report describes records and does not provide individualized medical guidance.
Does a tree nut record include peanut?
No. Peanut and tree nuts are separate grouped series in this analysis. The focused figure shows only sesame and tree nuts.
Can the chart show whether these foods were tolerated?
No. Tolerance, reaction, dose, and preparation are not part of the cumulative reach measure used here.
Sources
- Tummi Food Team, 2026. Aggregated Tummi feeding records and onboarding responses. First-party product data.
- AAP allergen introduction guide. Parent-facing clinical context on timing, readiness, and safe allergen serving forms.
- NIAID peanut allergy prevention guidelines. Formal risk-based guidance for early peanut introduction, including higher-risk infants.
- FDA food allergen overview. The U.S. list of nine major food allergens. This study tracks seven grouped allergens.