Peanut Allergies?

I think there are as many different opinions about nuts, nut products and when to give them as there are kids with nut allergies out there. Even pediatricians differ widely on what age they advise peanut butter. I had 3 different doctors in the same practice tell me 3 different things -one year, 2 years and "it doesn't matter" as long as the child is eating solids (most books I read varied as well). There are no nut allergies in my family, so I started giving CREAMY ONLY peanut butter to my son when he was around 10 months. He LOVES it, and it's a great nutritional source for him. Evidently, one school of thought is that if you give it to them too early, then they'll develop an allergy to it later, and I'm sorry, but I think that's ridiculous. It seems to me that since pediatricians, allergists and nutritionists have all gotten crazy about exactly when to give nut products for the first time, nut allergies have skyrocketed. I was in the later years of college before I ever even heard of someone with a nut allergy! Now they're everywhere. I'm not trying to make light of it because I know it's extremely serious, but before we were so obsessed with it, people just gave their kids peanut butter whenever they wanted and didn't worry about it. I know there were some kids who must have been allergic, but not like today. Evidently if you don't have a family history of nut allergies, the likelihood is greatly decreased. If you're still really concerned about it, wait until you're going to the pediatrician and give him a peanut butter cracker right before you go inside. If he has a reaction -he'll be at the doctor's office.

Hi J.,

Most pediatricians say no peanut butter before the age of two, some even say three. Peanut Butter is a choking hazard because of it's consistency.

If you don't have allergies in your family you are very fortunate these days. All allergies to natural substances (trees, grasses, dust, foods, etc.) are caused by a weak immune system. A weak immune system doesn't just mean you are prone to colds and flus. A weak immune system manifests itself in various way, like allergies. Most food allergies in kids that seem healthy are because the food has been processed in some way where there is a synthetic chemical like a pesticide or a preservative that is present. The kicker is that pesticides and preservatives cause the weak immune system. So the "healthy" kid isn't OR doesn't stay healthy....

I had awful allergies as a child and as an adult but they are gone now because I have built up my immune system. I take an absorbable multivitamin, I don't eat processed foods any more and I have also removed the other synthetic chemicals from my home. Let me know if you would like to know more. It took me quite a while to get to where I am today and I love to share what I worked so hard to find!

Regards,

M.

Hi! My son is 9 1/2 months and we just came from the doctor on Monday. He said that he can have peanut butter now and really that all foods are open to him now (except maybe honey). He said as long as there are no nut allergies in your family that he should be fine. I plan on introducing it following the 4 day rule where I won't give him anything else new for those 4 days and will monitor him to make sure he has no reactions. I'm sure your son will be fine. Good luck!

Hi J.,
Well I don't consider myself an expert, but I have a Husband that is severely allergic and my youngest son was also discovered when he was just a few months old to also be allergic. The way I discoverd my son's allergy, was first
i started to breast feed and he would always get sick /vomit but it was not consistent. I loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and so oneday, he grabbed just a small bite of my sandwich and within minutes, he began to breakout on his face. Because i knew of my husband's allergy, i also wondered if my son had the same condition. the break out on the face did not confirm it but i later just tried kissing my son's cheek after eating a sandwich and that also caused a rash and irration in that area. after that point, the doctor prescribed an emergency dosage of ephipen medication. My son is now five years old. We recently have been able to confirm his allergy when the daycare center accidently gave him a candy bar which contained peanuts. I caught it just in time, but before we made it to the hospital, he looked like he had been in a fight with Mike Tyson (lips, eyes closed shut, etc). I carry emergency medication so we had to also give him the shot in his thigh prior to getting to the hospital because his throat was also swelling. Peanut allergy is very dangerous. i would advise that you speak with the docter on safe ways to test whether your child is allergic. My reasons for saying that is because there are so many levels of peanut allergies. My husband's allergy has become more advanced and we have to be very careful.

Hi J.
There are different thoughts out there when it comes to when to introduce peanuts to your child. If you ask your pedi, he/she would probably say at 2-3 yrs old. In Europe kids begin before they are 2 yrs old and they have less allergies than the children in the US. My daughter is 2 1/2 yrs old and she has been eating peanuts (mainly peanut butter) for over a year now. I would suggest definitely waiting until your son is over a year old, the key is to introduce it by itself and when you know he is not allergic to other things. So that if he has a reaction you'll know it,s from the peanuts
Hope tis helps
G.

Hello!
As far as trying peanut butter....my pediatrician says that kids can start eating it at 1 year now. They told me to first wipe a little on the cheek and leave it for a little while. If they are severely allergic, they will have a reaction such as a break out from this. If this goes well, then you may try feeding a small amount and see how it goes.
Of course, I am not a doctor, so you should also check with your pediatrician first to see what he/she recommends.
Hope this helps!
K.

Hi there,
My daughter has allergies to peanuts, milk, soy and egg. We found this out by a blood test when she was six months old. In general I have always been told not to give anything with peanuts until they are 1-2 yrs old. My daughter is now 18 months but because of the test she has earlier we are still not giving it to her. We have an appointment with an allergist in APril to find out if this is (and her other allergies) is something she has outgrown or not. Her main reation is sever ezeama. If she gets egg her face starts to swell.

I dont know if any of this helps. I hope so.
KImberly
____@____.com

you should wait until he is a full year old to try peanut butter. however at his current age, you may be able to give him things cooked in peanut oil (like the food at chick-fil-a) and watch for a rash around his mouth or minor wheezing. at a year it is appropriate to try nut butters, as long as he has shown no other potential for allergies. just start slowly, and go for the natural peanut butter (available widely as smuckers naturals, other brands differ by area) to keep the chemicals, sugars, and additives out of your precious boy's diet. (you can even grind your own peanut butter at grocery stores like whole foods - the ingredients are just peanuts, and maybe some salt.)

You could try giving him a small bit on your finger and watch what happens

My God-daughter has an anaphalactic response to peanuts and other nuts/nut products. It's one thing on the food list that I won't play with with my daughter. I agree with Mimi.

J.,
I actually posted on the same day as you did regarding nut allergies. I have no food allergies in my or my husband's family and I have a child with nut allergies, all nuts, both peanuts and tree nuts (cashews, pecans, etc). Most pediatric allergist now recommend to wait until 3 years old. They say that delayed introduction of peanuts can promote tolerance and can "sometimes" prevent the allergy. Some children get exposed to it before they are 3 and are fine with it, but you can never tell. Hence, my child was accidentally exposed at 15 months. Don't risk it! Although peanut butter is one of the staple foods for children, it is not worth the risk of him having the allergy, trust me wait as long as you can! When he is ready to try it, typical reactions are rash break outs, hives or even rejecting it by spitting it out, vomiting, and even swelling around lips where it could lead to closing of the throat (anaphalaxis reaction). If this happens you must give him benadryl immediately and call 911. This is what happened to us. I don't want to scare you but I too never knew the severety of this allergy until it happened to us. There are so many other foods you can give your child, keep him away from nuts until he is 3! Good luck~

It is recommended by pediatricains that penut butter should not be given to children until they are at least 12 months old. The same adivce is given for honey.

You should not try peanut butter until a child is atleast 2 years old....some pediatricians say to wait until even 3 years of age. The only way you can find out at this stage is to have an actual skin allergy test done...we luckily found out when my son was 7 mos old- he kept getting hives randomly when my husband would play with him - he hadnt' had many foods at 7 months so I took him to an allergist and they did a small skin test of like 5 common things- milk, soy, peanut, strawberry....turns out he was allergic to peanuts ( my husband would sometimes eat them out of the jar..then play with my son- thus making him break out in hives) we would have found out the hard way otherwise....there is no history of peanut allergy in either of our families...
besides at 10 mos. the consistency of peanut butter is way too thick for a baby to try and work with.
Good Luck

If there is no history of allergies, most people wait at least a year before introducuing peanuts or tree nuts, two years if they're a little more concerned. Food allergies are tricky, and from what I've learned on allergy websites, early introduction can increase the likelihood of developing an allergy, so a little paranoia is a good idea considering how dangerous peanut allergies are.

A person can be allergic to peanuts but not tree nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, etc) or vice versa.

As a good substitute for peanut butter, you can find sunflower seed butter at Trader Joes, some Whole Foods stores, or possibly even in the natural foods section of Publix or Kroger. Since sunflower seeds come from the flower, they aren't "tree nuts" - I did a lot of research on this when I was introducing new foods, finding lists of foods that were common allergens. Sunflower seeds are pretty safe.

When you eventually do try nuts, give him a VERY small amount and wait 24 hours. From what my doctor says, a first time reaction is not likely to be life-threatening.
But a bad reaction can cause the airways to swell, making it difficult to breathe - you need to get them to an emergency room fast.

If your kid ends up having a nut allergy, you'll probably need to keep an Epi-pen (Emergency syringe of epinepherine, which can stop a bad allergy reaction)
handy at all times and make sure his teachers, daycare providers, etc all know how to use one and have one available. Yeah, it's a HUGE pain! You really want to do everything you can to minimize the risk of nut allergies.

It is recommended not to give children peanuts or peanut butter until age 2. Not only because of allergies, but for choking hazard. My daughter has a slight allergy. My mother-in-law gave her something with peanut butter when she was 1, and I don't know if that's the reason why or not, I'll never know. As with all foods that have a higher risk of allergies, the longer you wait to introduce it to them, the less likely they will develop an allergy to it. Having a peanut allergy is really hard to deal with, it's not worth the risk.

Hi J.!
My son has severe allergies to milk, eggs, and peanuts. He had eczema when he was born and after going to countless dermatology appointments we finally took him to an allergist who did a simple blood test to confirm his food allergies. An allergy to peanuts can be very severe and dangerous. My son had a severe reaction where he swelled up and got welts so I would hold off untill your son is a few years old or get him allergy tested. hope this helps!

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GIVE YOUR CHILD PEANUT BUTTER UNTIL AGE 2!!!!!!!!!!

If you give it to them too early you risk forming a peanut allergy in a child who might not have had one. This is for fact what happened with my son. Don't do it!

Just to add:
We waited until he was 1 and every MD I have spoken to has totally flipped out on me when I said that I was told 12mo was okay.

I was told to wait until 3. It's a pain but I am adhering to that. They can be fine at first and develop the allergy if introduced too soon. I run camps and it seems 1 out of 5 kids has a deathly allergy to nuts, so I'm willing to take the precaution! :)

The rule is to wait until they are 2 yrs to try nuts to see if they have allergies!

IMO, 10 months is way to young. We found out my son (15 months at the time, almost 2 now) is allergic to peanuts when having allergy testing for other issues. I have no allergies in my family either, yet my son is allergic to peanuts, milk, and eggs. Our allergiest said that the longer you hold off on giving peanut butter the better. He recommends waiting until the age of 3.

Your child's dr. is the best source for information on the timing of trying nuts. Don't get yourself too worked up. Most children are just fine with nuts. Try new foods earlier in a day that you will be around all day. You may want to make sure that you have a liquid antihistimine in the house, just in case. Even if your child does have a reaction, the majority of kids have a mild one. It is however smart to be on the lookout when trying any food that is new.

He's not old enough for peanuts yet! The doctors recommend 3 years old now to avoid peanut allergies, especially if someone in the family has allergies of any kind.

Hey J.,

As a first time Mom to a 2-year old I had the same questions. My doughter has just completed an allergy test, so I am familiar with the process. My Pediatrician would not test my daughter for allergies until she was 2 because the tests would not have given an accurate enough ready until the age of 2. In addition, now that my daughters allergy test came back just fine they still told me that they do not like to see toddlers eat peanut butter until they are 2 1/2 or 3. I am not sure of the reasoning for that, but I assume they know what they are talking about.

You might want to touch base with your pediatrician for more accurate information. I hope my personal experience has helped you.

Best of luck!
M.

I would not give him peanuts or peanut butter at this time. He is too young. SMILE!

J.,
It probably is not wise to give a child peanut butter until they are 2 yrs. old. Check with your pediatrician first before giving it to him.

usually you wait until kids are after 1 year before giving them peanut butter. I would actually have your child tested for allergies (simple blood test) before giving him foods. I found my daughter's allergies because she was throwing up formula, tested her and found out not only was she allergic to milk (formula) she was allergic to eggs, soy, cats, dogs, and highly to peanuts. She has mistakenly eaten 1 peanut before and the reaction was so severe that I think she might have died if I gave her a peanut butter sandwich. I have to carry and epipen all the time for her.