When Do You Really Give Peanut Butter?

There so much contradictory information - neither my husband nor I have food allergies, and I waited until my son was one ... and he has a peanut allergy. I don't know whether it would have been better to have given it to him earlier or later. My gut wishes I had waited another year or so.

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There so much contradictory information - neither my husband nor I have food allergies, and I waited until my son was one ... and he has a peanut allergy. I don't know whether it would have been better to have given it to him earlier or later. My gut wishes I had waited another year or so.

I love to eat peanut butter on english muffins (well I love peanut butter on a ton of other things too). I let my baby take bites off of it since she was around 1. She loves it. After a big bite she even takes a sip of milk like I do. Now she gets her own, thinly spread, and I give her milk to wash it down. Good Luck =)

My pediatrician recommended NOT waiting to introduce foods like peanut butter, and I think my son had it for the first time by about 9 months. It is a choking hazard, so I spread it pretty thinly on toast and watched him very closely, but he was fine with it.
The following is an excerpt from a 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics study:
"Although solid foods should not be introduced before 4 to 6 months of age, there is no current convincing evidence that delaying their introduction beyond this period has a significant protective effect on the development of atopic disease regardless of whether infants are fed cow milk protein formula or human milk. This includes delaying the introduction of foods that are considered to be highly allergic, such as fish, eggs, and foods containing peanut protein."

The most common pediatric advice for the past 15 years or so has been to wait until 2, or even older. However, a study released in 2008 is changing that. Children who are exposed to peanuts earlier are actually LESS likely to develop peanut allergies than kids who wait, EXCEPT for those born prematurely (who are about 10% more likely to become allergic) or those with strong family histories of peanut allergy.

Because of that study, more and more pediatricians are advising that peanuts be introduced during the first year. There is a risk, of course, so parents should always watch for reactions, all the way through 4 years, according to some pedis. But the risk may be lower with earlier exposure.

All 3 of mine had it around 12 months. melted on toast as they can choke. More and more research is suggesting that delaying exposure to foods is causing the increased allergies.

Our pedi said to wait til age 2 because of the allergy and because it's a choking hazard

What is the rush?

We have no history of food allergies anywhere in our family -- either side, extended family, previous generations, etc. I started my son at 2 on peanut butter at the pedi's recommendation with no problem. I started my daughter at about the same age and within seconds of it touching her lips (I started her with just a touch) her lips were swelling and she was developing a rash. I was able to give her benadryl immediately and slow the reaction until I could get her to the doctor.

Younger babies have smaller systems -- a reaction if it is going to occur will be faster. Do you want to take that risk?

If you insist on giving it, start with a very small touch to the lips, then move up to a taste, etc. Don't just give your child peanut butter. Make sure you know the correct benadryl dose and that you have it in the house. My friend's doctor told her to give the first taste in the parking lot of the ER if she was nervous about it.

i dont adhere to any peanut restriction rules because we have no peanut allergies anywhere at all in my family, my daughters prefer hazelnut butter and almond butter more, but peanut butter and peanuts are definitely available from the time i introduce solids and whenever they want

i do take the honey~botulism thing seriously though

I never heard that there was a certain age. I don't know why there would be an age restriction unless it might be because peanut butter might be too sticky for some. My kids all started eating it at around age 1. I would just spread a thin layer on toast and see what happens.

No one in our family has food allergies and I've given it to both of my sons around age 1.

I have 5 kids and they all had peanut butter around 15-18 months . Like neither my hubby or I have any food allegeries. I like to eat PB and J so It was a bite here and there then I gave them their own half sandwich. Follow your gut and the ped has to tell you that because that is what the AMA recommends now.
J.

i waited until after they turned 2 years old.
i had never had pb but had eaten peanuts, no allergies, and my husband has no allergies.
but our ped. has said if we give PB too early they may end up with allergies to PB. plus he said something about choking etc. so wait until age 2.

We were told to wait until 2 yrs as well. I know we introduced a very small taste before that though. Maybe 18 months? And then worked our way up to sandwiches before 2 yrs.

I don't think it is worth the risk to try before your child can talk or express how he/she is feeling.

My 1st son had it at 2 years old and didn't have any issues and we also didn't have any food allergies in the family. I gave it to my 2nd son around 22 months and within ONE MINUTE of him ingesting a tiny bite on some toast, I had to call 911!! He ended up in the Trauma Unit and then stayed overnight in ICU.... We now have to carry around 2 Epi Pens everywhere we go.

I don't mean to scare anyone, but I really suggest you wait and be prepared just incase. My 3rd child won't be trying until allergy testing is done. Please let me know if I can help anyone answer questions about peanut allergies!

~H.
www.kent.macaronikid.com

I waited till after 2 with my first son, with my second I think I gave it the first time just about a month before his 2nd birthday. It is a pretty common problem these days so I would stay away from it till the right time.

My son was eating peanut butter toast before he was one. Both of my boys were in fact. We've never had a single problem. We're not a food allergy family. We're not an "allergy" family at all except for one or two rare medication allergies.

Wait until 2, my husband and I Do Not Have Any Food Allergies and our son is allergic to peanuts..it is very mild -thank goodness- but still..who knows what uncle 3 generations back was allergic. My nephew is allergic to all tree nuts..it is very odd.

My daughter was around one give or take a month or two. She was on complete table food by 8 months so we had to try new things! My pedi said not to wait as they can DEVELOP an allergy. I run a babysitting service with 30 families most of them that i know of gave their kids PB between 12-18 months some earlier. There is only one that waited till 3.

By them time they were all one i was cutting them pb&j sandwhiches in tiny squares. They loved it. We have no peanut allergies in our families either. Actually, i had not heard of it being a problem until recently :(

No one in my family had/has peanut allergies but I do. No one in my granddaughter's family has peanut allergies but she does. Her allergies were discovered when she was a few months old. Because she was not responding well to formula her pediatrician tested her for several common allergies. Milk protein, soy, and peanuts all were positive. She's now 10 and still tests positive for peanuts. She's outgrown the milk protein and soy. It is rare to outgrow a peanut allergy.

I don't knew when I developed my allergy to peanuts. I was tested in my 20's because of digestive complaints. The allergists over the years have said that peanuts is one of the foods that is commonly an allergen now although it wasn't in the past. Knowing that p eanuts are not a tree nut helps us understand better about how to treat it. I highly recommend that you not give your son peanut butter until later. I think that you can use other nut butters but you should ask the pediatrician first.

Two years ago there were 6 children in my granddaughter's grade school, with a population around 300, who had an epi-pen at school because of peanut allergies. When a child has a peanut allergy, the doctor recommends having an epi-pen available at all times.

In my opinion, starting peanut butter early is not worth the risk of creating a peanut allergy. True, the chances of doing so are slim but the consequences are serious. What's another 8 months vs. a lifetime.

I waited until my daughter was a little bit older than two, but at around 16 or 18 months I started giving her sunflower seed butter. It has most of the benefits of peanut butter (protein, convenience etc) but the only thing was I couldn't go to a restaurant or friends house and expect to get it. We don't eat a ton of peanut butter so I didn't see any reason to push it. I have a friend who eats a lot of peanut butter herself, so it was annoying to not be able to give it to her son. She started giving it to him at 16 or 18 months. Now shellfish on the other hand, we still haven't tried (she's 27 months).

Ours turned 2 in april, and we just started giving her peanut butter in small amounts at times when we could monitor her. I believe the idea is that at this age (after 2), they can communicate if something is wrong, i.e. their throat is swelling shut or they can't breathe.