Scared to Give 15 Mo. Old Peanut Butter

My sister-in-law parked themselves in the hospital parking lot and gave both her kids a bag of peanuts to share. (It may have been right before an appointment). Seemed like a good idea to me!
(BTW, they aren't allergic to nuts)

A friend of mine is an allergy expert and she advises waiting until kids are 3 years old. The risk of developing an allergy is not as great when their systems are more developed.

Most pediatricians recommend waiting until kids are 3 years old to give peanut butter and other nuts. The risk of developing an allergy is less when they are a bit older. I would hold off if I were you.

As far as I have been informed, you should wait until 2 years old.

You really need to ask your Pediatrician.
You don't HAVE to give her peanut butter or any nuts, if you don't want to. Or not yet.
There is no rush... is there a reason you feel you have to give it to her now???

And besides, nuts or any hard chunky things, are a choking hazard at this age.

Really, don't feel pressured about it...
Just ask your Pediatrician...
All the best,
Susan

The peanut butter/ nut allergies have been said to be in the very minimum of our population. Come on , Mom don't be so frightened of the world...try a tiny bit.....see what happens.....15 month old is too small for considerable amount of peanut butter anyway. You are a teacher ...who is to lead and guide our youth to bigger and better aspirations for their lives? Do you teach your students to be afraid. Look I'm a Mom and a Grandma.......the world scares me! But these kids who we have brought forth ....now HAVE to live in it. Make them brave, ethical, moral, RESPONSIBLE, and energetic....they are going to need it!

:) P.

Hi S.:
I understand, that as a mother,you don't want to subject your child to something that may create a problem.(allergic reaction) However, I'm quite sure,without you realizing it,that you've already given her something that contained nuts or nut oil.You can't get away from it. My gosh,the stories I've heard. imagine having to read every product you pick up in the store, making sure it didn't contain any nuts.Try it some time.Its nearly impossible! I think it A bit over-board to park in a hospital parking lot,and I think its sort of cruel,to put a child through a blood test,to ease ones own fears. Why put them through the trauma? I recently watched a special report concerning the progress they are making on nut allergies in children.They believe they have found a cure. Out of 35 patients,all thirty five are no longer allergic to nuts.The research is new,and not safe for parents to attempt,as the doctors start out with microscopic amounts of nuts to the child,and increase it slowly. They found,that this permitted the children to build an immunity to the allergy. They are going to continue this testing,and hopefully rid anyone from their allergies to nuts.I wish you and your darlin daughter the best. J. M

Well, you could wait until she is 2 or 3 years old. It's not that she may be allergic right now, the earlier you introduce a high allergy food, the better the chances a child will develope an allergy to it later in life. And you don't want that. That being said, my son was about 6/7 mos old when he took his first bite of big sister's PB&J sandwich. From there I continued to let him have peanut butter until the Dr. told me what I mentioned above. Then I waited a year or so. If you are that afraid than do like someone else said and park in a hospital parking lot, but this is not my idea of a good time - I think that is taking it a bit far, great to be safe but not a fun way to live. Also, you said, "I am a really anxious person" do you mean just regarding peanut butter or all the time? I know you aren't asking for advice here but I just wanted to tell you that it would be in the best interest of your child to try to channel that somehow. I know several Mom's who are very anxious and the poor kids are just as anxious. Oh, back to the peanut butter allergy concern.. I'm thinking, if she has been eating typical snack foods, etc.. she probably has already had peanuts since most foods are made in factories where they come in to contact with peanut products? So if she was a worse case, I'd think something would have happened by now? Also, from what I understand, it is just peanuts that are an issue. Not other nuts. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but I recall my kids Dr. saying no problem when I asked about almonds, cashews, walnuts..

By the way, I don't think you are over-reacting, since you are a teacher - I know you see/hear about it on a daily basis and have a right to be afraid, but just don't look the part when you give her her first bite, or she may be afraid to try new things.
Best wishes,
M.

the answer to this differs GREATLY between different peoples opinions and experiences. even ask five different doctors and im sure you will get five VERY different opinions from them as well.

i, personally, have never had food allergies and food allergies do not run in my family. i know they dont really need to for your child to have them randomly. but, i have been giving my kids peanut butter since they were barely a year old. i feed them any type of food unless i feel like they shouldnt be eating it. this is one of those things where i need to use my mamas instinct! this is probably the best thing you could do with a totally random thing like this.

to do this just calm down and stop your brain from freaking out and really meditate (or pray) about it and listen to your feeling inside. are you calm and relaxed about feeding it to her? or are you even more sure you arent going to? if you are still unsure then you probably need a little more time to null it over.

Good Luck! I hope everything turns out great!

Hi S.,

I waited until my son was 2 years old to try peanuts or peanut butter or any other nuts for that matter.

I was a Fire Dept dispatcher and we did NOT have many cases of young children with reactions to peanuts. However, in the case of a severe allergic reation, a 2 year old child is easier to treat than a 15 month old for a number of reasons.

Food allergies can be devastating; in fact, I have a close friend whose 14 month old is VERY allergic to milk...so much so that he has been rushed to the emergency room for trouble breathing.

If you are in doubt, wait. No one will fault you for being cautious..especially if food allergies run in your family. In my case, they do, and that's why I have been so conservative with my son.

Trust yourself...you know better than anyone what feels right for you and your child.

Anyway, I wish you the best.

R.

Do you have a history of peanut or any food allergies in the family? If so, that is cause for concern, but if not don't worry about it. Kids are so resilient! My son started eating peanut butter at 13 months - just a little at a time. I just watched him closely while I gave it to him. If any reaction were to happen it would be instantaneous. Good luck!

My daughter is now 25 months old and STILL hasn't had any nut products yet, and she isn't affected by it. She doesn't really know what she's missing, so she doesn't care. Sometimes her little friends have something with nuts in it and she wants some, but I just tell her "sorry sweetie, but that's something you can't have yet, you know, just like Daddy's coffee", and she accepts that.
Our pediatrician recommended try waiting till 3 yrs old to introduce nut products.
And don't worry about what others will say. Many people tell me "what? you don't give her nuts yet? I started MY kid at 'whatever' age..." I just tell them "it's a personal choice my husband and I made to follow our pediatrician's advice"! Just do whatever makes YOU feel comfortable :)

S., just be patient! As a grandmother, mom and Lifestyle Coach who has coached hundreds on how getting the body back into nutritional balance, it is important that you introduce foods at an age appropriate level. Wait until she's much older and then introduce her in tiny amounts to smooth peanut butter. Check out info on www.keepkidshealthy.com and follow recommendations of your pediatrician.

Do you or your husband/partner have a nut allergy? If not, then it is unlikely your child would have one. But just to be sure, a simple blood test can determine any items your child might be allergic to. We had a blood test done on our son and found out that he wasn't allergic to anything, thank goodness. The blood test can tell you if your child is allergic to eggs, milk, nuts, soy, fish, berries, etc. as well as grass, hair, fur, etc. Ask your pediatrician about testing your child for possible allergins. Good luck!

Peanuts are a very common allergen. For me, I held off on giving my children nuts or anything made from nuts or nut oil until after they turned 3 so that they had a chance to really build up their immune system. Your doctor may have a different view on this but, to me, this was what made sense and I was comfortable with.

Hi S., In 12 years of servinf peanut butter to my daycare kids I have not had one child have an allergic reaction, if you are that worried give her a little tiny taste and see how she does, my only advice to you is if and when you give her a pb&j sandwinch be careful to keep the pb light, it is a very easy for small children o choke it the pb is to thick. J. L.

Neither my husband nor I have a history of an allergy to peanuts or any other nut. However, our son has had a severe allergic reaction on the two occasions that he's eaten peanut butter and a peanut that he didn't even swallow - once at almost 1 year and again at 2 years old. My pedi did a blood test after the second reaction to confirm the allergy. I would suggest that you ask your pedi if he'll do a blood test so you can rule out a possible allergy without causing an allergic reaction. That's our plan when our son turns 3 and each year after that to see if the allergy disappears. We've been told it can.

Relax...ive given both my girls peanut butter since they were 7 months old. If you check the current journals of pediatric medicine they say it helps build their immune system if you expose them with a little at a time at an early age....just with all other germs.

Hi S., Please read this article. I just heard it on NPR a couple weeks ago. Fascinating! Not all of us can afford that extra intensive allergy confirmation testing, but it goes to show you that many allergies are misdiagnosed. I hardly knew any kids that were allergic to ANYTHING growing up. Now most kids have a reaction to nuts, soy, wheat, pineapple, mangoes?!?! I can hardly bring anything in for potluck days at my daughter's school.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1019... (Study - Kids Often Misdiagnosed with Food Allergies)

Also, I think the chance of allergy is increased if a parent has a sensitivity to the item. So, if you and your husband are not allergic to peanuts, you should be a couple steps ahead! Keep researching and offer a bit of peanut butter! Good luck!

Talk to your pedi first to see what he/she recommends. Mine gave me the okay at a year (around 15-18mo.)since there is no history of nut allergies in my family or DH. My pedi recommended to try a thin, thin layer of creamy PB on toast. Too thick makes is hard to swallow. I gave it to DS after breakfast, not before a nap, so that I could watch him for any reactions for a few hours. I also made sure that I was not alone in case I did need to make a run to ER. DS loved, loved the PB and there were no issues. I waited a week until I gave it to him again, still no reaction. Take small steps when trying something new. Bit by bit it does get easier.

Now he gets sunflower seed butter to take to school, aka Sun Butter, since he attends a nut free school. On the weekends or after school he is allowed PB. We are VERY careful around other children just in case they might be allergic.

Hope this helps,
K.

So this might sound crazy but let her get near peanut butter before you actually feed it to her. I did that with my son after hearing parents say that their allergic children reacted by just touching the peanut butter jar lid. It kind of sounds crazy, but I let my son hold the peanut bar jar lid and as young children do it went to his mouth. Well I felt alot better after seeing that there was not reaction. After that I let him taste a little bit and it was a great relief to find out that he does not have a peanut allergy. Besides it's better for you to find out now than wait and her come in contact with nuts accidentally. Good luck!

Trader Joe's has a great sunflower butter that is just as good if not better than peanut butter.

Do you or your husband have any nut allergies? If so, then it is wise to wait until your child is 3 before having her try nuts. If not, then she would be a rare case to have nut allergies.

XO
L

In my family, and my husbands's family, I do not know of anyone who has allergies - to anything. So that helped me to have the confidence to give peanut butter to my kids. If there are allergies in your family, I would probably be more careful. Even if there are no allergies and you still do not feel confident to give it to her (I have heard some say to wait until at least 2 years), you could use a substitute like cashew butter. I used that with my second child for a while. His big brother was eating peanut butter and honey sandwiches and one day the baby grabbed one and started to eat it (he was only 9 mos at the time). So I started to buy cashew butter for him and made the same sandwiches his big brother was eating, but with cashew butter instead of peanut butter. It is a lot more expensive than peanut butter, but at the rate he consumed it, there was no impact on the budget. After he turned a year old, I tried giving him peanut butter a couple of times, and I thought he broke out in a very minor rash, so I waited a while longer just to be safe. I think by 18 mos I was giving him peanut butter with no problem whatsoever, and he eats it everyday now (by the spoonful!) and he is 2-1/2.

If you are nervous about it, just wait a little longer. No use in stressing yourself out!:) But if you really want to go for it, just try a little bit. She is going to be just fine!

I never gave my kids peanut butter/nut products either. Their cousin has a nut allergy, and I know that nuts are one of those things that you are supposed to keep them away from, some sources say until at least 3 years of age. Allergies usually don't cause anaphylaxis the first time someone is exposed. It can even take seven exposures before the body has any reaction at all. That is why they say to feed your baby one new food a week when introducing food. The reaction might be a skin rash, vomiting or diarrhea.

Anyway, you can keep nuts away from your child as a rule, but someday, she will eat a nut. It will be at a friends house, playgroup snack, holiday party, etc. As for my kids, they don't really like nuts now (they are 4 and 7) so I'm a little bummed out because I really like to bake with nuts, eat thai food that has lots of peanut products, etc.

Allergies are real, and very scary, but if you take precautions and notice changes in your child after eating, you can take the steps needed to insure she will stay healthy. If you have concerns, get her tested for allergies, but there probably is no point in doing so unless you have a reason to believe that she is allergic to something.

I would say it would be best for you to give it to her, in a situation where you can monitor her afterwards and be ready to take action if necessary; than for her to be with a friend and an unknowing parent gives it to her and then she has a reaction. Better to know if there is an allergy sooner than later, IMHO.

Have you seen any signs that she is allergic to any other food items? any other reaction to legumes? soy, peas, etc?

You can also get a blood test to see if she is allergic to any other items and the severity of her allergy based on a 1-6 scale. there is no need to be so worried.

My son has multiple allergies and it was frightening the first time, but he was okay. He is highly allergic to peanuts, but we have been fine.

Please consult an allergist if you are really worried.

i had an allergy to peanut butter as a child not too severe and i grew out of it by the time i was five. i was scared to give it to my first son than my aunt gave him a peanut butter cookie while we were out somewhere fortunately he was fine and with my next son my older one would always kiss him when he was little when he had peanut butter on his mouth so thankfully he was fine also. If it would make you feel more comfortable go to the hospital parking lot and sit in the car while you give it to her the first time.

I think you just have to give it to her. Statistics say that only .5% of children have the allergy.
I gave my daughter peanut butter at 11 months...I paid close attention to see if there was a reaction, nothing.
Good luck!!!

think about this: studies done recently have shown that the longer you wait to introduce high allergenic foods the more likely they are to cause the allergy. just give her a tiny bit with a spoon or on a cracker. more than likely, nothing will happen and she will happily eat it each time you give it to her. if she is going to have a reaction, it will be almost immediate, so if you're really that concerned, have some benadryl on hand. but i think you'r just being paranoid, treat it like any other food and just go for it. the likelihood that she even has an allergy to nuts is so miniscual.

Do you, anyone in your family or daddy's side have nut allergies? If not, don't worry so much. If yes, then go for a tiny taste and watch for symptoms. Also a nut allergy is not the same as a peanut allergy. Walnuts-almonds-pecans-cashews are alike. Peanuts are totally different in terms of their plant origin.

One thing about allergies is they don't begin severe. After multiple exposures to the allergen, then the reactions become more pronounced. It also depends on the type of reaction. Sometimes allergic reaction can mean mouth blisters or hives or a red rash, other times it's anaphylactic shock (swelling of the airways is the most noticeable part).

Both my husband and myself have different food allergies, but so far our kids are clear. Allergies can be hereditary, but they don't pass on 100% of the time either.

Hi S.,
I don't see a really good reason to rush the peanut butter issue. PLUS, it's a choking hazard (http://www.healthychild.net/articles/na20choking.html)
You know how hard it is to get it off the roof of your mouth? Now imagine you have an immature mouth/tongue and suddenly you get this sensation that you can't move your tongue regularly. Even if your baby isnt' allergic to peanut butter, she might freak out by the new sensation. I say wait until she's in preschool or kindergarten and when she can actually listen and understand everything you're saying and respond to it verbally. That way you can be sure she's okay with it.

I haven't introduced peanut butter to my 17month old and really don't think he's missing anything by not eating it.
Just my opinion. :-)

my 9 month old grabbed my container of peanut sauce and got her first does without my being able to control it. When nothing happened, I just kept giving her little bits. Why don't you try just a tiny amount. I'm sure you've heard those studies that Indians in India have far fewer peanut allergies than Indians in Britian because they give them peanuts from the start and don't hold off like Westerners do. The conclusion based on studies now it the reason peanut allergies are on the rise is because we don't expose them soon enough. So there, the longer you wait, the more likely she will be allergic.

My son, we found out the hard way, is allergic to milk. So I asked the Pediatrician if there is any way we can do an allergy test. I had heard that he's too young to get the traditional prick testing. But she said there is a way through labwork that he can be tested for common food allergies. So we did that. It's done by simple labwork. They do take about 4-5 tubes... but we were able to find out his allergies or non-allergies to common food items such as dairy, peanuts, fish and other common food items. He is 18 months old now. You should be able to contact your pediatrician to get that ordered for you little one. Will help set your mind at ease!!

Blood tests are quite unreliable, and AFAIK completely useless if you're testing for something the child has not yet been exposed to.

After a lifetime of allergies myself, including nut allergies, I can tell you that always reading ingredients is a minor inconvenience, and yes you CAN completely avoid nuts if you need to.

Current WHO guidelines suggest that you avoid giving nuts for the first THREE years, especially if there is a history of allergies. So if it makes you nervous, just don't do it.

1 in 20 kids have food allergies, but all but about 1 in 1000 outgrow it by adulthood. If you or her father have ANY allergies - not specifically food allergies - she is at risk and you should proceed cautiously. I'm not saying you should be paralyzed with fear, just that it doesn't hurt to be careful.

Finally, I know more than a few mothers who took their kids to a hospital to give them their first taste of peanut butter. Just in case. Might sound paranoid to some, but if you have reason to be worried, it could be just a sensible precaution.

Ditto on checking with your Ped.

Some say one year, some two. Mine said a year, but mostly because there's a psychological thing that happens around two years that makes any new food they haven't had AT ALL, taste terrible. Well, physiological psychology. Anyhow...to keep this short...the time to introduce new foods is BEFORE age two, or AFTER age 6. Otherwise, it takes between 5-15 years for the "yuck, poison" response to wear off. We inundated our son with foods from all over the world...but somehow I forgot Japanese. Probably because I grew up there I don't tend to think of it as a separate kind of food. BIG oops. I digress.

ONE thing you can do is this: Dip your finger in peanut butter. Rinse it off (no soap). Touch her arm. See if she has a reaction. If not, wait a bit, and then try putting a little smear on her arm. Nothing? Give her a teensy, tiny, taste. Nothing? Try smearing a quarter of a piece of toast with a really thin layer. Still nothing? You're probably good then. Some allergies develop in strength over time, but the nut one tends to be immediate and severe. People DO have differing levels of sensitivity to it. Some would react even if you'd used soap when you rinsed off your finger. Others have to physically ingest it.

So if you're nervous. Go slow, and do some empirical testing. You COULD act as if she was allergic and keep her away from it for always (but unless nut allergies run in your family, why?), or you could wait for a friend, relative, child at the park, to expose her without you knowing about it. Me? Even if I never gave my son peanut butter, or "x" I would do a little empirical testing, so I wouldn't be caught off guard.

Sigh. Not much you can do about beestings but wait, or take them to an allergist.

Hi S.! Well, my doc told me not to introduce any nuts or peanut butter until they are 2! Some doctors now are even saying 4! 15 months seems to early to me! I'd say wait! She doesn't know what she is missing! I am overly cautious, my 8yr old nephew is deathly allergic to any kind of nuts! From what i have read, playing it safe would be 2 years old and when you do it, put a little bit of peanut butter on her lip and wait and see! I would hold out since every kid is different and you never know how she'll react!
E.

I had to smile when I read your entry because I have had the same anxiety with each of my 3 kids and I just gave my youngest (14 mos) peanut butter this morning for the first time. My dr. told me that if you don't have peanut allergies in the family, it's a long shot that your child will have it.
My daughter loved it by the way...assuming it's all good, I am excited to have another way to get her the protein she needs.

I didn't realize I was 'suppose' to wait till 3, so my daughter has eaten peanut butter since she was 6-7 months old. Now they have new studies out that it may be better to introduce it earlier. My daughter loves peanuts and has no reaction to them, just remember to have it on something, like a cracker or bread, so they don't choke on it. There are also some doctors out there (DOCTORS, don't do this on your own!) who have desenitized kids with food allergies, so they don't react anymore...
good luck
R.

Don't give her peanut butter or anything with nuts until after 3 yrs old. OR longer if you have allergies (of any kind) in your family.
my kids are both peanut/nut allergic and I didn't know this then, wish I did.
if you want to give her something similar maybe try sunflower seed butter - sunflower seeds are not high on the list of potential allergens.