No peanut butter until age 4???

baylorflamingo · May 2010

My pediatrician said today that as a general rule, kids should not to try peanut butter until age 4 due to allergies and as a possible choking hazard. There aren't any food allergies in our family and DS has never had any problems.

Has anyone else heard this???

caymanbride · May 2010

My pedi also said around 3-4 years old for PB. But he also said that new research suggests that withholding it too long can make an allergy worse. We haven't done it yet, maybe sometime around 2? I probably won't wait till 3 or 4.

cbwm · May 2010

There are studies out there that show that the longer you wait to introduce PB, the higher the risk of allergies.

Our pedi said that as long as their aren't any food allergies in our families, we could introduce it at a year.

So we did, and now DS is an addict.

Stacyc625 · May 2010

this exact advice (your pedi) is what makes allergies to foods worse- non exposure.

Gisele has had PB since 18 months per our pedi- she was fine with it. and loooooves it.

~AllSmiles~ · May 2010

JUST peanut butter? That's odd. DD's pedi says no nuts until age 3.

Stilts · May 2010

We were told at his 15m appt that we could give it to him at any time. I haven't done it yet though.

Amrice78 · May 2010

DS has been a PB addict since 11 months - no food allergies in our family and the pedi gave the ok

~AllSmiles~ · May 2010

Stacyc625:
this exact advice (your pedi) is what makes allergies to foods worse- non exposure.

That's a theory, not a fact.

katiekate1974 · May 2010

It's old news. Choking hazard, yes, but it's Ok if you do a thin layer on toast. Delaying, unless there is a family history of allergies, will not do anything to prevent allergies.

bethelon · May 2010

Exactly what the above poster said. No exposure can make an allergy worse. My daughter eats peanut butter now (18 months)

baylorflamingo · May 2010

~AllSmiles~:
JUST peanut butter? That's odd. DD's pedi says no nuts until age 3.

No, she said all nuts, but I had called her specifically about pb.

ElizC · May 2010

We where told this by DS allergist, but DS has a food allergy. It is just because DS is pron to allergies. So we are avoiding tree nuts and peanuts. We also have no family history of food allergies, but DS still has one.

I see no reason to not introduce it to a kid that doesn't have an allergy issue.

LittleApple · May 2010

Whatever. DD's pediatrician said to wait until she is 2, but I gave it to her at 18 months. There are no peanut allergies in our families.

kelbrian · May 2010

Nope.

DD's doctor approved it at twelve months, along with tree nut butters. Obviously we avoid whole nuts. Sometimes I chop up things like walnuts or pecans for DD.

queenie521 · May 2010

our pedi just gave the ok at 18 months

ilovemygirls · May 2010

I gave it to both of my kids at age 1, with my pedi's blessing. The only thing I made sure to do was have benadryl handy 'just in case'. I passed that little gem along to a friend of mine when she was about to introduce PB to her guy around age 3. Turns out he had a horrific allergy to it & she had to call 911 to get help immediately. She gave the benadryl while she was waiting & she was shaking when she told me that she hadn't known about that until I told her & it probably saved his life. Obviously I wasn't overly concerned since I introduced it 'early', but it's a good thing to have in the event there is an issue.

Stacyc625 · May 2010

~AllSmiles~:
Stacyc625:

this exact advice (your pedi) is what makes allergies to foods worse- non exposure.

That's a theory, not a fact.

And avoiding PB until 4 is a 'theory' as well.

kabarbanel · May 2010

Our pedi said age 2.

katiekate1974 · May 2010

I didn't even ask the pedi. I did my own research and then made a decision. I do that with most things. I trust my pedi, just don't think I need to ask him about everything. And he agrees, actually.

TSD · May 2010

I gave my son soy nut butter first, then Maranatha creamy peanut butter with Crofters fruit spread on wheat bread as per ped when he turned one. The Maranatha is "thinner" than regular PB, or any I've had, so I can't see it choking him. I spread it really thin, then cut up the sandwhich into really small pieces. He loves it and will eat a whole sandwich for lunch. My ped said there was no reason to wait. He has no food allergies and neither do mh and I.

2bWednDec · May 2010

Pedi told me to hold off ONLY if family allergy to it. WIC government program offers peanut butter to all kids over 1 for protein.

jennessey · May 2010

Our allergist said that there is new research that leads doctors to believe that the likelihood of severe a peanut allergy is increased by delayed exposure.

DS has severe anaphylactic allergies to dairy and eggs, but the allergist wanted us to give peanut butter ASAP because he was worried that DS would develop the allergy without exposure. DS has been eating PB since 15 months with no issues (thankfully!), but we had an epi-pen ready and waiting the first few times we gave it to him.

Mama2S-K-M · May 2010

Both DS and DD#2 had peanut butter at 15 mos. The pedi said 18 mos, but there are no food allergies in our family, so I did it earlier. They have been fine and LOVE it.

I think DD#1 had it even earlier, but that was 12 yrs ago

ms_mellor · May 2010

Sorry...I'm totally butting in here from another board!

I gave DD PB at 18 months, and she had a severe reaction (ambulance ride to the hospital and all). She now has an epi-pen with her at all times. My allergist said that there is tons of research, most of it conflicting of course, but the new theory is that delaying exposure doesn't do anything (he won;t go as far as saying that early exposure is beneficial).

In all honesty, I am glad that DD was exposed to peanuts in a controlled environment (My brother gave her a bite of his toast with my consent, she had the reaction in the car ride to the grocery store, I gave her Benadryl, rushed her to the Drs office where they gave her an epi-pen and then sent us to the hospital), rather than by mistake (which is so easy to do...peanuts are everywhere!). I spent weeks after her reaction thinking about 'what ifs'. We could have been on holidays, or at the cottage, or she could have not been with me. I really don't think that it's possible to truly ensure that your child NEVER comes in contact with nuts until the age of four...believe me...you can't imagine how anal I have to be to ensure DD doesn't get exposed again, and I don't think that most parents live this way.

IckyThump · May 2010

I've never heard of holding off until age 4 if there's no history of food allergies in the family. Our pedi gave us the green light for pb at 12 months, but I think DS was closer to 15 months when we tried it. No problems at all.

ms_mellor · May 2010

Sorry...my post was not to scare you (I re-read it, and it may have been a bit freaky), I just wanted to say that I think that no matter when DD had been exposed to nuts, she would have had the allergy (although cross your fingers she'll grow out of it). I just feel that it's much better to expose your child when you want to, and not have them exposed unexpectedly...now, if only I could re-read what I wrote when it comes to giving DD#2 nuts...I'm pretty sure we'll be doing that at the allergist's office!

AmyDrinkie · May 2010

Nope, we were given the go-ahead for peanut butter at 12mos. He said stay away from crunchy though, b/c the peanuts could be a choking hazard if they're too big.

~AllSmiles~ · May 2010

The theory with waiting is not that they won't have an allergic reaction now, it's so that they won't suddenly become allergic later in life. I know someone with an airborne nut allergy that wasn't allergic to nuts at all until the age of 25... that's scary. I understand that delaying exposure is not proven to do anything, but it's not a big deal to try it. Having DD eat things like peanut butter and shellfish is just not that important to me.

skoorbnibor · May 2010

if there is no familial allergies, I would say this can make the allergy issue worse...

Ethan has had peanut butter since about 18 months, but we have had allergy testing, as he has many allergies. Choking hazard? Sure, if you slather it on, but a thin layer of peanut butter with a drink? No issues here, and my kid gags all the time

Want a personalized experience?

No peanut butter until age 4???

Re: No peanut butter until age 4???

Choose Another Board

Search Boards