OT: peanut butter for toddler?

[DISNEYNV]

I have not given PB to 16 month old yet. We do not have PB allergies in our family and am wondering if and when I should let him try it? Any suggestions as to when or should I wait till he is older? Thanks

 

[adventure_woman]

I would ask your pedi. I don't remember when he said I could give my DD2 PB, maybe at 18mth? or maybe 2yr? We also don't have a history of allergies in our family. I just wish she'd eat it!

 

[ChillyWilleys]

I think the normal recommendation is to not give PB until they are 2 and hold off until 3 if allergies run in the fam. My ped told me when DD was one though, to go head and give her anything, including peanut butter. I thought he was crazy but then he explained why and I see where he was coming from. He said just about every first time peanut allergy case he'd seen had been a child under 2 that someone beside the parent gave it to them. He said the parents usually know not to give it so they don't, but then the grandparent, babysitter or someone else gives it to them. He said if its going to happen he would rather us be there. We gave it to her somewhere around that time. I think a few months after. She didn't like it very much but never had a problem with it. Now its one of the only things she wants to eat.

 

[andysgirl360]

It's not only the allergies you need to worry about, but the actual consistency of peanut butter. It can be very sticky and gluey sometimes, and could possibly lead to choking if the child has too much in their little mouth. I think we waited until DD was at least 2 before trying it.

 

[mjkacmom]

I recently heard or read something that said that one of the causes of all of these peanut allergies is the fact that we wait too long to give them peanut butter, and that in countries where babies are exposed to peanuts, there are much less peanut allergies. I'd ask your pediatrician.

 

[waltskids]

Our ped. said to wait until DS was 2 so that is what we did. BTW, DS loves it on everything from apples to bananas to bread! I did also read about early exposure and a lower incidence of allergies, but we were also worried about the thick consistency so we waited until he was two.

 

[sherabby]

We have no family history of food allergies and my son was born with a dairy, peanut, super severe cod fish, all fish, shellfish, egg and wheat allergy.

He has since outgrown the wheat allergy and egg allergy...even though eggs make him terribly gassy which is also a sign of the allergy.

Ask your doctor first.

 

[sherabby]

I recently heard or read something that said that one of the causes of all of these peanut allergies is the fact that we wait too long to give them peanut butter, and that in countries where babies are exposed to peanuts, there are much less peanut allergies. I'd ask your pediatrician.

My son was never exposed to peanut butter and he tested positive at 1 year old. He would probably have been too young to start it anyway. We discovered that he had a dairy allergy at 2 weeks old and it only went downhill from there.

 

[scrapquitler]

With no history of Peanut butter allergies in the future, I'd give it a try now.
Just after a year or so is when I started giving my children peanut butter (not peanuts because they are a choking hazzard). Honestly, it never really occurred to me to worry about it. Had there been an allergy history in the family, then yeah, I probably would have worried about it.

 

[puffkin]

We have ZERO food allergies on either side of the family.

I ate lots and lots of peanut butter when I was pregnant, which apparently is a big no-no. I also gave peanut butter to DS right around a year old. He had no problems. I honestly have no idea if he had peanut products before then but for straight peanut butter it was around a year old because of the texture.

I also find the research about withholding foods leading to so many food allergies to be very compelling. I also think there is way too much reliance in "checking with the ped" in regards to food. This is a very new phenomenon in the last decade and look at how the allergies are spiking! Obviously I would feel 100% different if there was a history of allergies or if the baby has had other allergy problems, but if not then introduce the food when you feel comfortable!

 

[Poohbug]

I have given all three of my kids PB after they were one yr old. I have never had any problems.

I tend to agree with the doctors who think the spike of allergies relate to NOT being exposed to things.

I also agree that PB can be a choking hazzard-just make sure you spread really thin for smaller children.

 

[crisi]

We have ZERO food allergies on either side of the family.

I ate lots and lots of peanut butter when I was pregnant, which apparently is a big no-no. I also gave peanut butter to DS right around a year old. He had no problems. I honestly have no idea if he had peanut products before then but for straight peanut butter it was around a year old because of the texture.

I also find the research about withholding foods leading to so many food allergies to be very compelling. I also think there is way too much reliance in "checking with the ped" in regards to food. This is a very new phenomenon in the last decade and look at how the allergies are spiking! Obviously I would feel 100% different if there was a history of allergies or if the baby has had other allergy problems, but if not then introduce the food when you feel comfortable!

Not a big no no with the recent research. The most recent research is to expose your kids to many allergens including in vitro. Kids who are exposed earlier have a lower chance (but not no chance) of having allergies.

Of course, in five years the research may swing again. As parents, we can never do the RIGHT thing all the time - as soon as its right, its wrong.

 

[arielmomma]

I was a nurse in pediatrics for awhile and we always told parents to wait until the child was 2 years old. For peanut allergies, yes, but the biggest reason was the consistency of peanut butter. It is a big choking hazard and can have life threatening effects if aspirated. I must admit that both of my children had peanut butter before they were 2 b/c someone else gave it to them and they both did fine with it, but ideally , a doctor would tell you that you should wait until they are 2.

 

[DISNEYNV]

Thanks for all the great info everyone! I didn't even think of the choking hazard issues! I think I will hold off for a while on the PB. DS does choke and gag easily! DD does not eat PB even though I have tried and she is almost five and a very picky eater! DS is way more experimental with trying new foods. I will ask his pediatrician next visit if I remember to! I just think he is getting tired of the same old lunches and I wanted to introduce something new... ON and J

 

[disneybridetobe]

Not a big no no with the recent research. The most recent research is to expose your kids to many allergens including in vitro. Kids who are exposed earlier have a lower chance (but not no chance) of having allergies.

Of course, in five years the research may swing again. As parents, we can never do the RIGHT thing all the time - as soon as its right, its wrong.

This is what the Neonatologist told us when DD was in the NICU. (I had a placenta previa, she wasn't in the NICU because of any wrongdoing on my part.) Honestly, no one ever told us that PB was bad, lol it wasn't on the "list."

DD has been getting peanut butter since about 11 or so months, she loves it, and I dont give her big giant gobs of it.

 

[wishtdream]

My DD's had Peanut Butter every day in utero. The little one 18mos has been eating it since she started stealing bites of my food about 9 mos ago. I would just make sure you spread it thin on bread or crackers and not serve it as a dip for a while.

 

[MegaDisney]

I ate PB with all 3 of my pregnancies, and all 3 of my kiddos had PB before a year of age. No problem with choking or allergies.

Of course, I also ate tuna and lunchmeats when I was pregnant so take it for what it's worth!!!

 

[dancin'girl]

Because I have food allergies, I held off on giving DD PB until she was 3. Well...turns out she is allergic to peanuts. She had allergy testing done at age 2, but was not allergic to anything at that point. So...sometime between age 2 and 3, she developed the allergy. Was it because I ate PB while pregnant? Was it because I held off so long before giving it to her? Who knows? I keep reading so many differing explanations - I don't think anyone knows why it's happening at such a startling rate. They can only make educated guesses.
DS is almost 2 and we haven't given him PB yet. Frankly, I'm dreading it. I'm just paranoid that he'll have a reaction like his sister. I know I'm going to have to try it one of these days...

I would just try the PB and see what happens. Have the Benadryl handy, if your really worried, but odds are it will be fine. (Now if only I could follow my own advice with DS!)

 

[Ariel on Land]

I didn't do this, but I've heard this suggestion if you're really worried about your child having a severe allergic reaction: Take a small amount of PB, smear it on your child's skin, and cover it with a bandaid. If the skin turns pink/irritable/rashy (and not from the bandaid) then your child is likely allergic and could have a fairly serious reaction if he/she ingested it. Obviously, this isn't fool proof, and if your DC is only mildly allergic, it might not work. But if a child who would otherwise have a severe reaction when they ate it, then their skin would also react.

Now for us- I had planned on waiting till they were two, but then all the reports started coming out that thought AVOIDING PB products were a possible cause in the rise of allergies, I went ahead and gave them some a couple months ago. (So maybe 21months old?) We don't have PB allergies in the family, and thus far they've done just fine with it. Prior to that I had been giving them sandwiches made with Sunbutter (from sunflower seeds.) I think the SB is much thicker than the PB, and they've done just fine w/ SB sandwiches for gosh, I'm not sure how long... at least a year.

 

[mom2meiko]

our pedi said that dd could have pb at 12 months. i held off for quite a while but at her 18 mo appt they again said they saw no reason to worry because we do not have any known peanut allergies in the family. i went ahead and started giving it to her at that point and she's been fine - she actually loves it!

it's terrifying to imagine a child with a peanut allergy (or any food allergy for that matter) so i don't blame you for being nervous. i certainly was!