Peanut Butter - Baltimore,MD

i would not. too many allergies associated with their ingestion, wait another 9 mths. to a year.
brenda

I did- but most people don't... it can be a bad allergy food. If there is no reaction then it is fine to give them after that. It is reccomended to wait until at leat 12 months.

It seems there are differing opinions on this subject, so I decided to research it a bit.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) lists peanut butter as a healthy snack choice for children ONE YEAR of age.

It also states that if there is a family history of food allergies or the child has shown any sensitivity to other common allergy foods (such as milk, eggs, wheat, citrus, among others) then waiting until THREE YEARS of age is recommended.

Other considerations, such as asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis (hayfever) in the child or in the family may also be taken into account.

AAP also says that peanut butter is a potential choking hazard to children under TWO YEARS of age, but also says that spreading it very thin on a piece of bread, a tortilla, or whole wheat crackers can minimize the risk of choking.

You can test to see if your child is allergic to peanut butter by rubbing a tiny amount on the lips. Reactions can develop within minutes or up to several hours after exposure, so you'll want to watch carefully for signs of a skin rash, hives, stomach cramps, diarrhea or vomiting. Severe signs are swelling of the lips and/or tongue and trouble breathing.

All that being said, I gave my kids peanut butter when they were each one year old. We have no family history of food allergies. They loved it and never had any problems. I would wait until your baby is at least one year old to try the peanut butter, but if you have no other pressing concerns (i.e. history of allergies), I'd say it would be safe enough to test it out when your baby turns 1.

I hope that helps some.

From an allegry point of view- I wouldn't. In Europe they don't let kids have peanut or peanut products until age 3 to help prevent food allergies. No idea of it works or not, but I wouldn't introduce it until at least one just to be safe.

From a practical standpoint, peanut butter is difficult to swallow, you are likely to send baby into a coughing fit. I would hold off on peanut butter until the baby is a more practiced eater.

My husband gave our daughter peanut butter at 6 months. She didn't react, and to this day it's one of her favorite foods.

My son is almost a year, and although he hasn't had peanut butter, I'm sure he's eaten plenty of foods with nuts in them. (He's definitely an eater who likes foods with flavor.) Furthermore, he's eaten shellfish (shrimp) and has had no reaction.

So I think it's a risk with any food that you introduce to a child.

Follow your pediatrician's recommendation. They all have different philosophies from what I've seen. (Our ped. is very relaxed about introducing foods.) Yours may be a bit more rigid.

No its not ok to give any peanut butter to a 9 month old. Its not ok in the first year. Peanuts are too likely to cause an allergic reaction and even if the child doesn't have one the first taste it could cause a sensitivity where the second time the child eats peanut butter they have a serious reaction. It is better to hold off on serious allergy foods, like peanuts, until your pediatrician says its ok.

i'd say no...too much of a risk.

only if you want him to be at high risk of severe allergies. it's NOT worth it at all.

My daughter was 14 months old before she had peanut butter for the 1st time. I read the other responses, I haven't heard that you had to wait until 2, I just heard 1. So my daughter loves her PB&J sandwiched and she likes peanuts as well. But, I would certainly wait until at least 12 months old before trying to introduce peanuts/butter. There are peanut allergies.

no. the current recs are no peanut butter or nut products until age 2 and if you have any history of food allergies or atopy in the family (eczema, asthma, etc), then wait until age 3.

Dear M.,

I am a Mom who has a daughter with a severe peanut allergy, and I would say absolutely no! I am also a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. I treat pediatric patients, and it is not advisable to give this to children until at least 6 years old. Peanuts have a protein that is very hard to digest even for adults. It can lead to other inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, eczema, digestive disorders, etc.

S.

If you are asking as far as a safety/choking issue I would say a taste would be fine. As far as food allergies I think they are supposed to be closer to 1 year before you give it.

What Jennifer said. I followed the APA guidelines too.
Peanut/tree nuts & strawberries, not until at least 12 months
Shellfish, not until age 3

I did a lot of research on food allergies for my job, and found that this sequence was most highly recommended and had the best research results behind it.

Thank goodness for peanut butter, because for ages 1-3 it was the major source of protein in my oldest's life! Saved me from going bonkers when she refused to eat any meat.

Also, make sure to serve it spread thinly on a cracker/tortilla/etc. A gob of peanut butter (on an apple, in a celery stick, etc.) is what is the choking hazard. Make sure to have plenty of milk/water handy in a cup when you try it - eatin' pb is thirsty work! = )

Good luck!

no!!! my daughter just had her 12 month checkup and our doctor said no nuts whatsoever, especially peanuts, until at least 2 years. they are one of the very high allergen foods.

I think the recommendation is not giving peanut butter until age 3, due to allergies. You should check with your pediatrician though to see what the current recommendation is.

M.:

I guess I'm too old school. If your family has a history of allergies, I would wait until your child is one year or longer.

There are ways you can test to see if your child will have an allergic reaction - by giving a SMALL (like a pinch on a cracker that he/she (a cracker that he/she has had in the past with no reaction) and see if your child develops any reaction (hives, swollen lips, trouble breathing, rash, vomiting, etc.).

There are doctors out there who are now giving children with severe food allergies tastes of the food they are allergic too to build up immunity. But I believe they aren't doing that until a child is 5 years old.

My pediatrician is pretty lenient (not ordering tests unless absolutely required for the baby's health, etc.) and she is very concerned that we do not know WHY all these kids are developing peanut allergies. She feels strongly that waiting for a year old or more is important for allergy reasons before giving peanut butter. So we waited. Why are you wondering? Looking for new foods to introduce?

Not until age 2...sorry, I know that those peanut butter eggs are tempting. The earlier you expose your child to peanut butter, the higher the risk of developing allergies to it (and once an allergy starts its all over). Peanuts (not just the peanut butter can become a problem, and you will spend your life looking for foods that have not been anywhere near peanuts...

S.

My pediatrician says not til 3. It is not worth the allergy risk. If you are looking for a peanut butter alternative, try sun butter, which is made from ground up sunflower seeds. Looks and tastes like peanut butter. My son who is allergic to peanuts loves it.

No, 9mths old is way too young. Our pediatrician said to wait until 3yrs. old for peanut butter, and any shelled fish. A 9mth old can choke on peanut butter or can have a severe allergic reaction. I waited until my girls were 3 to give them peanut butter, and my son has not had any yet. I have watched kids who have severe allergies to peanuts and the reaction they have to peanuts is very scary ( I have not witnessed a reaction, but the mother told me what had happened to her daughter when she ate peanut butter). One little girl her throat starts to close up, her tongue swells up and she cannot breathe. So, the risk in my opinion is not worth giving your child even a small taste. JMO

M.

Mom to Ella 3 1/2yrs., Nicklaus 2 1/2yrs. and Joseline 4 1/2yrs.

This is from someone whose child is deathly allergic to peanuts: I just talked to our pediatrician the other day and he was talking to my son's allergist (they are friends) and the recommendation used to be to wait till the kid is 2 but now they recommend at around 9 months old. What you want to have around when you do try (and try a very small amount over 3 days) is Children's Benedryl. You have to call the pediatrician first to see which dosage you would give (it's according to age and weight and you don't want to try to figure that out on your own). So you want to have it handy in case you see any reaction whatsoever. If you do see a reaction, give it right away. If it doesn't work within 10 minutes and there's any breathing problems, call 911 immediately. In fact, if I were you, I would actually try it in the car or something at a parking lot of your closest hospital! It sounds hysterical but we regret not having been right near a hospital when we tried peanut buttter. Luckily my son survived but we just got lucky. Good luck!

be really careful. usually people do not react to allergens the first time they are exposed. but with a second or subsequent exposure could have a severe reaction. peanuts are one of the MOST allergic substances and anaphalaxis can happen in minutes and a person could die if they don't have an epi pen. vast majority of kids would be already, but the risks are awfully high!! my kids loved sun butter though! also, a person who reacts to a food allergen with minor symptoms may have MAJOR reactions later times. if it were me id wait until at least age 2.

J.

Like a lot of the other moms have already said, my daughter's pediatrician told us not until 2 years old (and seafood at 3 years old if she'll eat it). It's just a major concern as far as allergies go because peanuts usually have the WORST reaction than anything else. So, not until 2 and hopefully she won't have a reaction. My daughter is three now and loves her PB and J when her daddy makes himself a sandwich. :-) Good luck!