Peanut Butter?

Heather - posted on 08/09/2010

My son will be 18 months on the 23rd of August...for his 1st b-day my aunt, his great aunt made him a cake w/peanut butter icing....he had no problem...3 months (@ 15 months) later we went out to eat and he had eaten some of my ice cream which had peanut butter topping on it...well 2 hours later he was screaming and scratching his nose appart...we didnt know what was goin on...it just so happened that my step dad & mom were visiting and they work at a hospital. They checked his stomach and he had started hives...so we rushed him to the ER and we were there for about 5 hours...the hives got worse...he looked like a strawberry from what a friend told me. I took pictures...it was a scary experience and hope we dont have to go through it again...we now carry around an epi-pen.
I was also told that if you eat alot of something during your pregnancy that your child will either become allergic to that item or wont like it...well guess what...I ate LOTS of peanut M & M's while I was pregnant...I never heard that before but it makes you wonder if thats true.

Jenny - posted on 08/07/2010

My daughter was 15 months when she first tried PB in the form of a sandwich. I eat PB and banana sandwiches for breakfast a couple times a week and after she was one I would give her a small piece of my bread with the PB to try. At 15 months she had a bite of a PB and J sandwich which she LOVED ... SO, she now has PB and J when we are out and about, maybe once a week. I have read that PB should be spread thinly to avoid choking ... a larger "glob" can get stick in the airway I believe is what I read/heard.

Yinni - posted on 08/04/2010

my sons pediatrician wasnt worried over allergies from the peanut butter (no family history of peanut allergy). he was more concerned with botulism (like honey). at his 15 month visit he said i could introduce him to peanut butter but only a fingertip full at a time (just for a little taste).

Shanna - posted on 08/04/2010

our allergy specialist says to wait til they are 2 and if you have allergies in your family you should wait longer. my daughter had allergy testing at 18 months (the needle kind) and blood testing at before 1 from her dr. which the specialist says is not always correct but in our case it was plus some

Bethany - posted on 07/29/2010

hey yeah, I never thought of that. I guess I don't do that myself, so wouldn't give it to my kid like that either.
I don't know about age restrictions for testing, you'd have to check with an allergist. Here, you need a referral from a GP to get an appointment with an allergist. They're very scarce on the ground here, so many months waiting unless it's an emergency.

Dawn - posted on 07/28/2010

Interesting information Bethany! In a side note, I have wondered if my son's eczema is a reaction to dog hair but I don't think they can do testing until age 2. Would you know if this is correct?? I think PB is only referred to as a choking hazard because it gets sticky if you eat a glob of it; I guess there are enough people who give their children spoons with peanut butter to warrant a warning! :)

Bethany - posted on 07/28/2010

well, I give Charlotte smooth PB a couple of times a week, for the protein as she doesn't eat much meat. We have no food allergies in our family. My health nurse recommends none until she's 5.

It's my understanding, from speaking to an allergist, that we are born with our allergies, and our defences are slowly worn down from exposure to the allergen until finally our bodies have had enough, and the bad reactions start. This time can vary, it's sometimes immediate, and sometimes over many exposures.

So I guess the longer we leave off exposing them to common allergens, the bigger they'll be when their bobies have to manage a reaction, if they have one.

I'm pretty sure smooth Peanut Butter is not a choking hazard, at any age.

Jessica - posted on 07/27/2010

Awesome, thanks!

Dawn - posted on 07/27/2010

Oh, most say 1 year so you should be fine!! But if you haven't tried it yet, give just a little and wait a few days to look for reactions. If everything seems fine, go ahead and give it to her regularly; just remember it is still considered a choking hazard at this age, so spread it fairly thin and never give on a spoon (I don't know why you would but just saying how it was told to me!!!). I started my son with PB when he was 10 months as a way to add calories. He eats it everyday now, most always smooth, but sometimes chunky if we ran out of the other, and he does fine. I serve it on crackers or with jelly on sandwich bread, either way its one of his favorites to squish in his hands!!! :) :)