Should you Feed your Baby Peanut Butter?
Early Peanut Eater are Less Likely to Develop an Allergy
The study randomly assigned 640 high-risk (with severe eczema and/or egg allergies) infants ages four to 11 months to consume or avoid peanuts until 60 months of age. Researchers found that 13.7 percent of the avoidance group had peanut allergies and just 1.9 percent in the consumption group. It appears that early introduction of peanuts significantly decreases the risk of peanut allergies.
The common practice of withholding peanuts from babies could be partially responsible for the rise in peanut allergies.
In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that peanuts be withheld from children at risk of developing allergies until they were three years old. Eight years later the academy revised its stance, saying there was no conclusive evidence that avoidance of certain foods beyond four to six months of age helped stave off allergies. However, it stopped short of recommending that parents give their young children high-allergy risk foods such as peanuts. Many parents have opted to “play it safe” and avoid peanuts until their children are one, two or even older. It looks like giving a taste of peanut butter at a young age may be the best option when it comes to protecting your child from peanut allergies.
