Food allergies need to be taken seriously, and they can put a lot of new parents on edge. In the first few months of an infants life, they are on breastmilk and/or formula, and mom doesn’t worry too much about food allergies, but then they start solid food. Starting solid food can be fun and exciting, but it can also be very overwhelming for a new mom. If she is doing baby-led weaning, there is always the worry that they will choke, but allergies may be another worry on a mom’s mind.Food allergies can be fatal, so mom has a right to be concerned, and there have been certain foods that she may not want to give her baby because they are known to be a popular food allergen. Things like eggs, strawberries and peanuts are typically avoided because of the worry of an allergy. However, how much do we know about the odds of developing an allergy to these items?RELATED: 10 Things To Know About Kids And Peanut Allergies

Not Informed

According to Medical Xpress, parents may not know that they should be introducing peanuts early to their infants, and that is through no fault of their own. A study showed that not a lot of parents are informed by medical professionals that they should be introducing peanuts to their children at a young age. A recent survey done by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology showed that less than half (40%) said that they were instructed by their child’s doctor to introduce peanuts before their child was 11 months old. The survey showed that while doctors are talking about it, they are not making any official recommendations, meaning parents may not be doing it.

It Is Important

According to Healthy Children, it is not only recommended, but it is beneficial to introduce peanuts at an early age. The earlier that peanuts are introduced, the less risk the baby is of developing an allergy. Now, this still needs to be done safely and the current guidelines are that peanuts should be introduced when your baby is at least 6 months old and after some other solid foods are tolerated. Babies should also never be given solid peanuts because they are a choking risk. It turns out that giving babies peanuts early may work in a parent’s favor and help prevent an allergy.

How To Introduce

Since we cannot give babies whole peanuts, some moms may be wondering how they can introduce this to their infant’s diet. According to My Health Alberta, there are some ways to introduce peanuts that are safe and advised. If your baby is eating applesauce and yogurt, you can grind some up and put it right in there as an added snack. You can even give a baby peanut butter, but mix it with some warm water, formula/breastmilk, or fruit and wait for it to cool before giving it to them. There are also some baby snack products that have peanuts in them, and these can also be given to infants. Peanuts are full of good fat and protein, and they can be a healthy snack for babies.

Sources: Medical Xpress, Healthy Children, My Health Alberta