Of all the foods to introduce to children, parents may be most apprehensive about peanuts and tree nuts. They are common food allergies in children and can cause severe reactions, like anaphylaxis. Other reactions to peanut and tree nut allergies include digestive and respiratory conditions. It wasn’t long ago that parents were encouraged to delay introducing peanuts and tree nuts until 2 years of age to ward off the onset of a related allergy. But recent science has shown the opposite to be true – that feeding your baby allergenic foods as young as 4 months of age helps to reduce the risk of later developing a food allergy. And yes, this includes peanuts and tree nuts.
In our Children & Food Allergies series, we’ll uncover what parents need to know about peanuts and tree nuts, their health benefits, and how to safely introduce them to their child’s diet.
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Peanuts vs. tree nuts
How to safely introduce peanuts and nuts
Giving your baby a spoonful of peanut/tree nut butter can be a choking hazard. I recommend mixing the peanut/tree nut butter with a puree that you know your child is not allergic to. Sweet potatoes or butternut squash are great options. This changes the consistency of the peanut/tree nut butter, making it less sticky and more tolerable for a baby to consume. Because whole or chopped nuts can also pose a serious choking risk, I recommend using this same approach for all nuts. If the nut butter does not exist for a particular nut, you can grind the nut in a food processor to powder form.
My "Taste, Bite, Normal Portion" strategy allows you to safely introduce and monitor allergens.
A typical schedule includes:
- Day 1: Offer a small amount of the allergen, then closely observe and monitor for reactions. Most reactions occur within minutes to two hours after exposure.
- Day 2: Offer a slightly larger amount of that same food and then monitor for reactions.
- Day 3: Increase the food offered to a "normal" serving size and monitor for reactions.
While there are no official guidelines on how much to offer each day, based on research studies and my client work, I recommend:
- Day 1: ¼ teaspoon
- Day 2: 1 teaspoon
- Day 3: 2 teaspoons
After three days of introduction, it is still possible for a reaction to occur, but the more consistently you offer the allergen, the more you can reduce the risk of an allergy.
Outgrowing peanut and tree nut allergies
Approximately 20 to 25% of children will outgrow a peanut allergy, and of those, 80% of them will do so by age 8. Still, this leaves a large percentage of children with a peanut allergy who have it for the rest of their lives.
Tree nut allergies tend to be more permanent, as over 90% of those with an allergy to tree nuts are likely to have them for the rest of their lives.
Because of the likelihood of a peanut or tree nut allergy remaining with your child for their entire life span, it is critical for parents to consider early introduction and regular exposure to these foods to help prevent allergies.
Parents shouldn’t make this decision alone. Before introducing any allergy-risk food to your child, I strongly recommend consulting with your pediatrician. They can discuss the risks and benefits and answer questions that will help you make the best decision for you and your family.
