Giving peanut butter to babies to reduce allergies

Some of you may have already read about the new study that showed that feeding babies peanut products early may prevent an allergy to peanuts later in life.

Hmmm. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics said: 

"The medically supervised study tracked 640 babies with severe eczema, egg allergy or both. Half ate a peanut product at least three times a week for five years. Half avoided peanut products. Infants who were fed peanut products were at a much lower risk of having a peanut allergy at the end of the study.

“The high-risk infants in this study were tested to be sure they were not already allergic to peanut,” said Scott Sicherer, M.D., FAAP, an AAP expert in pediatric allergy and immunology. “At age 5 years, only 3% of the infants randomized to eat peanut had peanut allergy compared to 17% among those avoiding it.”

In the article, they remind parents to talk to your doctor first. They can help you find the best way to introduce peanut products to your child. Notice that they tested children first to make sure they were NOT allergic to peanuts before they fed them any peanut products. 

I would NOT try this at home on your own. This is something that needs to be done with a doctor. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics article lists the possible symptoms of a food allergy:

"Signs of a food allergy may include rash, swelling, vomiting and trouble breathing, typically within minutes to an hour of consuming food. If your child experiences any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately." 

Son #1 had an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)   

It's something that I never want to see again as long as I live. It can be deadly. I am lucky that I caught it quickly and Asthma Nurse was able to save my son's life.

The article also says to be careful and not give peanuts or pieces of peanuts to kids under the age of 4, because they could choke on them. Yikes! 

This is great research. If children in the study were able to to reduce the chance that they were would be allergic to peanuts, it would be worth checking into. Especially since it was carefully supervised by doctors. Talk to your doctor about it - I would NEVER try it on my own.

Food allergies are a pain. Son #2 has a tree nut allergy. I have a seafood allergy. We have to carry an Epi Pen everywhere we go and be VERY careful about any food that we eat. 

What a great scientific breakthrough to figure out how to decrease the chance that kids may be allergic to peanuts. I love these scientists with their smart brains!