Feeding DS first peanut - I sort of know I'm being silly but I feel stuck!

[Twitteratti]

DS is 3 and a half, and has never eaten a peanut. Partly because DH and I don't especially like them so we don't have them in the house.
But partly also (if I'm honest) because I have always put off giving DS his first peanut in case he is allergic!
I am terrified that, if he is, I wouldn't know what to do and help wouldn't arrive in time.
I'm aware of all the research that says that, actually, children who are exposed to nuts early on and frequently are less likely to become allergic to them. So I know I should crack on and give him a peanut.
But I feel paralysed by fear!
Anyone got any words of encouragement or advice?

Try peanut butter first remove the risk of choking at least.
I know what you mean I had this worry with all mine. I made sure to do it when both me and dp were home just incase.

You’ve kind of missed the boat with giving it early! Just give him a peanut butter sandwich and be done with it. Why the obsession with peanuts - he could have been allergic to any of the other foods you’ve fed him over the past 3 years. Generally allergic reactions tend to be less severe the first time anyway so don’t panic!

Are you planning on giving him a whole nut? I don’t think they recommend giving kids nuts to eat until they are five because it’s a choking risk.

Why not give him some peanut butter on toast?

I always introduced peanut butter as one of the first foods (I did baby led weaning so I would put a little peanut butter on banana).

I know I've totally missed the boat with the early thing!

I have images of parking up near a hospital and giving him a Snickers bar in the car.

I don't know why I've focussed on peanuts. I suppose because it's the most 'famous' allergy. (I was never too sure what the other common allergens are...although I have some vague idea now). Also perhaps because I was at an event, when I was at university, where someone collapsed and died three days later from an anaphylactic shock after eating a peanut flavoured biscuit. That marked me,

If you are very concerned introduce it in a phased way.

Start off my rubbing peanut butter on his hand. Wait 20 minutes.

If no reaction then the next day rub some Near his lips.

Again, if no reaction put a tiny bit inside his mouth between his gum and lip.

If here is no reaction at all to the first two then there is unlikely to be any serious reaction so at the very worst you might get a bit of redness or itching. Maybe get some piriton in just in case.

But genuinely, there is probably no reason to be worried at all.

There is a difference between a peanut allergy and a nut allergy. My ds has a nut allergy (pistachio and cashew the main two).
Chances are your child isn’t allergic to either but if I was worried like you are you could maybe just rub some peanut butter on his skin/gum/lip maybe? Or if you don’t feel comfortable with that you could maybe pay for a private allergy test.
We had our other children tested on the nhs as there is a slightly higher risk for siblings.
If your child did have an allergic reaction to a nut/peanut then give Piriton and straight to A&E.

If you are worried about a reaction rub a peanut on his skin and you will know if there is any really serious allergy. It rub a little peanut butter on his lip.

Yes, I was planning on giving him a whole nut. I frequently give him other nuts whole (and grapes too in fact). So I figured a peanut's size would be ok as it's smaller.

I thought the advice was no whole nuts before 5

Right, thanks. I hadn't realised that you could get some measure of a person's likely reaction by rubbing a little on skin....
That sounds like a good plan.

Odd that you give him a choking risk for all children frequently (whole grapes) but haven't given him an allergen that only affects a minority of children.

I thought the advice was no whole nuts before 5 It probably is!

@Foggymist I agree. My approach doesn't add up. And I should probably stop feeding him whole grapes!

Please stop giving him whole grapes. It's dangerous.

I will stop giving him whole grapes.

He definitely shouldn’t have whole grapes
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/heartbreaking-picture-little-boy-who-10706412.amp

Bless you, it’s so easy to get the fear.

If it helps, I developed a thing for hazelnuts at age 46. Eaten them and other nuts all my life and now withIn minutes hazelnuts make my lips and tongue swell and I vomit them back.

No other nuts have the same effect and it doesn’t happen if the nuts are cooked.

Nuts are nuts I have concluded. Yummy little bastards.

Mine have been eating peanut butter since babies but at nearly and 3 I still wouldn’t give them whole nuts or whole grapes!

My grandson is allergic to peanuts, never had one in his life, he's under a year still.
But not allergic to nuts.

Also allergic to milk and egg.

@InvisibleToEveryone how did you find out that he is allergic to nuts?

He had a reaction to egg, tiniest amount of omelette caused him to have swellings.
Formula milk and cheese caused massive rashes.
He's breastfed.
On that basis he was referred to paeds, and allergy testing.

Milk and egg and peanut were big reactions.
Nuts were not at all. Technically peanut is not a nut.

He has EpiPens too.

Nigella lawson fed her babies their first peanut butter sandwich in the GP waiting room , so you are not alone

My mum had a weird phobia about peanuts, we were never allowed them... we were allowed shellfish and strawberries...to which I turned out to be allergic ....

A peanut is not a nut? what is it?

Peanuts are ground nuts. The other nuts are tree nuts.

Why is that distinction important? And why is a ground nut not a nut?

What else is a ground nut?