Oops! Peanut butter.....

[dairymoo]

This morning I accidentally gave my 11mo DTs a few bits of my toast to munch on and I realised as they were happily chewing away that I had used the same knife to put peanut butter on another piece of bread [slummy mummy emoticon]. They were fine so does this mean that I don't need to worry about a peanut allergy.

Had planned on doing the ole Nigella hospital car park trick when they were a bit older...but maybe I don't need to?!

If they were fine with that, then I would be inclined to give them a bit of toast with a tiny amount of peanut butter on.

My dd discovered nuts when she was aged about 14 mnoths, by rummaging through my mum's cupboard and finding an open packet. A friends dd aged about 11 months found a peanut on the floor at someone else's house and was happily sucking on it to no ill effect, so you're not the only one .

Be cautious though - the first exposure doesn't usually cause a reaction, it may just sensitise them. Subsequent exposures may then trigger a reaction.

Good luck though - I'd still sit outside the hospital if I were you, but then I'm probably over-protective!

Are you breastfeeding still? There is a school of thought that actually things like peanuts are best introduced in tandem with breast-milk during the early stages of weaning rather than later on.

Is there a history of asthma/eczema/hayfever or peanut allergy in your family?

There's a history of asthma and yes, I am still BF - best to do the hospital trick I imagine, and use clean knives in future!

My dd had peanut butter at age 1 in a Nigella stylee and then peanuts in a normal way for the next three years.

At 4.5 she had a reaction to peanuts and has had a challenge test - she is allergic to peanuts.

We were told that the most recent research shows that the more children are exposed to peanuts then the more likely they are to develop a peanut allergy. 1 in 70 children are allergic to peanuts now!

Sorry, but what's the Nigella thing?

I've been really worried about DD (20 months) as I'm allergic to nuts (except peanuts). I understand food allergies - or at least a propensity to allergy - can be hereditary (and both me and DH have eczema, hayfever, asthma etc). So I'm worried about DD. But my GP said she can't be tested for allergies until she has a reaction.

Saying all that, she pinched a bit of cake with almond in at a recent party and didn't react.

dairymoo - do you have a family history of allergy? If not, I wouldn't worry too much.

Nigella says to give them a peanut butter sandwich in the waiting room at the doctor.

If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have given my dcs any nuts for as long as I possibly could.

thanks, savoycabbage.

Sorry to hear your DD has peanut allergy. I know from personal experience how much of a pain it is! But I've been allergic all my life (first attack as a baby when my nan gave me a nutty biscuit!) and it's manageable. Much scarier for you as a Mum I think - I now realise what my parents must have gone through, worrying about me having a reaction while I was always very matter-of-fact about it as a kid.

Sorry for highjack, dairymoo.

Nope!

Thankyou theoldestcat. I thought it was going to be much worse than it actually is. It was a nightmare the first few weeks reading all the packets and denying her shreddies but it is not half as bad as the allergies that some people have.

tesco own brand shreddies are ok!