Peanuts - now what?

[EsmeRosa]

Hi.
My DS is 6 months old and we're starting him on solids.
I didn't breastfeed due to health issues so he's been formula fed.
I didn't eat peanuts when I was pregnant as I don't like them.
This means he's had no exposure to nuts, either in utero or via breastfeeding.
How do I go about trying him with peanuts? Really worried I haven't prepared his body for them, I just didn't think!
Thanks!

Give him a smidge of peanut butter on some toast. Do it first thing in the morning and don’t give him any other new foods that day.
Then you just need to see how he reacts.
My Ds is allergic to prawns the first time he had one he was fine the second time he wasn’t. He got a tiny bit of redness by his mouth that was the only sign.
The third time he accidentally had them (in a pre made vegetable ravioli that may (100% did) contain traces of shellfish his mouth went bright red and he was crying because of it. He was fine tho after some piriton.

Have you got allergies in the family?

I have heard of people doing the very first taste outside their doctors or hospital just in case.

Have you got any reason to suspect he will be allergic?
DS was breastfed, but would never have come across nuts(of any type), as I dont eat them.
No idea when he first had peanuts. Probably not til toddlerhood. Why are you so concerned? First nuts would probably have been around 18 months, with marzipan on the Christmas cake.

If he has definitely not been exposed to peanuts before then be aware that allergy antibodies can only be produced after exposure. So it's second and subsequent exposure where you could see a reaction, not first exposure.

If it helps reduce your worry then make sure you know how to recognise signs of allergic reactions, and keep a bottle of Piriton in the house.

First time I gave peanut butter to DD1 was when I went to a doctor's appointment

There is no family history of any severe allergies, let alone to peanuts, but being a FTM is a stressful thing!

My dd is allergic to peanuts. Her first reaction was when she ate something out of a bowl that had been washed up at the same time as pans used to cook a satay sauce. If your DC is allergic, there would probably be some clues that you might be aware of.

It's not so long ago that you were advised not to eat peanuts in PG so all new Mums would have been in the same position as you. Unless you've got severe allergies in the family, I really wouldn't be concerned

If you have a family history of nut allergies then I would suggest getting your son tested in a hospital. They use peanut butter on the skin, on the tongue, on the gums and then actually eaten, all with at least an hour breaks in case of a reaction.
If you have no family history of nut allergies then I wouldn’t worry in the slightest and not even introduce them on their own. I would just let the child eat normally.

It's not something I'd worry about. I can't even remember if I ate peanuts when pregnant or when I gave them to ds's.

As pp said, it’s the second exposure that’s the one to be concerned about, not the first.

DC has multiple severe allergies, inc some tree nuts, but not peanuts. Re how to go about trying peanuts, DC’s consultant highlighted studies carried out by Gideon Lack re peanut allergy and recommended that we give DC peanut snacks like Bamba/Lorenz (puffed corn snacks with peanut coating). We were also told by consultant that research suggested sensitisation could be caused through skin contact with allergens. In my DC’s case, they had had eczema from a few weeks old, and the allergies they went on to develop later were to the foods that I ate around them in their first weeks and months.

I should say, not all the foods I ate — just the ones that are known allergens, eg nuts and sesame. But if you’ve no family history of allergies, and your DC doesn’t have eczema, I personally wouldn’t worry about introducing peanuts.