Nuts?!

[uglybugly]

Wonder if anyone can help - when is the best time to introduce nuts? My ds is 2yrs 3mnths, and I can't remember what the recommendations are (in case of allergies)? The problem is my other ds likes his peanut butter sandwiches and little fella throws the mother of all tantrums when he can't have any! Thanks

I don't think there is any official consistent advice. There's a big study underway to try to figure out the answer to your question, but it won't conclude for a long while (Years b4 the results are all in, I think).

All of mine had PB by age 1 or so (and we do have allergic conditions in the extended family). No bad reactions, yet...

Thanks. I am sure i gave nut based food to my eldest by the age of 2, so I'll maybe I'll give it a go!

If there are no allergies in your family I wouldn't worry about it.

if there are no allergies in the family then nuts can be used from 6 months. DS was certainly having smooth peanut butter by 8 months and neither of my lo's have had problems.

A friend of mine was advised by a dietician to give her ds peanut butter as he is tiny and needs calorie rich food. He is 10 months. Some people believe that introducing before 12 months may prevent an allergy but no one seems to know for sure.

The food standards agency advice is no nuts under six months, and no chopped or whole nuts until five (because of choking, not allergies). www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/baby/weaning/

My nephew has a serious peanut allergy, so I've just been putting off the day to give dd peanut butter, though she's had muesli since she was about 1, as she just started stealing it out of my bowl...

Incidentally, there is recent research suggesting that avoiding peanuts during pregnancy may in fact INCREASE the risk of peanut allergy, based on the fact that such allergies are very unusual in Israel, where they eat buckets of the things, and increasing here since they told us not to eat them while pregnant. The FSA is reviewing its advice on this.
www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/pregnancy/whenyrpregnant/