Not sure about giving DS1 peanut butter.

[kayzr]

DS1 keeps asking for a bite of our sandwich which is normally fine but we haven't given him peanut butter yet. Everyone says to give it to him at a hospital but the closest is an hour away. We're not too keen on the idea of organising a day out to the nearest city just to give him peanut butter. He is 2 btw.

Has anyone given their DCs peanut butter without going to the hospital car park or should we just leave it until we are next there shopping?

My dds tried nuts without being in the hospital carpark - dd2 first had a peanut m&m she pinched from memory. Was relieved to have the first time done with really though.

dd had it from around 1 year and ds had it from 9 months. We never bothered being near a hospital.

No none. I just read on here mainly that people haven't given their DCs peanut butter unless they are in a hospital car park in case there is an allergy.

I'd say if there aren't any nut allergies in the family that you are unlikely to have any problems.

My friend who's a pharmacist told me that when you are allergic to something, your reactions tend to get progressively more extreme on each occasion of trying it, and so suffering anaphylactic shock (which I presume is your fear) is virtually unknown on the very first try of something. For what it's worth.

Unless you have a history of allergy in the family, making sure you're near a hospital sounds overly cautious to me. Mind you, DS isn't having any for a while due to a family history of asthma.

Pedant's point: aren't peanuts legumes not nuts anyway?

DS1 was about 9 months when he first had peanut butter - I did have the car keys ready though

He loved it but won't touch the stuff now 2 years later

Mine have both had it from about 9 months. Never occurred to me do it near a hospital.

FWIW my GP says the same about allergic reactions - it is the 2nd time that you need to worry about anaphylactic shock (ds2 had severe reaction to penicillin).

Near a hospital? Are you kidding?

I think it was Nigella Lawson that I read once making the comment about being in a hospital carpark to try peanuts first so not the first time I've heard the suggestion.

I've heard it all now

I have never heard of anyone going to the hospital - could understand it if there was a history of allergy I suppose, but no way I would have done that. (DS had some probably around 8 or 9 months, but then I ate it all through pregnancy too so thought he should be well used to it ).

If he still hasn't had any at 2, though, if it was me I would want to try him on it soon. Otherwise there's a risk his first encounter could be accidental and without you knowing (if someone gives him food with peanuts in, or he finds some, for example) and if there WAS a reaction then, you might not know what caused it. So it might be safer to "get it over with" while you're watching.

I have only seen it on MN about being in a hospital car park. There was a thread about it but it was probably over a year ago now. Most people said that they had been in the hospital car park when they had let their DCs have it for the first time.

I might try him with some later.

Without peanut butter my ds would starve, its just about all i can be sure he will eat, such a fantastic source of calories nad protien for a child with a small appetite.
The advice on nuts seems to have changed so much with the notion you should eat as much peanut butter as poss during pregnancy.
Sooner rather than later, and at 2 years unless you have total control of his diet, he may well have had nuts in museli bars, and other snacks anyway.

I didn't have any nuts during my pregnancy as my MW said that you should avoid them so I did. I was quite annoyed to be told by my MW with DS2 that you shouldn't avoid them.

I think this is why I'm slightly worried about it all.

Chances are your child will be fine. I don't think peanut allergies are that common are they?

Well DS1 is now 2 and I was told by MW to avoid peanuts as it might cause him to be allergic. Then I had a different MW with DS2 and she said that there had been more research and unless either parent is asthmatic then peanuts are ok to eat.

I have just given him a small bit and he is currently running around the kitchen dancing with DH so I think we are all right.

It's silly anyway as allergies can appear at anytime. Ds 13 was eating peanut butter with no problems until he was nearly 5, when he had a weekend when he had a reaction to seseme seeds on Friday and then pecan nuts on sunday and after that couldn't eat peanut butter either, although he tested positive to peanuts it was milder than his tests to seseme and treenuts.
We had him retested at 12 and his peanut allergy was clear, although he hadn't grown out of the seed and tree nut allergies and it turned out he was also allergic to cats and had hayfever.
He has now eaten peanuts without a problem.
Also was told by our allergy specialist that it's a myth that allergy reactions get worse each time.

"Also was told by our allergy specialist that it's a myth that allergy reactions get worse each time."

It might be a myth that they always do - but DH's experience has been that they do. In his case, his reactions (to nuts) have escalated steadily from mild illness to full-on anaphylactic shock.

I think the hospital car park idea has been for those who have genuine reason to be worried that their children might have inherited an allergy. In our case, we have introduced nuts cautiously - and always on a day when I know I'm going to be around for a few hours, to monitor for any signs of a reaction. But haven't bothered with any hospital car parks. Get a bottle of Piriton in if you are concerned - that's your first line of defence against an allergic reaction in any case.

Thats the point though Smithagain, everyone is different.
Some have steadily worsening reactions, some don't.
My DH is also allergic to some treenuts and from what I can gather his reactions never got worse.
DS's reaction probably haven't got worse and he has grown out of peanuts.