Current thinking on nuts

[dkdad]

Can anyone explain what the current thinking on nuts is? My impression from the UK is that nuts are basically a no-no for small kids but now that I'm living in Denmark I find that most people have never heard of possible nut allergies in kids.

Children seem to be given nuts to eat without any concern in the same way that I was in the UK all those years ago!

Whole nuts are a no-no until I think 5 years old as they are a potential choking hazard.
Nuts in things eg. peanut butter I think are OK from 12 months unless there is a history of allergy in the family. I have tended to leave it as long as possible before actively giving my children nuts but haven't worried about the products you can buy which say "may contain traces of nut products" - do they have this warning on DK products?

Thanks, judetheobscure. Doesn't sound as bad as I thought. What sort of products might have the "may contain traces of nut products" warning on them?

Virtually everything! Chocolate, breakfast cereals, biscuits... anything that's been made in a factory handling nuts has this warning on them I think.

Hmm, I'll have to have a look! I suspect that as we don't have the same litigation culture here in DK we're unlikely to have the same warnings...I'll go look in the 'fridge!

message withdrawn

message withdrawn

Robinw - thanks for that. That sounds pretty conclusive, we have a history of very minor asthma so I guess we should be careful.

Do you know if almonds can cause an allergic reaction? They actually sell an almond-based baby food here!

I haven't posted about this before coz it was very upsetting for me, but 2 weeks ago my Mum was dropping off ds after he had stayed the night with her. She said he shouldn't be hungry coz I've just given him a peanut butter sandwich!!!!

I went off my head with her, she called me names and said I was overreacting and left. It was very distressing for me, but after a week my mother finally contacted me and we sorted it out.

The reasons I went ballistic are:

1. DS is only 21mths old
2. I have a food allergies
3. DS has already shown signs of being asthmatic and has excema
4. I have asthma as do my 3 siblings!!

Allergies run in my family.
I am terrified that he has now been sensitised to peanuts and don't know what to do. When I finally do try him with peanuts when he is 3 I'm going to have to be ready to phone for an ambulance if he goes into anaphylactic shock!!

Am I panicking over nothing?

...and another thing...

Ds LOVES.... and I mean LOVES Pasta with Pesto sauce through it. He ahs it at least once a week. Are Pine Nuts known allergens?

dkdad, you can be allergic to almonds. I've seen it mentioned by at least one person on Mumsnet. I guess you can be allergic to pretty much anything really.

Mum2toby, chances are your DS had been exposed to nuts insome form or other already - there are potential traces in so many things. Ihave a sneaky feeling that you can be allergic to pine nuts too but if he's been eating pesto sauce with no affects for a while, I think you can probably rule that one out. On another thread, I saw that someone had driven to their doctor's, fed their child peanut butter and sat in the car for 1/2 hour to see if there was a reaction and then done it again a few weeks later (in case the first taste had sensitised their child). Maybe you could drive off to your nearest hospital, sit in the A&E carpark and do the same if you're worried. OR even better, take your DS for proper allergy tests if you have genuine concerns.

I understand your concerns though. We have no history of food allergies yet I'm still too scared to give DS1 (4) peanut butter. (Actually, I say no food allergies but I do have one but I don't know what to! I've not had a reaction for over 10 years though)

Mum2toby - as Soupdragon says, your ds may already have been exposed to nuts already due to trace elements etc. If he hasn't shown any reaction, I wouldn't worry too much.

I'd also check your jar of pesto sauce (unless you use homemade pesto!). Many (most!) of them use peanuts or cashew nuts as well as pine nuts - presumably beacuse they are cheaper than pine nuts and can help bulk up the pesto.

In which case, as he has the potential allergen more than once, without any signs of side effects, I would have thought that you can relax.

Thanks Folks.

The jar we use has Cashew nuts in it too. I s'pose I'm all clear on that front.

dkdad - I'm allergic to almonds..... slightly, I get a skin reaction and it sometimes affects my asthma. But my food allergy is mainly tomatoes!! And I love them.... I still eat them, coz they are the basis for most meals I prepare, but have to take antihistamines every other day.

mum2toby. I understand why you went ballistic at your mum, but to be fair when she was bringing you up none of this food allergy thing was known about. Therefore it was probably thoughtlessness, rather than deliberate.

Personally (and please don't shoot me down in flames) I feel there is far too much angst about food allergies etc. It seems to be a real modern phenomena. You are more likely to have an accident in the car on the way to the hospital then for your child to have a problem.

mum2toby - yes, I do think you overreacted. It is much more likely that your ds is not allergic to nuts. Peanut allergy is still very rare, fortunately. If you are still worried, some one suggested feeding him peanut butter in the doctors surgery - I would say thats a good one.

If you genuinely have food ALLERGIES in your family as opposed to food INTOLERANCES then you would be right to be concerned, but then I guess you should have discussed the right foods to give your ds beforehand.

Crunchie - there is a lot of hysteria about it these days, I have to agree with you. But with my family history it is a real threat to my son. Perhaps not a life-threatening one like a peanut allergy.

Rioja - I have a food ALLERGY. And various intolerances. I do know the difference and I am well-educated in this subject. I know the risks and so did my Mum. That's why I went mental.

Incidentally, my brother is 11, so my Mum is still raising children.

An interesting thread .... at DS' kindergarten they serve peanut butter sandwiches daily for afternoon tea ... the youngest child is 18 months. Luckily DS doesn't like peanut butter so he never has them but I haven't seen the fuss about peanuts here as I do about other things.
For example my friend has been told by her hv not to give her son any fish until he is a year old ... I remember in the UK I was giving my DS fish when he was 6 months.

Gosh mum2toby I'd have gone just as ballistic. Once sensitised there is no going back and life changes dramatically. I only discovered my nut allergy (to brazil nuts) last september when I went into servere analyphaltic shock. Life has changed enormously and the sense of freedom where food was concerned is now gone. Simple things like buying an ice cream suddenly become far more complex. I adore food and I used to love eating out, going on holiday and trying out new foods etc - all that is now far more dangerous and takes far more effort as I have to be sure there are no nuts! But at least I can ask, the thought of my dd (3yrs) becoming sensitive is awful!

You can be sensitive to pinenuts but it is extremely rare (extremely!) - most people's reactions to pesto are because of the other nuts they use in there. There are two groups of nuts and tree nuts are the worst. Although a peanut allergy is the most common there are plenty of others. Brazil and Almond are the second most common nut allergies - but I'd never heard of this until I had my reaction.

No need to be so snotty Mum2toby, you were the one that asked whether you were panicking unneccesarily! Anyway, if, as you say, your mum knows the risks why do you think she gave your ds a peanut butter sandwich in the first place? Do you think she did it deliberately?

Anyway, luckily it sounds like your ds isnt allergic to peanuts. My brother is, and seriously, so I also know a bit about it.

Rioja - I wasn't aware that I was being 'snotty' as you put it. I felt you message was unecessarily patronising, so I responded appropriately.

No I don't think she did it deliberately!! How absurd!!!??? I think she didn't view it as a potentially serious threat to ds. She didn't take me seriously.

I have spoken to my GP and she said I won't know if he has been sensitised until the next time he comes into contact. So, as yet, I don't know if he has developed an allergy as a result, which is what my original fear was.

Thanks Wills. And Ghosty - it's always interesting to hear the different fears/precautions in different countries.

Am a bit worried now... I gave ds some peanut butter a little while back (whenever Annabel Karmel said it was "safe" I think ... maybe I delayed it a little later due to asthma/eczema running in the family) and he's had the peanut rissoles recipe too. Haven't given him peanuts for a while but I don't consciously think "oh, I must avoid peanuts for him" (he's now almost two) and at the time I was quite relieved he'd tried them and was fine so that was one less worry.

He hasn't had any allergies at all (although he does have sensitive skin so I have to watch the washing powder, but not eczema) but now I'm worried he might have become "sensitized". Can someone explain how the sensitized thing works please? If he's had more than (say) 3 exposures (trying desperately to remember how many times I've given him something with peanuts in and failing miserably) does that mean he won't become sensitized in the future? I'm confused.

GeorginaA - It sounds like you son is fine if he's been 'exposed' 3 times and had no reaction.

The first time you are exposed to a potential allergen your body shows no outward reaction but builds up massive amounts of antibodies to defend against further exposure.... kind of like building an immunity to a virus. It isn't clear why some people's bodies completely over react to seemingly harmless foods, chemicals etc but they do.

So, the next time the are exposed the body goes into full attack mode!!

Also, allergies can just develop at anytime. I developed my allergy to tomatoes when I was 17 years old. And they can also go as quickly as they start! Allergies are still a mystery to the medical/scientific world.

GeorginaA - Have to agree with Mum2Toby advice to you. An allergy could appear at any time but at least with an older child they can vocalise the reaction if there is any. It still stands that most children wont develop an allergy to nuts but for those of us parents with allergies it really does no harm to avoid certain foods whilst they're young. I don't allow my dd to drink alcohol either and she hasn't told me she feels she's missing out yet.

LOL Wills re: the alcohol

Thanks both of you, I feel a little less panicked now! Think I will be a bit more careful now though - as you say, it's handy to have your child fully conversant for something that could potentially be so serious. It wasn't as if he majorly liked the peanut rissoles or it's something I would normally eat (we're not big fans of nuts in this house, even though we're not allergic to them). Won't do major label interrogation though...

Crunchie, I'm not shooting you down in flames, honest. But there can never be too much awareness of food allergy. Ds has never been close to losing his life in a car accident but has twice been rushed into a&e with severe reactions and has needed adrenalin as well as antihistamine. I dont consider myself angst-ridden at all, just a mum whos much loved only child has a potentially fatal condition.