How seriously do you take the advice on avoiding peanuts?

[Moorhen]

I'm 31+5, and got really panicked at 9 weeks when found out that advice was to avoid peanuts if you or DP had hayfever, eczema or asthma (I'm not allergic to anything but DH has terrible hayfever) as "might" trigger peanut allergy in baby.

Panic even worse because had innocently eaten a few Hersheys peanut butter cups in week six (present for the office from colleague's holiday... mmmm...).

Reading up on it, I find there seems to be no actual scientific proof whatsoever. And although I still am avoiding any food with peanuts, including all Thai food, I'm not scanning packages for those "caution - may contain traces of nuts" labels because practically everything does!

Is this enough? Too much? I hate all the scare-mongering but I'm not strong enough to resist...

I ate peanuts when pregnant with ds. He has eczema. Do I think it's because of peanuts, no! I think it's because I have it, my mom has it, my sister has it her two kids have it.

Am 38 weeks pregnant with no. 2 and still eat the peanuts.

In the US, unless there is a nut allergy, peanut butter and nuts are fine- and a good source of protein, especially in the early days when you may be turned off meat. Some doctors do make the recommendation of limiting amounts when bfing. And, while peanut butter is a staple in children's diets, it is NOT recommended before the age of 3. Peanut allergies are common in the very young, but many grow out of it.

I wouldn't worry about some peanut butter cups or nuts in pregnancy too much- there are far greater threats. And it seems there's always SOME reason to avoid something. I had a friend that wouldn't get pedicures because foot massage can stimulate uterine contractions. I had another friend that wouldn't eat chocolate when pg due to the caffeine. I guess you have to draw the line somewhere...just depends on what makes you comfortable. Do what feels right for you.

Hayfever, eczema, asthma & allergic reactons are all connected. If you suffer from any one of them, you are at more risk of developing one of the others. My son started off with eczema, then developed asthma,then hayfever, then had allergic reactions.It all started from the eczema.This is why people are advised to stay clear of nuts if you have any of these condiitons. If eczema/hayfever runs in your family(especially mum or dad) it is probably best to stay clear as eczema is a sign that your child is at a higher risk of developing a serious peanut allergy & this can be life threatening.. People have their own views on this & this is is my view. Lemmiwinks, i understand what you are saying & apologise if i gave the wrong impression in what i commented on. I think it is more likely to have been due to the fact that my son had eczema, then me eating peanuts that gave him his peanut allergy but i just do not know. So i would not take any risks. What i am trying to say is that myself & my partner did not suffer from eczema, hayfever etc & my son developed all of them. So you just do not know. This is why personally i would avoid them and advise others to avoid them also, even if eczema etc doesnt run in the family but especially if they do. If there is evidence to sugest that you are at a higher risk of developing it if you suffer from eczema then best to avoid imo. But we all have our own opinions and that is fair enough. I would personally not eat peanuts in pregnancy or give a a toddler peanuts or peanut containing products as i am aware of the seriousness of it due to my son's severe allergy. There has been research in the past that sugested that if you eat peanuts/nuts in preganancy that your baby/child may develope a nut allergy themselves but its not clear how to prevent peanut allergy as yet & i dont know myself if to believe this.

Moorhen, I would not worry too much about eating the peanut cups, just avoid peanuts/peanut containing products if you are worried or unsure of the risk in the future. Dont worry about the may contain nuts, as like you said most foods state this & its mainly peanuts/ peanut containing products like peanut butter that should be avoided.There is a link that may answer some of your questions! Hope it useful for you.:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/6617019.stm
& this one:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6618865.stm
Julia

As I had eczema as a child, then developed asthma in late teens, and get hayfever and other nasal type allergies, and several other family members have similar I decided to try to avoid peanuts. I understand there are mixed reports on whether or not to avoid, but decided that it's not that much to give up just in case. However, it was really difficult at first as I love peanut butter and seemed to crave it all the more in early preg. But then I found cashew nut butter at Holland and Barrett, which while not as good did a lot to satisfy my "peanut fix".

There was a guy on BBC breakfast last week saying they are starting a massive test on babies to find out if there's anything in it. He was trying to get more people to take part so they could get better results. The gist of it was they really have no idea whether it's better to give under fours some exposure to peanuts or none at all.

I know it's not the same as the eating peanuts when pg question but I think it's still relevant.

Mimicakey, i think you may be talking about the link i added below.

DO PLEASE take it seriously. I ate humous by the truckload while pg and breastfeeding and lo and behold DS has a lifethreatening allergy to seasame seeds. YOu should avoid those too.

I suspect small amounts are not such an issue. I really did eat truckloads of the stuff as it was my craving.

My mum ate no peanuts while pg with me (she doesn't like them) yet I had (moderate) eczema as a child. I ate no peanuts while pg with DD, she has (moderate) eczema. Not a very scientific study, but enough to make me think, well, we just are prone to a bit of eczema. Mmmm, my peanut butter on toast was delicious this morning

(I am 32 weeks pg by the way)