How Soon Can a Child Have Peanut Butter?

Professional Recommendation

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until children are between 2 and 3 years old prior to introducing peanut butter because the sticky consistency of peanut butter makes it a choking hazard for young children. In the past, the AAP recommended that children with a history of peanut allergies not be given peanuts or peanut butter at all, in an effort to prevent the child from developing the allergy. Recent studies have not shown that avoidance works in preventing food allergies, however, so the AAP has changed its recommendation.

  Prior to introducing peanut butter to your child's diet, it is important to talk to you pediatrician and consider your family history. Children with a family history of eczema, hay fever, asthma or peanut allergies are more likely to have allergic reactions to peanuts than the general population. Whether there is a way to prevent peanut allergies in young children is still up for debate, however. In the past, many health care practitioners recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding women avoid consuming peanut butter to reduce the risk of their children developing a peanut allergy. Recent studies by the American Academy of Pediatrics have debunked this theory by showing that a child's exposure to peanuts (either in the womb or through breast milk) does not reduce his chances of developing a peanut allergy later on.

  When introducing potentially allergenic foods to children, it is wise to introduce them one at a time so that the allergenic trigger can be clearly identified.

Allergy Symptoms

• When giving peanut butter to your child for the first time, it is important to understand the symptoms of an allergic reaction because they are not always pronounced on the first introduction. Common symptoms to look for include hives, a tingly mouth, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. In the most serious cases, a child may go into shock or be unable to breath because their larynx closed tightly in response to the peanut allergen. In the event that one of these serious reactions occur, emergency medical treatment will be necessary. Such a serious reaction may or may not occur on a child's first exposure to peanut butter. Sometimes children will have only a small reaction to peanuts on their first introduction, only to have a full-blown reaction on their second exposure.