How to Prevent Peanut Allergies in Infants and Children (toddler, pregnant, parents)
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My husband, who is a physician (but not a pediatrician or allergist), used to take cashews and peanuts and rub them on the lips and mouth of our children when they were 5-6 month old infants (our oldest is now almost 15). I remember being very nervous the first few times he did this, but he was insistent it was a good way to desensitize them to tree nuts and decrease the likelihood of sensitivities and/or allergies. He also always encouraged me to eat normally while pregnant and nursing and said I need not avoid any items since I was not allergic to anything. In other words, proceed as normal.
If someone has no allergies, I can't imagine not eating peanut butter while pregnant or avoiding it while breastfeeding. The things people worry about amazes me sometimes.
I don't think people would have worried about it, if they hadn't been told to worry. I didn't avoid anything during pregnancy, except most--not completely all--alcohol. I had read all the paranoid rules about what not to eat during pregnancy, but I'm a rebel that way. Some of my friends and family members thought I was crazy: "You eat peanuts? You eat cold cuts? You took a few sips of champagne? Why would you take risks like that with your baby's health??"
I don't think people would have worried about it, if they hadn't been told to worry. I didn't avoid anything during pregnancy, except most--not completely all--alcohol. I had read all the paranoid rules about what not to eat during pregnancy, but I'm a rebel that way. Some of my friends and family members thought I was crazy: "You eat peanuts? You eat cold cuts? You took a few sips of champagne? Why would you take risks like that with your baby's health??"
Those Nervous Nellie's created more problems than they avoided. A generation of children with severe allergies.
My husband, who is a physician (but not a pediatrician or allergist), used to take cashews and peanuts and rub them on the lips and mouth of our children when they were 5-6 month old infants (our oldest is now almost 15). I remember being very nervous the first few times he did this, but he was insistent it was a good way to desensitize them to tree nuts and decrease the likelihood of sensitivities and/or allergies. He also always encouraged me to eat normally while pregnant and nursing and said I need not avoid any items since I was not allergic to anything. In other words, proceed as normal.
I guess it turns out he was right all along.
Hubby was way ahead of the game it seems.
Last night son, DIL and grandson - just over 24 mos. old - were over. As mentioned son and DIL are MDs......DIL's brother has a low level peanut allergy.
During DIL's first visit to her OB DIL mentioned the peanut allergy per her brother. The doc. then went on about a speech about, "super-tasters/super-tasting" through several allergic reactions.
The yield:
DIL during her pregnancy was told to eat peanuts (a legume obviously), nuts, peas, broccoli, corn, lean and fat fish, chicken, pork, beef, various breads, soy, goat's and cow's milk, yogurt and a bunch of other things. Small amounts of coffee and trivial amounts booze were permitted.
Much the same though breastfeeding.
Over GS's first several Peeds visits (different doc obviously same food protocol) a nurse would rub first a whole peanut, then ground peanuts, then peanut butter on the kid's lips. Same with nuts, corn etc. etc.
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I don't know if there is a causal relationship but the kid loves peas, peanut butter and he goes crazy for broccoli.
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All the docs are at UTSW. I'm not sure if the food exposure protocol is a UTSW systemwide thing or if the docs. developed it themselves.
________
The Peeds doc. says they've suggested the above for 11 years and they know of one kid who developed a slight peanut allergy later and no others. There is an NIH study in the background as well.
I ate peanut butter all through my pregnancy and when I gave my son peanut butter when he was a baby he had an anaphylactic reaction. Now he has to have an Epi-Pen on hand wherever he goes. I think some people just have an allergy to peanuts for whatever reason. They (peanuts) are one of the most common cause of food-related allergy death.
The yield:
DIL during her pregnancy was told to eat peanuts (a legume obviously), nuts, peas, broccoli, corn, lean and fat fish, chicken, pork, beef, various breads, soy, goat's and cow's milk, yogurt and a bunch of other things. Small amounts of coffee and trivial amounts booze were permitted.
Yes, hubby is more often right about things than not, and he loves to tell me so. I've gotten used to it after almost 25 years...
Taking pregnancy completely out of the equation, what you describe above is a healthy and well balanced diet if consumed in moderation and reasonable portion size, so it only seems logical it would be a good diet to follow while pregnant. There were very few things I flat out avoided, and most of those were with my first pregnancy (I was more relaxed with my second). I did switch to decaf and alcohol was pretty much nonexistent with my first pregnancy, but with my second, I would occasionally have a few ounces of wine on some occasions with a meal by late in my 2nd trimester. Maybe something like twice a month or so.
I guess it could be mother’s intuition but I was fairly certain my kids weren’t going to have food allergies. I was right. At the end of the day peanut/tree nut allergies are still fairly uncommon for the most part. I’ve also read that some research suggests a lack of Vitamin D contributes to an increase in peanut allergies. African Americans are also more likely to have peanut allergies
Studies also show that an estimated 20–25% of children experiencing a peanut allergy will outgrow it. Of those that outgrow their allergy, 80% do so by the age of eight.
I ate peanut butter all through my pregnancy and when I gave my son peanut butter when he was a baby he had an anaphylactic reaction. Now he has to have an Epi-Pen on hand wherever he goes. I think some people just have an allergy to peanuts for whatever reason. They (peanuts) are one of the most common cause of food-related allergy death.
I'm sure that's true. Allergies cannot be 100% prevented in all people. But early introduction to peanuts (prior to 1 year of age) has been shown to reduce peanut allergies by about 80%. That's a whole lot better than nothing.
If someone has no allergies, I can't imagine not eating peanut butter while pregnant or avoiding it while breastfeeding. The things people worry about amazes me sometimes.
Me, too. I remember leaving my 2-year-old with my Mom to plan my sister's bridal shower with her best friend, who had a kid the same age.
My daughter had a cold, and I called my mother to check in then mentioned to the friend that my mother had given her a bottle of tea with milk and sugar.
The friend looked at me in shock and disgust and said, "I would KILL my mother if she gave my baby tea."
Me, too. I remember leaving my 2-year-old with my Mom to plan my sister's bridal shower with her best friend, who had a kid the same age.
My daughter had a cold, and I called my mother to check in then mentioned to the friend that my mother had given her a bottle of tea with milk and sugar.
The friend looked at me in shock and disgust and said, "I would KILL my mother if she gave my baby tea."
We grew up drinking tea. I thought nothing of it.
Your daughter was two? I wouldn't have any problem with giving a two-year-old a little tea, once in a while.
This is getting a little off topic, but when my first daughter was born, we had family friends whose son was almost exactly the same age. The mom was determined that nothing but her pure breast milk should touch his lips until he was a year old, and while she was nursing, she avoided all allergenic foods. For his first birthday, which we attended, she made him a gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free and nut-free cake (don't ask me what was actually in it! She had a normal cake for the guests.)
That kid ended up with more food allergies than you could shake a stick at. He was allergic to almost everything. Mom's response to that was, "Well, it's a good thing he only had breast milk for the first year, isn't it?"
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She had a normal cake for the guests.)
