Yesterday Hailey had her 9 month check up. I spent some time chatting with our pediatrician about a few questions I had. One of my inquires was what foods should Hailey not have? More importantly, why?
The first on the list was honey. I knew this one. No honey before the age of one due to risk of botulism risk (source). Then shellfish. No shellfish before age one because of allergy concerns (source). Here I became a little skeptical. But OK, I could hold off on fish for a few more months. Then peanut butter. No peanut butter before the age of three. Three? THREE?
It really made me wonder about who comes up with these rules and why.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not downplaying the seriousness of a child with a peanut allergy. I know it exists (1% of the US population has a peanut allergy- source) and it is a real danger.
However, I feel like there is a bit of hysteria around peanuts and part of me wonders how prevalent the danger truly is. So, I did some research (Ok, some googling). It turns out there is a lot of conflicting data. According to webmd, the American Academy of Pediatrics has now rescinded the suggestion to wait until the age of 3. There is also some research that shows that waiting to introduce peanuts until later in childhood may actually increase the risk of developing an allergy.
Since we have no history of peanut allergies in our family, I won’t be waiting until age 3. In fact, now that I know there isn’t a compelling (to me) argument to hold off, Hailey may have her first taste of peanut butter sooner than later. Heck, she eats eggs pretty regularly and they are another “dangerous” food.
This isn’t meant as a PSA on whether or not your child should eat peanut butter. Instead, I just want to take a closer look at why certain foods are to be avoided and make the decision on what is best for Hailey from the facts, not what the omnipotent “they” say.
This also got me curious as to what other children eat, so…
help me out! 
This Thursday I’m hosting a link up! If you have children, snap some photos of their daily meals. Post it on Thursday and link up so people can check out what your little one is eating! I’ve noticed a lot of interest in what Hailey eats, so let’s all share what our munchkins are eating and help each other out with meal ideas!
Did/do you hold off on feeding your little on certain foods?
Don’t forget to link up on Thursday!
heather says
Love this 🙂 I’ve also heard one if the reasons to hold off on PB is the sticky texture & choking hazards. Its crazy some of the foods you should wait on. Allergies are mo joke but if you’re smart about watching for reactions I think some of the food no nos are a little overly cautious
Brittany says
Totally agree about the sticky texture. Thanks for bringing that up, it’s a good point! I’m thinking a thin schmear (I love that word ;)) on some bread may work well for the stage Hailey is at.
Erin says
The whole peanut butter thing is strange. There is also the train of thought that holding off on introducing it actually increases the risk of allergies. I gave my son peanuts around a year. Now at almost 3 he loves peanut butter and eats it either on bread or in oatmeal just about ever morning. I will admit that when he first had peanuts (in thai food) I did keep an eye on him. However, overal I was never crazy about introducing foods. I never did the whole introduce a new food every 3 days. i just gave him whatever we had.
blackhuff says
This is what I did with both my kids:
I have hold off with honey till they were 1 years old.
I’ve hold off with shellfish till they both were 5 years old. Me and hubby decided this, as we did not want to take the risk with a small toddler and shellfish. Our own personal choice.
But with peanuts? I gave peanuts to the both of them when they had enough teeth to chew them. I think that was at the age of 18 months, the both had enough teeth. (Both my children teethed 2 teeth at once and we were finished quickly.)
I know that some guidelines are there to protect parent and child but just like you, I think some are bizarre and ridiculous. Make your own choice regarding foods and your child/ern. You as parent will know when the time is right.
Callie @ The Wannabe Athlete says
No PB until three?!??! Whoops. I missed that memo. PB sandwiches are a staple for the Mini Athlete! My mom actually gave him his first peanut butter crackers around 10 months. She told me he had them and I paused…and responded, “Well, I guess he’s not allergic!” Poor thing. She felt mortified. It hadn’t even occurred to her that it might be an issue! Thankfully it wasn’t!
Lisa says
It seems to me that many of the “mommy blogs” I read tend to over think everything. None of our parents read blogs, googled what is the “right way” to do things, and the majority of us are fine. It seems like the more people focus on these things the more prevalent these ailments seem to become. In my opinion, i think keeping children from being exposed to some foods can cause an allergy. Then again, I have no children so I will probably be the same way! Do you eat shellfish and peanuts? i know that when you are breastfeeding you shouldn’t drink too much alcohol because it can contaminate the milk. Is it the same with eating these forbidden foods?
Brittany says
I know a lot of people who stopped eating certain foods while breastfeeding (like dairy, etc) and I am 100% in support of to each their own. However, I feel comfortable given our family history to be a bit more free with Hailey. I never changed my diet or followed the 3 day rule and just gave her to eat what we ate. So far so good! I’ll certainly watch her closely when trying new foods, but you’re right, with the overabundance of recommendations out there, you have to filter it out and do what works best for you. Thanks for your input!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
Funny you bring the peanut thing up b/c I was just at a bridal shower where one of the bridesmaids was saying she gave pb to her son right before his 1 year checkup at the doctor (like 30 minutes before). She put a little on his lip, he licked it off and she figured if anything were to happen they’d be going to the doctor’s office anyway. Nothing happened but at the appointment the doctor told her the same thing (waiting until 3). She didn’t say anything about the pb she had just given him to the doctor and just went along with his recommendations.
I tend to agree with you though, without any history in the family, 3 seems like a long time. I have every allergy known to man (outside of food) and I’d probably test out pb before 3 if I had a kid! (Epi-pen on the side of course ;))
Brittany says
What a brilliant lady! haha, I totally should have slipped her some peanut butter before heading to the doc yesterday 🙂
I’m sorry you have so many allergies. I just have seasonal spring allergies and just those suuuuuuuuuuuuuck
Sejal M says
I’ve heard of people sitting in a hospital parking lot and feeding their kid PB and just waiting. But I am thinking these are families with a history of allergies?
Amanda Perry @ Sistas of Strength says
I held off on some things, but last time we went (1 yr) the doc told me that he can have anything. he has and loves PB now. 🙂
Brittany says
Hi Brittany! I am a long time reader but a first time commenter! I am only 17 so I dont have any children (thank god) but I do have a bunch of neices and nephews from my two sisters. 3 nephews and 4 neices ranging in ages 12-10 months. I know that my sisters didnt hold off in giving their kids a lot of foods and they turned out just fine. Peanut allergy is a serious thing and I know some people with it and I dont deny that it is serious but I also think that holding off on foods can be dangerous to a child.
katie says
I have held off on honey and peanut butter. Liv is 8 months now. I think I have skipped the pb because of the stickiness, but she eats eggs and whatever else we are eating sans too much salt. I never waited the three days either, BUT bothy my husband and I and our extended families have no history of food allergies, so it eases my fear a bit. Watching them eat so much is so fun!
Helen says
Hello.I liked your post.We in Spain, we also do exchanges with setnudts of other nationalities, I think it is a good way to learn cultures, peoples, traditions Just feel your ears are tortured by the music ))Well, we will continue working in the LAWS CELIAC culquier country with them just the life of the celiac may improve with proper labeling, medical prtocolos Happy summer gluten free
Sejal M says
My 2.5 year old son has been eating PB since he was 1. We did it because WE wanted to be the ones to give it to him and see if there was an allergy or reaction. We didnt want to leave it to chance and him come into contact with it somewhere else and then have a reaction. Also, dayvares etc always ask if your child has and allergies to PB etc and it’s nice to actually know the answer. You feel more at ease.
Brittany says
Great point Sejal! I totally agree, I want to be the one with her when she tries it so I can watch her closely. Another reason I probably won’t wait 🙂
Kelli says
I have two kids 5 & 7 the first one I listened to my ped. With the eggs , shellfish etc. And then after I had my second I took a much more laid back approach. We don’t have any allergies either so they both got p.b. right around 1 .
Cindi says
I’ve had to be more careful with foods I give Molly because she’s shown allergies to yogurt, eggs, and certain berries. It’s weird because my husband & I don’t have food allergies & I never cut anything out while I was pregnant or nursing – yet, here she is with rashes all over her neck & thighs when she eats certain things. That is why I will probably hold off on peanuts & shellfish until she is at least 18 months – 2 years. I want to make sure she grows out of the other allergies (hopefully) before introducing new foods that could cause more problems. But she does love Sunflower Butter & Jelly sammies 🙂
KaraHadley says
I have a sister who is 9 years younger. I know we fed her pb from a pretty early age (certainly before she was talking) and now she has an allergy to all tree nuts. So part of me thinks that it could have been caused by the early introduction (her doctor said so), but we didn’t feed her others nuts, so why the allergy to all nuts?
A lot of times doctors are far too conservative with their directions. And you also have to think about the fact that there’s little money in researching how and why peanut allergies develop, so it’s safe to say that the research won’t be as cutting edge as, say, cancer research.
Kelsey says
Hey! My daughter is almost 11 months- we belong to a play group where these discussions are always tossed around. One of the moms said at her son’s 1 year appt that the MD said that new research shows that waiting to give these foods (peanuts, shellfish, strawberries) actually leads to MORE allergies. And kids that were introduced before 14 months tend to have the least chance of an allergic response. They say you should introduce them for 4 consecutive days and if all is well then there is no allergy! I’m sure that new research is ALWAYS coming out and every pediatrician is going to have their own opinion based on their experience/knowledge- and like all things parenting you have to go with with your own instincts! I’ve never linked up before- how do I do that?!
Brittany says
Hi Kelsey! Thanks for your input 🙂 The link up is easy! Write a post about what your daughter eats, then on Thursday, you’ll be able to come to my page and enter your link into my post (it’s really easy, you’ll just enter the url). Then readers will be able to click over to your page and see what your little one is eating. It creates a way for many people to share their take on a topic!
mari bury says
Our oldest daughter used to sit down with her daddy and eat peanuts while watching tv since she was about 1 1/2 years old….however she developed a serious peanut allergy around 2 1/2 years old.it was quite scary to see her have an allergy attack, one of the most terrifying moments of my life. Our pediatritian did say at the time that some kids develop the allergy later on, which is what happened to her. Just keep an eye on H when you feed her peanut butter and keep benadryl on hand just in case.
Susan @ Real Life Travels says
Our Ped said hold off on Peanut Butter till about 15 months and when we do give it to him make sure it’s really thin.Which I’ll probably do. Maybe a little sooner then 15 months we’ll see. 3 years is just insane! As for Selfish I can understand. My aunt developed a allergy when she was an adult. I just feel like selfish is one to listen to. But as far as fish goes I’ve been giving fish to Caden for months now. Not a lot of course but every now and again. He loves it. Go with you gut, if she does have an allergic reaction be ready for it.
Susan @ Real Life Travels says
I had a planned post for Thursday … But for you … for you I’ll make an exception 🙂 See you tonight!
Kimberly @ Healthy Strides says
Miles is 11 months, and he has had peanut butter. I had seen that the AAP had changed its recommendation and gave it a go. We’ve seen no adverse reactions – except he might not eat his whole wheat pancake without it! I’ve also introduced fish – tilapia, salmon and tuna. I think so much of what a kid eats is intuitive. I’m not going to give him something he’ll choke on or make him sick but I’m also not going to stick to a stringent set of rules. It’s just not practical.
katie says
Do you have Benadryl in the house? I gave our then 15 month old a bite of rocky road ice cream (which has peanuts) and he broke out in a rash. He didn’t even eat a peanut! Benadryl calmed the rash but we did allergy testing and he is allergic to peanuts. We have no family history of food allergies.
Paulina says
Love this idea! I began feeding my baby solids at 6 months, all purees, following the 4 day rule. But it got too complicated and I felt like all she was eating was avocados, bananas, and carrots! So now, at 8 months old, she just eats mostly what we’re eating. I had some delicious strawberries a few weeks ago and mixed some into her oatmeal and yogurt for two days in a row and I think she had a tiny allergic reaction to them. I need to ask her Dr about how to tell the difference from teething pain and everything else, because unless she is chomping on everything within reach, I can’t tell the difference.
Hallie @ChasingHallie says
We were at a MLB game this Sunday and M’s dad was eating peanuts. Without us knowing she slipped her lil hand into the peanut bag and started sucking on a shell. We freaked out thinking she might have a big reaction (and we would be at a baseball game!) but nothing happened. Not sure if thats conclusive since it was just the shell but she will prob get peanut butter well before 3 years!
Lisa says
3 years??!! Holy moly, that seems a little excessive. I know that the little girl I nannied for was deathly allergic to peanuts, but they tried it out first by bringing peanut butter into the house, and seeing is she could tolerate the smell, which of course she could not, but with the son they did the same, and he’s not allergic. So they started with the smell, putting it on his finger, his lips, and so on. Although, once they realized the girl was allergic all PB was gone, how sad. It was hard enough for me never eating PB before I had to go to their house and work haha.
heather says
Interesting! Growing up I don’t remember any kids in my class at school with nut allergies. However when I taught fifth grade I had 4 in my class of 17! Hhmm
Liz @ IHeartVegetables says
I was homeschooled, so I’m not sure how school rules were when I was little, but I coached elementary school cheerleading last year, and I had one girl with a peanut allergy, and one girl with a bunch of random allergies. It was stressful packing their snack bags!!! haha
Madeline @ Food Fitness and Family says
Honestly this is still a grey area where i haven’t made a decision yet. Em eats full eggs and had her first strawberries and is so far good to go. However, I haven’t decided what I want to do about PB yet. I have food allergies (tree nuts, mango, passionfruit, etc) so I don’t know how I feel at this point. I will probably wait until 1 on PB and then introduce it. I think 3 is a tad excessive. As for shell fish … I am totally fine waiting on that because it is a nasty allergen. Hopefully by the time #2 comes along I will be a PA myself and feel well educated in pediatrics so I am more laid back haha
Katiemac says
My little guy has been eating peanut butter since his 9 month visit, he loves it. My pediatrician gave us the OK, I guess every doctor is different in their stance on it. He’s been fine and eats PB toast every day!
Danielle says
Wow- I had no idea about the 3 year thing. We discovered that our kiddo had already had nuts from various bakery breads and muffins he’d eaten way before his first birthday, so we were in the clear. I think it would be pretty tough to eliminate every potential peanut exposure until a child is 3 years old. I guess our doctor wasn’t super concerned about it since I’ve never heard this! We haven’t tried shellfish yet, but Charlie’s had salmon and cod since he was about 8 months old. He loves it! I think there is a distinct difference in potential allergies for regular fish and shellfish. Salmon poached in chicken broth mashed up with some potatoes, cheese and peas is a dinnertime staple in our house still!
Erika says
I also read somewhere that you should avoid or limit peanut butter while you’re pregnant in case your baby were to be allergic. I highly disagreed with this and ate almost a jar a week during my pregnancy! I think I will wait on pb just because of the sticky/thickness of it.
wholesomebabyfood.com has a good list of when babies should/can have what. I will admit though that I don’t always wait until the proper age and I don’t do the 3-day rule either.
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
As someone who eats more nut butter than I’d even care to admit, I will be horrified if my child somehow ends up with a peanut allergy!! I pretty much agree with your thoughts on this. Of course you want to be better safe than sorry, but I also think it’s odd that peanut allergies seem to be more prevalent these days, even though we are becoming more and more cautious. You would think it would be the other way around!
Christie says
I love this link up idea! Now I just have to remember to snap pictures of Riley’s eats tomorrow!
I had only heard of waiting until 2 for peanuts, but now it is 3?!?!? I doubt i’ll wait that long, as i’m struggling on getting to 2. I love peanut butter and am so anxious for Riley to try it, and most likely love it, too. There was an instance where she got ahold of my peanut butter spoon when baking and was licking it, I just went with it and there was no problem. My pediatrician said it was fine, but to try my best to wait until 2 to give her more, on purpose anyway. 😉
I think as long as there is no history of a food allergy waiting until 2 years of age is fine.
Kate says
When I was an infant my mom was cooking shrimp in the next room while I napped. My mom came to get me up from my nap and I was covered head to toe in hives. My dad is allergic to shellfish so she knew immediately what had happened. I am still allergic as an adult…if my allergy was caused by the cooking fumes or if I was already allergic we will never know, but I kinda think I was just born that way, honestly. Because of that, my husband and I have decided to hold off indefinitely to introduce shellfish to our 8 month old daughter (he doesn’t eat it because even touching me after handling it can cause me to get hives). But peanut butter? I will probably give it to her at a year or so.
Kate says
as someone who has an anaphylactic allergy to fish and seafood, with a younger sister who is allergic to peanuts, I will hold off on feeding my children either. i can see how if you don’t have a history of it in your family 3 years would seem excessive, but for someone who has been hospitalized for fish contact a few times, the first when I was only a year old…the fear is very real
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
no PB until age 3 seems a little ridiculous to me!!!
Elizabeth says
At our 1 year appt the ped said we could feed Whitney anything. I kept saying “what about peanuts?” “what about ….” and he said yes anything (non choking hazard bites obviously.) I wasn’t even worried when I gave her pb for the first time, but I have no experience with allergies either. I have never heard the wait till 3 rule. By the way I’m so impresses with the pics of Hailey eating!
jodie says
I work at a preschool/daycare and I’d say most of the kids 2 and over have had peanut butter. Half of the toddlers who are still under 2 have.
Lee says
Is it just peanut butter or any nut butter that they’re not supposed to have?
Brittany says
That’s a great question that I’m really not sure about. H has already had a couple sips on almond milk via my smoothie, so I guess she’s ok with that! I’m looking for a new ped that may have more info on such questions.
Jerrica says
We were told to hold off until 1 because we have no fam history on either side. I did give my son eggs before then and gradually added the others. I was one of those people who thought about going to the hospital before giving it to him (i was more concerned about the choking). But i’m confident enough in my husbands boy scout/life saving abilities to let him give it to our son! He is now 2 and just enjoyed some conch fritters at the beach. You will know when you are comfortable giving it to her!
Jen says
When I was in grad school for public health, I thought guidelines were the be all, end all and that people who didn’t follow them were fools. Then I started working for the CDC and I saw all the hard work and debating that went into creating these guidelines. Experts don’t put out guidelines unless there is plenty of evidence to back them up. BUT they also understand that guidelines are temporary and are just suggestions, not necessarily what you have to do. Of course, some are stronger than others- you won’t catch me ever eating raw chicken, for instance!
With parenting, it really is what works best for you and your baby. Wyatt hasn’t slept on his back since he was 9 weeks old. I know I’m not doing the right thing according to the AAP, but I’m doing what’s best for my son. And I’ll likely give him peanuts before age 3 seeing how I can’t go a day without eating peanut butter myself!
PS- if you want a pediatrician who’s a little more open-minded and don’t mind driving to south Clt, you’d love ours! He’s of the camp that introducing foods earlier helps prevent allergies.
Diana @ frontyardfoodie says
I read somewhere about how in France they feed their babies anything that they are eating (baby led weaning to the max!), even stinky cheese and chocolate.
My husband has an extreme nut allergy and he was under two when he first tried a nut that sent him into his first crazy reaction. Knowing this, I gave my son peanut butter in a tiny amount to test around the age of one. He didn’t have any reaction and has been loving it ever since. It’s a staple in our house because it’s high protein, sticks to things and he loves it!
Rachael says
Our pedis reccomend introducing peanuts earlier rather than later, being consious of choking hazards of course, since current research shows waiting a longtime actually increases the risk of allergy. I think I gave my first peanut butter around 1.
Ashley M. [at] (never home)maker says
Love this post. We’re still very early into solids, but I keep wondering about those guidelines.
Jennifer says
I have three kids 7, and almost 2….With the youngest there is no way I could wait past 1. My kids always have a little p b on their hands or face and I eat it every day too so he was likely to get it. I have heard of studies that now say give it at 6 months something about a study of children in Africa who drink peanut milk at 6 months and have no issues. Anyway when you do give it just smear a bit on her cheek first. I have heard of people who go to the parking lot of the emergency room the first time!
Tiffany says
My daughter had some peanut butter (a little bit on a piece of english muffin) around 8 months. At her 9 month appt, I got the recommendation to wait on peanut products and shellfish. However, for other reasons, my daughter had just been to a pediatric allergist who was adamant that there was nothing a baby shouldn’t be able to have as long as the portions were appropriate for age. As you mentioned, it is no longer the recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics to wait on peanut products. I still don’t understand why my pediatrician still recommends waiting, but we didn’t and it was fine.
Jamie @ SensationalFamily says
I stumbled here while image searching “peanut free” 🙂 so as a food allergy parent I thought I would salute you for not holding off for “allergy” reasons. Our family is filled with food allergies so I was on top of this come our first born. She broke out into hives after eating Gerber Barley cereal and then again. It didn’t take us long to deduce it was barley making her constantly break out in hives. We held off on known family food allergies since she seemed to already have one (my grandmother was allergic to wheat) only to find out later that it isn’t the actual food that is genetic, just the ability to gain an allergy. She outgrew this allergy after the age of 2 but my son comes along and wham! allergic to peanuts. He was 1 at his first bout with anaphylaxis and it was his maybe 3rd exposure. No one in my family is allergic to peanuts. Not a single person but he got it and he got it bad. I say, if they can eat it safely (not a choking hazard or cause for sickness) then give it to them. If they are allergic they are allergic whether they are 1 or 3.
Katie says
Great topic discussion, & I felt compelled to share some of my personal knowledge. I have three children, older two do not have food allergies, & my husband & I do not have food allergies. Our youngest was rushed to the ER after her first time trying dairy at age 1 due to an anaphylactic reaction. She is severely allergic to dairy. Our allergist advised us to hold off on peanutbutter until closer to age 3 strictly because at that age they can communicate how they are feeling to you much easier. “Mommy my throat feels scratchy.” When or if you do decide to introduce any of the top 8 allergy foods for the first time, be close to your local hospital. Epinephrine saves lives & you only have 7 minutes. This week is actually food allergy awareness week.
One thing many people do not know is anyone of us can develop an anaphylactic food allergy at anytime, even if we have consumed it our whole lives. Just recently a high school girl ate a protein bar her Mom packed in her lunch & reacted. Luckily her school had stocked Epi Pens & her life was saved. She had no idea she had a food allergy. If you would like to learn more, http://www.foodallergy.org
Be safe, watching your child’s throat close is terrifying.
Tara says
My pediatrician recommended that I wait until 15 months to introduce PB to my daughter. The first three times she had it there was no reaction. The fourth time resulted in a rash and hives. This happened last week and I am still taking it all in. Am I going to become that paranoid mom now? Probably! I have an appt with an allergist in a few weeks to try to get more info on her allergy. The worst part of this experience is the way people have responded to it. “You gave her PB this early, well my doc said absolutely not until 2 years old.” I got the same reaction from the triage nurse at my pediatrician’s office. She said I shouldn’t have given it that early and the doc she works for would not recommend that. So annoying! It is not the pediatrician’s or my fault that she has a peanut allergy. After doing research, I now wonder if it would have been better to expose it even earlier. My husband, a resident physician, explained to me that the body develops it’s proficiency for antibodies (something technical like that) at a really young age so it make sense that the AAP dropped the delayed recommendation.