Allergy Experts Now Recommend Introducing Peanut Foods to Babies
Parents have been advised not to give their children foods containing peanuts for extended periods of time, but recent studies have shown otherwise . The National Institutes of Health now recommends that parents give peanuts to babies four to six months old.
Peanut allergy is deadly and parents have previously been advised to refrain from introducing peanuts until children reach an early age, especially if there is a family history of allergies. Experts believed it would reduce their risk of developing peanut allergies, but now they believe the opposite is true. Several large studies have shown that children at high risk of developing allergies are actually less likely to develop allergies if they are regularly fed peanut-containing foods during their first year of life. In an announcement earlier today, the NIH summarized new guidelines for preventing peanut allergy in young children. Their group of allergy experts recommends that babies at high risk of developing peanut allergy include peanut in their diet as early as 4 months.
However, before introducing foods containing peanuts to your child, make sure they are examined by an allergy specialist first . And the NIH cautions against giving babies whole peanuts or plain peanut butter, which can cause choking. To learn more about the new rules, follow the link below.
NIH-Sponsored Panel to Issue Clinical Guidelines for Preventing Peanut Allergy | National Institutes of Health via NPR Science