We’ve heard the advice before… that it’s best to avoid feeding peanuts to infants, in fear of them developing an allergy. In fact, about 1 in 50 Canadian children develop a peanut allergy during their childhood. But guess what recent research is starting to suggest an opposite approach! With multiple publications in “Canada’s Allergy, Asthma and Immunology”, claims have been made to prove our traditional thinking wrong. The recommendations were made by a panel of doctors organized by the US government, as per CTV’s article.
They say that feeding peanuts to children around six months in age, is the best way to actually prevent a peanut allergy from developing. Most parents think it’s better to be safe than sorry, so they prefer to avoid peanuts altogether. However, these same parents could add peanut-containing foods to their child’s diet, such as watered-down peanut butter or peanut puff snacks, to help prevent the allergy initially. Keep in mind not to introduce whole peanuts or globs of peanut butter to your child, as they can easily be choking hazards. After introducing them to peanut products, it is best to continue giving them to the child a few times each week, in order to build tolerance in their body.
This specific study advises you to act with caution. If an infant has severe eczema or an egg allergy, you should first discuss the approach with your physician.
It’s possible this strategy could work for other allergens as well, which would be groundbreaking… but at this time, it has only been tested with peanuts and eggs.
It’s crazy to think, and remind yourself, that sometimes the ideal solution… is counter-intuitive to your common sense!
– Dr. Jay Rabinovich