New study: Feed your baby peanut products

[kenny]

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35727244

Partial snip:
In 2015, a study claimed early exposure to peanut products could cut the risk of allergy by 80%.
Now researchers say "long-lasting" allergy protection can be sustained - even when the snacks are later avoided for a year.
The New England Journal of Medicine study looked at 550 children deemed prone to developing a peanut allergy.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I saw this article, I started my son on peanut butter at 18 months. We don't have any food allergies, eczema or auto immune issues on either side but we also are right down the street from the hospital, luckily he had no issue with it.

Not sure about starting them earlier though, especially because I think the younger they are perhaps the more severe a reaction could be?

 

[kenny]

I saw this article, I started my son on peanut butter at 18 months. We don't have any food allergies, eczema or auto immune issues on either side but we also are right down the street from the hospital, luckily he had no issue with it.

Not sure about starting them earlier though, especially because I think the younger they are perhaps the more severe a reaction could be?

I certainly could be wrong but ...

I thought the immune system is being constructed from birth ... IOW the earlier the better.
I think babies/kids raised on farms, with all those bacterium and pathogens swarming around, turn out to have fewer allergies/asthma than babies raised in homes with clean-freak parents who sanitize everything and keep their babies OFF the dirty floor, and have a heart attack if baby eats anything that fell on the floor.

 

[telephone89]

I legitimately called this years ago, and people told me I was crazy Any way we can prevent pointless allergies is a plus IMO.

 

[amc80]

I started T on peanut butter right when he turned one and we haven't had any problems.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I followed the new recommendation and dutifully fed my almost 7 month old peanut butter, which he happily ate. And, then, his eyes started to water, and he started coughing, and he developed a few little hives. We gave him Benadryl, and our now former pediatrician advised to wait until a year to see an allergist, and advised strict avoidance of all peanut products. We have now seen two allergists who have confirmed the peanut and other allergies. We live with multiple pets, who bring in dirt and mud. I certainly don't freak out if the baby is on the floor, and I promise you, cleaning was not on the top of my list of things to do with a newborn. I also recall hearing, over the summer, when he was a newborn, that the best thing parents could do for their kids is to let them crawl around on a NYC subway when they are babies. I am not sure which doctor/researcher made this statement. If I had to guess, it was probably from the same Mt. Sinai allergy docs who tout similar advice as a way for kids to avoid allergies -- I read recently, one said, the best thing for kids to do is to play in the dirt. I do not disagree, whether the issue is allergies or anything else, but I do question whether it would make a difference. My point being, I remembered this NYC subway comment, and my baby did not grow up in a pristine environment.

Instead, he's had eczema since he was born, which still flares, despite the fact that we follow all recommendations, I've breastfed him from birth, and avoid multiple suspected allergens.

Sometimes, kids still get allergies. Given that the recommendations have now changed, pediatricians need to start referring babies out to allergists sooner OR they need to prescribe epi-pens and instruct parents on signs of anaphylaxis.

ETA: I also fed my daughter pb at age one year, following the recommendation at that time. No allergies. No family history of allergies.

 

[Laila619]

Sorry about your lil guy, LV.

It all just seems like a crapshoot. I fed my twins peanut butter at around 10 months. I also ate peanuts and PB when I was pregnant. So far so good, but you just never know. Perhaps I just got lucky. It seems like they are no closer to figuring out what causes peanut allergies. I did stay away from getting vaccines when I was pregnant, because some vaccines do contain potential allergens that I was worried might not be good for a growing fetus.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Thanks, Laila! I also ate pb with reckless abandon during both pregnancies, and also while breastfeeding (until I realize what was going on with my son.)

I should add - I do agree with the new recommendations, and I do believe that they may result in less incidences of allergies overall. I just think pediatricians need to get up to speed quickly. I could see an allergic kid being sent home without an epi-pen, like my baby was, and the parents not realizing the risk.

There are new treatments being developed for peanut allergies. Peanut patches that go on the skin will likely be available by the time my baby is old enough to report symptoms. There are also peanut desensitization programs, where the patient consumes a tiny amount of peanut, the dose of which is increased every two weeks for a year. Kids usually have to be at least 5 to start.

I am hopeful that my son will either outgrow his allergies (20% chance for peanuts, they say) or benefit from treatment.

 

[amc80]

B had a lot of allergies when he was little. He also had some eczema and now has asthma. T appears to not have any allergies, nor has he had any breathing problems.

I think the early introduction thing makes sense, but I also think there's some plain old luck as well.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

My question is, why are there so many good allergies now compared to when I was a kid in the 80's. I'm going to bet it has something to do with the pesticides and chemicals kids are exposed to in food these days. Of course you can't trust the government, they are just going to ramble some nonsense about how there is better diagnostics now etc etc.

I take whatever the government tells me and I do the opposite anyways, seems to be working great so far!

 

[dk168]

Being Chinese, I was fed peanut products from a very young age, as my family used peanut oil for cooking all the time.

No issue with any allergies, and touch wood, long may that continue.

DK