 of the introduction of new foods.
In general, however, the new guidelines are as follows:
If your baby has an existing egg allergy, eczema, or both…
Then peanut-containing foods should be introduced from 4 to 6 months of age, with the agreement of – and under the supervision of – your child’s doctor.
(NOTE FROM EDITOR: Some parents may find this a contentious issue and may not be happy to introduce ANY solid foods – let alone peanuts – as early as 4 months (please see this page, which discusses when the early introduction of solids may be necessary).
That being said, it seems that this early introduction of peanuts to babies in the ‘high risk’ group is key to the prevention of nut allergy. This is, therefore, a matter to discuss very carefully with your child’s doctor, drawing his/her attention to these guidelines if necessary).
If your baby has mild to moderate eczema…
You should introduce peanut-containing foods at 6 months of age.
If your baby has no history of food allergy or eczema…
You can freely introduce peanuts along with other new foods.
In all cases, you should offer other foods BEFORE peanut-containing foods, to make sure your little one is developmentally ready for solid foods at all.
Even though this was a UK study, the current guidelines have only been issued in the US.
UK guidelines still recommend that
- You discuss the introduction of peanut-containing foods with your doctor if your baby already has an allergy, or if there is a family history of allergy.
- You introduce peanut-containing foods at 6 months if there is no history of food allergy or other allergy in your family.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Peanuts are not suitable for babies with G6PD deficiency . Please see this page for more information.
Peanut baby food ideas
Whole peanuts, of course, present a choking hazard and even smooth peanut butter can be rather dense for a baby to manage.
So here are a few ideas for including peanuts in your baby’s diet…
- Stir smooth peanut butter into applesauce, banana or natural yogurt.
- Stir smooth peanut butter into baby’s rice cereal, oatmeal or cooked barley cereal.
- Mix peanut butter into pancake or muffin batters (or try these Banana and Peanut Muffins – they’re easy to make, super-soft to eat and VERY yummy!)
- Blend peanut butter with frozen banana to make a simple, tasty banana ‘n peanut ice cream!
NOTE: Look for 100% peanut butter, preferably with no salt, sugar or preservatives. In other words, it should ideally be just peanuts!
This can be tricky to find, and quite expensive when you do!
Another option is to invest in a good blender and make your own nut butters. A blender capable of grinding nuts to a smooth paste can be quite an investment initially. Nevertheless, a powerful blender can take on a whole range of tasks in the kitchen (some even enable you to make your own flour!), so it might be an expense worth considering.
Best blenders for homemade nut butters
We use a Vitamix to make peanut butter, which we love but have to admit comes with a hefty price tag! Somewhat cheaper is the Blendtec Designer Series Blender which does an awesome job in preparing homemade peanut butter.
If that’s still above your price range, then we recommend the Ninja Blender 1200 which we have found to be great value for money and more powerful than other blenders in this price range.
Ninja Blender 1200