Baby meets peanut butter

Today we did something a little scary and a lot messy: baby got to eat peanut butter for the very first time!

I had originally planned on giving her sugar-free peanut butter, but apparently that only comes in chunky style.

There’s a lot of conflicting advice – both online and in the real world – about when to introduce allergens like peanut butter to kids. Some sources say a year, some say after six months and some say between four and six months.

After doing a considerable amount of research on the subject, Hubby and I decided to follow the latest advice from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) and aim to introduce most allergens when Pumpkin was between four and six months. According to recent studies, it seems that this is the ideal age range to offer a baby these foods – and it may even help to prevent a child from developing allergies. We aimed closer to the six month mark.

The reason we waited until pretty late in the four-to-six-month window is because we’re also being constantly inundated with the advice that babies should only be fed breast milk or formula for the first six months. Mixed messages anyone? So, we found a good compromise, I think.

Since food allergies aren’t a problem in our family, I wasn’t super-worried about introducing peanut butter. However, I did take a few precautions, just to be on the safe side.

For one thing, we started by giving her a few ‘hypoallergenic’ foods to get her used to eating. She loves mashed up banana and mango puree. Sweet potato and avocado didn’t go down so well, but carrot puree and baby rice were other popular choices.

The next step was to see if she had any skin reactions to peanuts. Earlier in the week, I spread a bit on one of her legs. The only thing that happened is she got a sticky leg.

Yesterday, when I was trying to eat a piece of bread spread with Nutella, Pumpkin launched herself towards me and took a mouthful. We kept a close eye on her for a little while, and while this was an unintentional test, it showed that she didn’t have any problems with hazelnuts or chocolate. Two more items to tick off the list. Plus a bit more confidence about the peanut test!

Today it was time to tackle the PB. I waited until later in the morning, figuring that if she did have a reaction, there shouldn’t be as much traffic on the roads – so getting to the hospital would be easier, plus the local GP across the street would be open.

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I mixed the peanut butter with some banana – I read somewhere that this is ideal because it de-stickies the PB and means there is less of a choking hazard. It didn’t look very nice, but it smelled divine! Then, I plopped baby into her high chair and took the plunge.

Omnomnom

She absolutely loved it and, after staring at her intently for several minutes after the first bite, I concluded that she wasn’t going to have an immediate reaction, so offered another spoonful.

I don’t know if she was hungry or just really liked the taste, but she gobbled it all down and was so excited about eating it that she kept grabbing the spoon with her hands – something she hasn’t done before.

“If I use my hands, maybe I can get more of this delicious concoction into my mouth!”

Of course, the process was also incredibly messy and the bib did very little to contain the gloop. A wipe-down with a wet cloth and a complete change of clothes was next.

Finally, I gave the little lady a bottle – after all, nothing goes better with peanut butter than a big glass of milk! She gulped it down and then fell asleep for a couple of hours – while I continued to an eye out for any signs of problems and listened to a couple of podcasts.

Peanut butter and milk (or formula): a perfect combination

Have you introduced any ‘scary’ foods to your baby yet? When did you do it, and how? Also, how did you decide when the best time would be? I’d love to hear about your experiences, so leave a comment below.

Thanks for stopping by!

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