Nuts for Babies: Parents Magazine says start at 6 months....

[cynotgirl]

Has anyone else seen this? It kind of dumb-founded me!

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) changed its policy of avoiding ground nuts and foods containing nuts until age 3. Now the group says that parents can offer them to babies 6 months and up, as long as they aren't showing signs of other food allergies and don't have a family history of nut allergies.

http://www.parents.com/recipes/nutrition/kid-friendly-nut-recipes/

I asked our ped about it, but she hadn't heard about that....

Input anyone?

[Carma]

Maybe it is related to this (type of) research:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/125/1/50

Seems they start to believe that withholding food does not avoid allergies.

Carma

[redvlagrl]

yes, and they are also thinking now that early introduction of potential allergens has a *protective* effect.

[blumooned]

DS ate nut products from about 10 months on.  He tried peanut & almond butters & loved them.  We have no family history of allergies & were going kind of baby-led solids style, so he got to eat what we were eating.

I wouldn't give a little baby actual nuts. But as long as it's not a choking hazard, I say go for it!

[mamadelbosque]

That was the conclusion I came to a couple yrs ago after reading numerous studies: that there is *NO* protective benefit to delaying common allergens till age X, and in fact some evidence that shows that the longer you *delay* the *MORE* likely you are to end up with allergies. Which, actually makes a certain amount of sense: think of how much PB a 6-9 month is going to eat their first time vs how much a 2 or 3 or 4 yr old is likely to consume!! Thats why my boys have eaten everything we have from the day they started solids. :shrug