Q re: peanut butter exposure

[Tellera]

DS is 2 3/4. Both last week Saturday, and today, we gave him peanut butter. First by a smear on the cheek, then, an hour later a tiny taste by mouth. He didn't particularly enjoy it, so he spit it out last week. This week, the very tiny amount he tasted he probably didn't swallow, spit it out again, but it was in his mouth for about 20 seconds or so.

There was no reaction, allergy-wise, either last week or this morning.

My question is, can we consider him to be OK with peanuts? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but he only got a very tiny amount of peanut butter inside his mouth, and he likely didn't actually swallow any of it. I know that he still got some on his tongue and absorbed that way. But, does he need to have a certain amount to really trigger a life threatening allergy (throat swelling...)?

Thank you for reading and my apologies for my lack of knowledge. I'll also call our nurse line to ask, but I thought I'd check here too.

[Chinese Pistache]

Does he have any other allergies? If he does, I'd wait a year longer to introduce it. If he doesn't, I'd let him have it, but just watch him carefully for a while. Peanut is one of the trickier allergens because an allergy can show up suddenly after multiple exposures. But if your dc doesn't have any other food allergies, I wouldn't worry so much about that.

[Tellera]

Thanks!

I had hoped to find out if he was allergic or not by this Saturday, which was the reason for the exposure last week and this morning. We are going to be on a cruise for a week where there will be buffets and other copious foodstuffs, and I was just trying to get a read on the peanut thing before we went - so that I knew how careful we would need to be about peanut products. But it sounds like it could crop up at any time!

He doesn't have any food allergies - as far as we know. However, we haven't introduced any nuts (other than the peanut butter), though. He's had crab dip once, but other than that, I don't think he's had any other shelfish.

He can't tolerate regular milk (diarrhea), but is fine with lactose-free milk.

Neither his father or I have any food allergies/intolerances.

[Ruthla]

Well, he doesn't have any obvious reactions to small amounts of peanuts- so I wouldn't worry about potential cross-contamination in prepared foods.

[Tellera]

Thanks! I will still keep him from outright peanuts and p. butter, but will feel better around all the food in general. I hear food on a cruise is everywhere. I was on one a long time ago and don't really remember. But from what others say and the descriptions, food ho!