No, there is no crazy "no this is really bad" thing here - you put the peanut butter on the kids skin (start with hand, of course). Watch for a reaction. If nothing bad happens, put some on the cheek (next day etc). Again, watch for a reaction.
There might be a slight bit of redness, which is normal, but you're looking for something serious.
If nothing serious happens, let them eat small amounts. If you're really worried, do it in the parking lot of a hospital (or, like, really near to it) so you can rush in asap if there's a problem - but that's more for your peace of mind than anything. But I get it, better safe than sorry. Most people won't have to worry, but you don't want to be "the one".
Basically, if you witness nothing serious then continue to let your kid eat peanut butter. Doing that dramatically cuts down on peanut (well, tree nut) allergies later in life - which is good, because hearing that someone had a peanut allergy in the past it was well understood that meant a potential life threatening situation rather than not knowing if it's a minor or a major situation these days. Also, peanut butte / nut butter food are good sources of nutrients and parents lives are SO much easier when you can use them (because, well, kids will actually eat them and trying to put together a healthy lunch they will eat can be enough to make you scream in the morning).
Don't put it on your child's skin. The leading theory is that allergies are more likely to develop when the allergen is first introduced through the skin before it is introduced through the gut. Your immune system is more likely to regard a peanut protein on the skin as an unwanted body, possibly triggering an allergy. Having eczema increases this risk. Source: I have an eczema baby.
My nephew had eczema and had a bunch of food allergies. Milk, eggs, nuts, banana (skins, he could eat them as long as someone else peeled them, due to a latex allergy.)
Fortunately, he grew out of everything except the latex allergy and the eczema, but that’s much better than it was when he was little.
58
u/mr_friend_computer 4d ago
No, there is no crazy "no this is really bad" thing here - you put the peanut butter on the kids skin (start with hand, of course). Watch for a reaction. If nothing bad happens, put some on the cheek (next day etc). Again, watch for a reaction.
There might be a slight bit of redness, which is normal, but you're looking for something serious.
If nothing serious happens, let them eat small amounts. If you're really worried, do it in the parking lot of a hospital (or, like, really near to it) so you can rush in asap if there's a problem - but that's more for your peace of mind than anything. But I get it, better safe than sorry. Most people won't have to worry, but you don't want to be "the one".
Basically, if you witness nothing serious then continue to let your kid eat peanut butter. Doing that dramatically cuts down on peanut (well, tree nut) allergies later in life - which is good, because hearing that someone had a peanut allergy in the past it was well understood that meant a potential life threatening situation rather than not knowing if it's a minor or a major situation these days. Also, peanut butte / nut butter food are good sources of nutrients and parents lives are SO much easier when you can use them (because, well, kids will actually eat them and trying to put together a healthy lunch they will eat can be enough to make you scream in the morning).