When can babies have peanut butter? Learn when and how to introduce peanut butter to your baby and some easy ways to add it to their diet.

Almost 5% of children younger than five years of age have a food allergy. Peanuts and peanut-containing foods cause one of the most common food allergies in children. This is an allergy children may not outgrow.

In recent years, the research around peanut allergy prevention has blossomed. We now have clear guidelines to preventing peanut allergy. Early exposure to peanut protein is the key to prevention.

So, when can babies have peanut butter and peanuts?

In this article, you’ll learn how to introduce peanuts and peanut protein safely to your baby so you can reduce the risk of allergy to this common allergen.

Introducing Peanut Butter To Your Baby and Allergy Prevention

In the world of food allergies and pediatrics, the buzz is all about peanut allergy guidelines.

Peanut allergy data shows that it’s critical to expose your baby to peanuts as soon as they are developmentally ready to start solids. You read that right. In the first year of life, it’s ideal to introduce peanut protein as early as 4 months of age, according to the latest research and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). These new studies have prompted new guidelines, which fly in the face of previous standard food allergy prevention practices.

Let’s look deeper at some of the studies prompting these changes in the recommendations for introducing peanuts and peanut allergy prevention.

The LEAP Study 

In the LEAP study (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy), UK researchers looked at the incidence of peanut allergy in young children starting at ages 4 to 11 months (enrollment) and up through age 5 years.

Babies who were already sensitive to peanuts were divided into two groups: One group consumed peanut products at least 3 times a week (6 grams of peanut protein, which is equivalent to 24 grams of peanuts or 3 teaspoons of peanut butter per week). The other group completely avoided peanut products for the first 5 years of life.

The results showed that the kids who AVOIDED peanut foods in the first 5 years of life had a 13.7% prevalence of peanut allergy and those who ate peanuts in their first 5 years had a 2% prevalence of peanut allergy.

Big difference!

In the high-risk infants who showed a positive skin prick test to peanut at the start of the study, 35.3% of those infants who avoided peanuts had a peanut allergy, while only 10.6% of those who ate peanuts had a peanut allergy.

Another big difference!

When peanuts were introduced between 4 and 11 months of age, a significant reduction of peanut allergy occurred.

The AAP in partnership with other leading organizations has put together guidelines for using this new research. There’s been swift movement by major organizations.

These findings about peanut allergy are encouraging—even promising.

Thankfully, several other studies have rolled out since the LEAP study supporting the early introduction of peanut-based foods to prevent peanut allergy.

Are Peanut Allergy Prevention Efforts Fail-Proof?

Some children had peanut allergies during the study, showing that early introduction isn’t fail-proof. Peanut allergy can still develop despite attempts at prevention.

This study included high-risk infants with minimal or negative skin prick test responses to peanut.

When Can Babies Have Peanut Butter?

Peanut butter can be part of the plan when your baby starts on solid foods. When your child is developmentally ready for solids, you can use smooth peanut butter, thinned out with breast milk or infant formula, or mixed into baby cereal or other pureed foods. If you are using a baby-led weaning approach, you can bake with peanut butter protein powder or swipe a thin layer of peanut butter onto toast strips.  

Peanuts present a choking hazard for young children, so avoid whole nuts. 

The target age for peanut exposure is between 6 months and 12 months of age. There are some caveats, however, especially for babies who are at high-risk for developing a peanut allergy.

In fact, these early introduction of food allergen recommendations have been applied to the big 9 food allergens to prevent other allergies to allergenic foods.

How to Introduce Peanut Butter to Your Baby

Peanut butter is universally available in the grocery store and is an easy product for the early introduction of peanuts. 

[Learn How to Make Your Own Baby Food!]

Typically, you’ll want to begin with 1-2 teaspoons per day and build from there. If your baby has no symptoms, like trouble breathing, mild-to-moderate eczema, or other signs of an allergic reaction, you can offer peanut butter and other peanut products as part of your baby’s regular diet.

Here are three ways to use peanut butter with your baby:

1. Offer peanut butter straight off the spoon: Thin peanut butter out with warm water, breast milk or baby formula and feed it to your baby with a spoon.
2. Mix peanut butter into other foods: Add a small amount of peanut butter to warm cereal or pureed fruits and vegetable puree. Once you introduce yogurt to your baby, you can add peanut butter to that, too.
3. Add peanut butter to baked goods: Stir peanut butter into your sweet bread, pancake, waffle and muffin batters.

Get creative as your baby’s diet expands, including peanut butter in smoothies and soups.

A Word on Baby Choking

“Will my baby choke?”

Offering peanut butter, peanuts, or other peanut products to your baby can be scary and counter-intuitive. Common sense tells us, yes, it’s quite possible for your baby to choke on peanut butter or whole peanuts.

Chopped or whole peanuts are a choking hazard for your baby. Most babies are not able to grind, mash or chew peanuts. Peanut butter is thick and difficult to manipulate in the mouth for inexperienced eaters. Therefore, it’s critical to change the form of peanuts so your baby is safe when you introduce peanut-containing products.

There are several forms of peanuts you can use to introduce peanut allergen to your baby safely.

Peanut Butter Powder 

Peanut powder is made from defatted peanuts, crushed into a powder. You can stir this into cereal, yogurt (if you’ve already introduced this food), pureed fruit or veggies, or incorporate it into baked goods.

Peanut Butter Puffs (Bamba)

Peanut puffs were originally popular in Israel. Similar to a cheese puff, it melts in your baby’s mouth. You can find this in the grocery store or online.

How Do I Know If My Baby Is Allergic to Peanut Butter?

If your baby doesn’t have eczema or an egg allergy, she is considered at low risk for a peanut allergy. You can start to offer peanut butter or another form of peanut at around 6 months (ideally between 4-6 months of age, per the guidelines), and you can do this at home. Be sure to be with your baby through this process and monitor for an adverse reaction.

Your baby is considered at moderate risk for developing a peanut allergy if he has mild eczema. You can still do early peanut introduction with peanut butter or another form of peanut around 6 months and do it at home. Basically, use the same guidelines outlined above for low-risk babies.

If your baby has an egg allergy or severe eczema, they are considered at high risk for developing a peanut allergy. It’s still recommended to expose your baby to peanut allergens between the ages of 4 and 6 months, but you need to talk with your doctor first.

Your pediatrician may perform a blood test to determine the risk level for developing peanut allergy. You can decide with your pediatrician about when and where to offer peanut.

If your baby shows high sensitivity to peanut, it doesn’t mean they’re allergic to it. Your doctor may decide it’s best to introduce peanuts to prevent the allergy from developing. This is something you may do in your doctor’s office, under medical supervision.

[Want to know exactly how to introduce solids to your baby? Read my book: The Smart Mom’s Guide to Starting Solids]

What Are the Symptoms of a Peanut Allergy?

It’s important to recognize the symptoms of a peanut allergy, especially when you are in the early stages of introducing peanut butter and other peanut products.

The symptoms range from a runny nose to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening total body reaction that requires immediate care.

Anaphylaxis includes difficulty breathing, swelling in the throat, a sudden drop in blood pressure, pale skin or blue lips, fainting and dizziness.

Anaphylaxis requires urgent help and epinephrine is often the treatment. If you suspect anaphylaxis, seek medical help immediately.

Other symptoms of peanut allergy include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain and/or cramping
• Wheezing
• Difficulty breathing
• Repetitive coughing, clearing of the throat, tightness in the throat, or hoarse voice
• Weak pulse
• Pale skin
• Swelling of the tongue, lips, and/or eyes
• Hives
• Dizziness, confusion

If you note any of these symptoms after introducing peanut, call your doctor and report them.

Get your FREE Top Baby Nutrients cheat sheet. Click here.

Wrapping Up

If you have little ones (or even big ones), these peanut allergy prevention recommendations may be frightening.

For one, this new approach may go against everything you’ve been told about serving peanuts to little kids and the potential for developing a peanut allergy.

Even more worrisome, anaphylaxis can be deceptive, even silent, in a very young child. You may not recognize what is happening to their child. Even I misread my son’s first allergic reaction to tree nuts —and I am versed in food allergies and allergic reactions.

As a pediatric nutritionist, I know there’s power in knowing what you can and cannot give your baby to eat in the first year of life. Your job is to build a variety of food experiences so that it’s easy to develop good eating habits in the future. And now, we know that you can actively prevent a peanut allergy – how empowering!

If you’re nervous and want more guidance, talk with your pediatrician. 

Resources

Check out The Ultimate Guide to Baby Nutrition in the First Year!

Check out my video ‘When Can Babies EAT REAL FOOD?‘