Guidelines for introducing nuts (or products with nuts in them)

[Sterla]

I was just wondering if it's okay to give my almost 12 month old something with nuts in it?

There are no allergies in our family at all, and we've had no problems with any foods we've introduced.
I was planning on making korma for tea tonight, which has a very small amount of cashew in it. Is this okay for my DS?

And just in general I was wondering about when it is okay to introduce nuts?

[Heaven]

Glad you posted! I have no idea either!!

[Michelle71]

There is such a wide range of advice and information Hard to know which to follow.

Personally, we didn't delay anything. DS is 2.5y and has been eating nuts (cashews are a favourite ) since 18m supervised. Choking risk is our only concern, hence the supervision. He had peanut butter and stole some of my nutella at around 12m.

DD - well that is a completely different story!!! She had peanut butter and nutella from about 8m thanks to her older brother but is yet to eat whole nuts.

Both DS and DD did BLS as well so were probably exposed to nuts in some of the other foods they ate along the way.

If there is no family history of allergy I think you can introduce nuts whenever you feel comfortable. Just watch for any swelling or reactions.

[Sterla]

Thanks for your reply Michelle. We'll have a go tonight with the korma then, and I'll just keep a close eye on DS .

[Tish]

We have been similar to Michelle, and haven't really delayed anything. At 15 mos he has been having peanut butter for a while!

DH works in the medical sector and his advice has been to give anything like nuts etc in the morning of a week day that way if anything goes wrong and you have to go to hossie there's more chance that the senior staff are on, rather than a junior doctor. JIC.

Sounds silly, but that's the way we've done it

[wysiwyg]

I have given my DD(8 months) nut butter (almond, brazil nut and cashew) on rice cake. As we are doing BLS, I figured that had probably been exposed to nuts in some form or other, and no history of allergies in family - she seemed to really like it.

I thought I read somewhere that they thought that delaying introduction of foods where there is no history of allergies is one thing that contributes to prevalence of allergies. So apart from honey we are going for it with any foods unless there is a choking risk e.g. with whole nuts.