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?
Glad you posted! I have no idea either!!
There is such a wide range of advice and information :rolleyes: 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 :lol:) 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 :o 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.
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 :).
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 ;)
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.
My DS is severely allergic to peanuts and cashews and there is no history of nut allergy on either my side of the family or DH's family.
I have heard all kinds of theories as to why he might be allergic from all sorts of people and it is, quite frankly, infuriating. It is as if people want to pinpoint something I did that caused it so they can feel clever that they haven't done the same thing.
The fact is that the finest medical research minds in the world do not know why nut allergies are increasing so any theory you hear about exposure or lack of exposure to nuts causing or preventing allergy is merely a theory. And that goes for using too many chemicals, being too conscious of germs, blah blah blah. Quite frankly, until they find out what's going on, it's going to be luck of the draw as to whether or not you get a kid allergic to nuts.
We found out DS was allergic to nuts after he ate 2 (only 2) cashews at the age of 2 and 20 minutes later was violently and repeatedly throwing up, choking and spluttering. He was sent off for allergy tests which confirmed severe cashew allergy (an allergy which has increased threefold in the last five years) and also severe peanut allergy. We carry an Epipen with us because we do not know what his reaction to a peanut would be, only that it would be severe and that it would only take a fragment of a nut to cause a reaction, and if he was exposed to cashews again, his reaction might be more severe.
You need to watch for a reaction within the first 15 minutes or so...the quicker the reaction, the more severe the allergy. Most dangerous would be swelling and shortness of breath and/or wheezing, indicating anaphylaxis. You would need to call 000 immediately.
Other reactions to look for are hives, flaring of eczema, rash, diarrhoea, vomiting.
To challenge with a food - first allow them to smell it. Wait. If no reaction, the next day rub some on their hand. If no reaction, the next day rub some on their face. Then the following day, a bit on the inside of the lip. Then if no reaction, give it to them to eat.
That is exactly the problem Curly - there is no rhyme or reason to nut allergy. Early or late introduction seems to make no difference. Family history is just a precaution for those who may be prone. For the rest of us it is luck of the draw and there is nothing that we can do / not do to prevent it if your child happens to be sensitive or anaphylactic.
The ramifications of allergy is huge and underestimated. The impact on the family is significant. There is no going out for dinner without considering the risk of exposure to the allergen, for example. There is the need to carry and use adrenaline to manage the severe reactions.
Parents need to make the decision of when to introduce potential allergens based on their own comfort level and any family history.
Great post Curly, will have to keep that in mind.
Sterla just thought I'd offer our experience.
With DD we waited until 12months and then just offered very small tastes until we were sure she wouldn't react. She has nuts as part of her diet regularly.
When DS came along, his sister is a very good big sister and very good at sharing, so he had a few bites of PB sandwich very early in his eating life before I could catch her and get them off him. We didn't see any reaction so the other night we had pad tai for dinner (has peanut in it). DS just loves to try everything we had so cautiously I gave him some. Within about 15minutes he had a rash around his mouth.
I don't know if it was the nuts or something else, but I am certainly being very careful and will monitor like a hawk. I think I will wait for a few weeks and try Curly's suggestion to challenge him again.