DALLAS – January 2017 – A spoonful of peanut butter may help keep a peanut allergy away, but check first with your pediatrician.

Several recent large-scale studies have shown that introducing peanut foods to a high-risk infant as early as 4 to 6 months can reduce the risk of a child developing a peanut allergy, says Dr. J. Andrew Bird, a pediatric food allergist at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health, who specializes in peanut allergies.

“Peanut allergy affects nearly 3 million Americans, is usually lifelong, and the number of children affected by peanut allergy has increased dramatically over the last 15 years,” says Dr. Bird, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and director of the Food Allergy Center at Children’s Health.

Infants who are at high risk of having an allergic reaction to peanuts – those who have severe eczema or have had an allergic reaction to eggs – should be introduced to peanuts at 4 to 6 months, according to recently released guidelines from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease. But the child should be evaluated by their pediatrician or an allergist first to determine if it is safe to introduce at home, in the pediatrician’s office, or to avoid peanut products altogether.

“The recently released guidelines are intended to promote the early introduction of age-appropriate peanut products into the diets of infants at greatest risk of developing peanut allergy. We are hopeful that changes in recommendations for initial solid food introduction will curb this growing problem,” said Dr. Bird.

Here are the Institute’s guidelines for introducing peanut foods to an infant at home:

• First introduce the child to other solid foods such as rice or oat cereal or pureed vegetable, and be sure all goes well.
• Dilute 2 teaspoons of peanut butter with an equal amount water. Feed children a bit of the diluted peanut butter and then watch them, looking for any rash or other sign of allergy.  If no problems or concerns, give the remaining portion as you would other age-appropriate foods.
• Do not feed infants peanuts, as they are a choking hazard for young children.

Dr. Bird is a Dedman Family Scholar in Clinical Care at UT Southwestern.

Media Contact: 214-648-3404 or news@utsouthwestern.edu