Nutty Food Can Be Good For Babies, Says Group of US Doctors
The best way to avoid your child developing a peanut allergy? Feed them peanuts. That’s the latest guidance from a group of paediatricians in the US.
Don’t go giving your kids hands full of peanuts which can be a choking hazard, but some try some baby-friendly peanut foods like smooth peanut butter, peanut soup or finely ground peanuts mixed into yoghurt.
But before you reach for the peanut butter, the doctors say you should give your children an allergy test before giving them peanuts of any kind - particularly for at-risk children and those between four and 11 months old.
At risk kids include those who’ve had reactions to eggs, or severe eczema, which suggest a possible food allergy.
The advice came out of a major new study that found that exposure to the nuts at a young age can curb the development of the allergy. The NHS advises parents in the UK to avoid giving children nuts if there is a history of allergy in the family.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Allergry, Asthma and Immunology endorse the advice, with an official statement set to be released in the Journal of Pediatrics on August 31.
What do you think? Will you be giving your children peanuts or will you say nuts to all that? Let us know on Twitter by tweeting @YahooStyleUK
Image: Chameleons Eye/Rex
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