A pediatrician can coach you in feeding peanut butter to your baby since they have a detailed medical history of your child.
Peanut butter is loved by many. Its sticky, creamy deliciousness makes your mouth water at its sight. Why would you want your baby to miss out?
Peanut butter is a staple in a lot of households. But it’s also a dangerous food to those with severe allergies. Parents worldwide are nervous about giving their babies peanut butter for this reason.
Luckily, research shows that early introduction to peanuts reduces the risk of developing a peanut allergy later in life. Today, we’re sharing how to feed peanut butter to your baby.
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When Your Baby Can Safely Have Peanut Butter
Peanut butter doesn’t have to be the first food your baby tries. But it shouldn't be the last either. You should offer other non-allergenic foods first, like mashed banana. If there’s no underlying concern for a reaction, start introducing peanut butter around 6-months-old.
Make sure you offer creamy peanut butter and not crunchy peanut butter to avoid a choking hazard.
You can always call your pediatrician if you’re nervous about feeding peanut butter to your baby. A pediatrician can coach you in feeding peanut butter to your baby since they have a detailed medical history of your child.
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Children with existing food allergies and eczema are at higher risk for peanut allergies than children without food allergies.
Your Baby and Peanut Butter: Allergy Risk Factors
Only a handful of foods cause 90% of all food allergy reactions, and peanuts are one of them. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently stated that introducing your baby to peanut butter sooner rather than later will lessen the risk of developing a peanut allergy.
Children with existing food allergies and eczema are at higher risk for peanut allergies than children without food allergies. Signs of an allergic reaction include:
- Itchy mouth
- Swollen tongue
- Hives
- Throat tightening (severe)
- Difficulty breathing (severe)
If you or your child has ever had a food allergy, call your pediatrician for further direction on feeding peanut butter to your baby.
Safely Preparing Peanut Butter for Your Baby
After a consultation with your pediatrician, it’s time to prepare baby’s first taste of peanut butter! Preparing peanut butter for a baby isn’t difficult, but you can’t give her a spoonful and call it good. Peanut butter is thick. A baby needs help consuming it, especially if your baby is weaning off a baby food.
Introducing your baby to peanut butter doesn’t mean she has to eat peanut butter. Baby foods often have peanut butter baby snacks and peanut butter powder. These options work great as stepping stones into eating thick peanut butter.
Above all, choose a natural peanut butter free of sugars, preservatives, salts, and peanut chunks.
Age matters when it comes to what your child can eat. Let’s look at different ways to prepare peanut butter based on your baby’s age.
Peanut Butter for 6-Month-OId Babies
Mix a small amount of peanut butter with food your baby has already tried, like mashed banana or baby cereal. Offer it on a spoon, or let your baby have a little fun with her hands. You can even try adding peanut butter puffs to something smooth like yogurt, breast milk, or formula.
Peanut Butter for 9-Month-OId Babies
Your baby should have the motor skills to pick up food and chew soft foods by this time. Add a thin layer of peanut butter to a slice of plain bread, toast, or pancakes. Make sure to cut the bread into small pieces for her to chew. You can even add peanut butter to a smoothie or oatmeal.
Peanut Butter for 12-Month-OId Babies
Moving forward, your child can now practice motor skills by using utensils to eat foods with peanut butter. If you want to have some fun, add a little peanut butter to your baby’s first birthday smash cake! Still, make sure to offer small amounts of peanut butter.
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Choose a natural peanut butter free of sugars, preservatives, salts, and peanut chunks.
Peanut Butter Recipes for Toddlers and Babies
Making peanut butter snacks couldn’t be easier! You can add peanut butter to almost anything so long as your baby can chew it. Be mindful of adding peanut butter to other allergens when starting out, like milk, soy, eggs, and wheat.
Some delicious peanut butter baby snacks include:
- Peanut butter and banana pieces (or mashed banana)
- Peanut butter hummus
- Peanut butter toast
- Peanut butter pancakes
- Peanut butter with sweet potato
- Peanut butter with oatmeal and berries
- Peanut butter and butternut squash
- Peanut butter teething biscuits
- Peanut butter with applesauce
- No bake peanut butter cookies
Whatever recipe you choose, remember to omit peanut chunks to prevent choking hazards!
Tips for Feeding Your Baby Peanut Butter
So you can move forward feeling confident about your baby eating peanut butter, here are a few additional tips and recaps of important information.
- Start with a few non-allergenic foods: This is crucial, especially if your baby already has food allergies, or if food allergies are common in your family. Omit mixing peanut butter with foods like dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, or any foods your family has allergens to.
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Keep Your Baby Smiling
Peanut butter is a delicious treat that adds a smile to a lot of faces. You and your bundle of joy deserve to smile too! 123 Baby Box is a business run by moms, for moms (and babies!). Add a little extra to your life with our monthly subscription box. We have different plans for all kinds of families!
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