Nuts and nut butters

I need to, I just keep forgetting, but last time we just did a light amount of peanut butter on toast, I’ve seen some people add a little water as it is thick. You could also add to porridge! Dairy allergy too so I know the pain of worrying about everything else! I don’t drive either so I waited until my boyfriend was at home, just incase of worst case scenario 😂

@Frayere the worry and anxiety is awful. I’m a solo parent and home alone so it’s so scary. We’re at great Ormond street hospital next week for the day and wondering if I should introduce it there during lunch time 😂😫

I saw someone say about putting a bit on their cheek for 10 minutes and wiping it off and seeing if there’s any redness. So I did that with both my girls and then gave them a bit in yoghurt or porridge. Luckily we’ve been fine so far!

I haven’t done it yet but I am planning to give a bit of peanut butter mixed in soya yogurt or porridge. My LG has CMPA so I’m also really anxious about introducing new allergens x

I add almond butter to LOs weetabix i don't use peanut butter as almond butter is healthier. I also took the seed out of a dare and replaced it with an almond before grinding it a bit and gave that in a bit if yoghurt. Did the same with my first

Those slippers on your little one are so cute!! Where are they from?

Yes do it at the hospital! I know so many people who have done this! I did peanut butter in pancakes and I made sure my dad was here 😂

@Laura it’s a Pinterest picture I stole for attention 😂😂😂 but I loved them too I’ve seen exactly the same pair in Trotters though but not cheap

@Lauren see this scares me because she has eczema due to potential dairy allergy. Been referred for allergy testing but could be waiting months. So stuck. We are also being tested for egg allergy

I'm exactly the same! My daughter has suspected milk and egg allergy (awaiting private allergy test results due this Friday). I've done wheat and soy so far and they seem OK. Genuinely considering testing peanut outside the children's A&E dept just in case 🙈

@Lauren same way I did almonds, I crushed some and added it to his Weetabix

@Nicola yeah I’m thinking the same. How did you introduce soy? We had tofu for dinner this evening, surely that counts? Also where did you do the private tests and were they expensive?

So I am planning to drive to a hospital and try it in the car 🙈😂

@Drei I think the key is to try and introduce it before age 1, the LEAP study showed the rate of peanut allergies was high in the UK as the advice used to be to avoid peanuts for the first few years, but it’s gone down again since they’ve encouraged early introduction. Do it outside A&E like others have said!

One of the books I have says start with half a.teaspoon mixed with a splash of boiled water then add it to mashed avocado (or yoghurt if you know your little one is OK with dairy). Second time is half a teaspoon again I believe and then a full teaspoon - also with boiled water to loosen it. Good luck x

We bought a nut allergen kit (https://babyareyounuts.co.uk/) I’d recommend!

We tried it for breakfast this morning and so far so good :)

@Jen this is really interesting! Thank you 🤩

I had a call today to say they are doing her allergy testing tomorrow at the hospital as we suspect dairy allergy. Do you mamas think I should test for the peanut allergy in the hospital tomorrow? Would they do that too or should I take some peanut butter with me and test there too?

I’d suggest taking some peanut butter with you and telling them you haven’t tested it yet and ask if they can test that too. If they say no, just give it your little one after the appointment in the car park xx

Early introduction of allergens into the diet is really important, especially with a history of other food allergies. My first son was allergic to dairy and I systematically tested all the allergens as soon as I started weaning at 6 months. He had allergic reactions to peanut and egg. His peanut reaction was quite strong - swollen lips and eyes, hives on his face etc. I introduced by putting a bit of peanut butter the size of his fingernail on a bagel. As soon as he reacted, I washed his face and hands, administered antihistamine he had been prescribed for his eczema and called Urgent Care. Their advice was to monitor for several hours and any sign of breathing difficulties to phone an ambulance. Blood testing a few months later confirmed his allergy. My June 24 baby is also allergic to dairy. I introduced peanut almost immediately. Adding a tip of a teaspoon of peanut butter to his Ready Brek. All seemed fine and I upped the amount each time I added it. After about 6 exposures, I

felt confident that he was fine so the next time I gave him it, I added a huge dollop of peanut butter into his ready Brek and he had a reaction. Not as serious as his older brother though. He had ready blotches around his eyes. Scratching his eyes and face and itchy hive rash on his neck but he had no swelling. We just had his blood test done 2 weeks ago and it confirmed his allergy to peanut. He had suffered a built up reaction when I was adding to his Ready Brek. At his hospital appointment they said he only just passed the threshold for a confirmed allergy, they measure the hive from the solution and a minimum of 3mm is needed for confirmation and his was 4mm. My oldest sons measured 6mm at 1 year old.

@Lyndsay thanks for this. I don’t know what to expect at the allergy testing tomorrow but I’m assuming she will have several allergens tested on the day. Not looking forward to it 😩 she’s getting checked for potential dairy, salmon and egg allergy but I’m also hoping they test for peanut and nuts in general.

@Drei I think all allergy clinics work a little differently. With my eldest son, they tested him for peanut, egg and 5 other types of nuts that I hadn’t introduced yet (cashew, hazelnut and I can’t remember the other 3). I had already safely introduced almond. They wouldn’t test for dairy as his reaction was non-ige. With my June 24 baby, they would only test for peanut as that was the only thing he had an allergy reaction to. I hadn’t introduced any other nuts apart from almond and cashew but they said they’ll only test if there’s been a previous reaction from ingestion 🤷‍♀️.

Good luck for tomorrow! It’s not nice seeing them get the wee skin pricks. My June baby didn’t cry at all with the skin pricks but my 3 year old screamed murder and it took 2 nurses to hold his arm down 😳. He is very shy and clingy though.