How old does a child have to be to eat peanut butter?

Answer 1

There really is no definitive answer to this question. A lot of it depends on your family history. If you or anyone in your child's family has a food allergy or allergic type disorder (like asthma or eczema) or if your child has had a food allergy in the past, then you should wait to introduce peanuts and peanut butter until your child is 3 years old according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Just be sure to avoid giving big spoonfuls of peanut butter and never give children under 3 years of age whole peanuts because they can pose a choking hazard.
With all that said, be aware that a peanut allergy can be severe, lifelong and potentially deadly. Look for signs of an allergic reaction such as:
hives
difficulty breathing or asthma symptoms
swelling of the mouth or throat
vomiting or diarrhea
loss of consciousness
These signs can appear in just minutes or they make take hours, so be watchful during this time and do not wait to call 9-1-1 or your health care provider. Call immediately!

You should always contact a your pediatrician regarding any questions you have about your child's health.

Answer 2

Does anyone in your family have any nut allergies? If so it is recommended to wait until age 2 to give it to them. Possibly age 3. My son was just over a year old when we gave it to him for the first time and no problems, but has no food allergies


In order to be extra safe, take her to see a doctor, and ask for her to be tested to see if she has peanut allergies. If it's negative, then you'll feel at ease feeding her peanut butter, without worrying about an allergic reaction.

Answer 3

At least a year. But even then WATCH them carefully. Peanut butter is one of the only foods that CAN NOT removed when choking on!!

Some people are not aware of this danger.

Answer 4

It depends on your family history. If anyone in your family has any kind of allergies to nuts it is recommended to wait until age 3. If no family allergy age 1. I gave it to my son at age 1 and he has had no problems. Just make sure that it is the creamy peanut butter.

Answer 5

I would wait until your child is three years old. Peanut butter really presents a choking hazard, especially if the child takes a huge bite of it.

Answer 6

2 is what most drs will tell you. That way they have a less likely risk of developing an allergy. Nut allergies are very severe and so I would put off intrudicing it as long as possible. The people that said one are just crazy. Also the older they are the more likely they will be able to move it around in their mouth and not choke

Answer 7

I would wait two years because of the possibility of peanut allergies, and the coordination required to eat it!
[ give some to your dog, you'll see what I mean ]
Also, don't feed them the chunky kind until they are Four -
that's the magic age for nuts, popcorn, hotdogs, whole grapes, and hard candy - to prevent choking,
[ Your windpipe is about as big around as your pinky finger -
tiny, huh? ]

Answer 8

I just took my 18month old to the doctor for his check up and asked this very question - they said to wait two years.
We've feed our son nuts from breakfast bars and such, but the doctor warned that wasn't the same a peanuts and to be safe was better then risking a reaction.

Answer 9

i gave my 15 mo. old some a few weeks back... but when i went to the Dr. a few days after i told her and she said it was recommended to wait till about 2 to start giving them peanut butter

Answer 10

Our doctor told us to wait until after the child was two year old.

However, they made me so freaked out about it that I seriously considered feeding it to our daughter for the first time in the parking lot of the hospital - just in case!

Ask your doctor and then watch the child closely the first time. Good Luck!