Fact or Myth: Feeding Peanuts to Kids Earlier Will Help Avoid Allergies Later

There is nothing fun about a peanut allergy. It can be an annoying threat looming over your dining experience for the entire rest of your life. Few allergic reactions have the propensity to be as fatal as a nut allergy; that’s why people who do have a nut allergy carry their EPI pen around religiously. It is really that serious of an issue. It is due to this seriousness, that researchers have tried to find ways to eliminate peanut allergies for such a long time now.

All of the research has basically boiled down to two schools of thought:

1) It is dangerous to introduce your infant child to potentially allergic foods too soon.

2) It is beneficial to introduce your infant child to potentially allergic foods as early as possible.

Most doctors subscribed to the former up to the early 21^st century, but recently doctors have been espousing the latter.

How allergies work

To understand this change in mindset, it is important to understand how allergies function in the first place. Basically, an allergic reaction is a physiological response to irritants entering your body. Your immune system attacks these irritants, and symptoms like sneezing, runny noses, watery eyes, hives, etc. occur as a result.

How introducing allergic foods to children early on helps with allergies

When your immune system encounters these irritants, it will develop antibodies to be able to deal with them more efficiently next time your body encounters them. This is why the earlier you expose your infant to potentially allergic foods, the better it is for them. The sooner your child is able to develop antibodies, the more likely they will be able to overcome their allergies in the future. That being said, expose your child to harmful foods cautiously. Be prepared to help them if they develop a severe reaction, and make sure to avoid choking hazards.