food question ...

My girls are 16 pounds at 13 months old and will hardly eat or drink milk! I am trying to think of high cal things to give them to eat. My SIL is a Ped and said that she doesn't recommend peanut butter until 2 years old. I have several friends with kids the ages of mine who have given them peanut butter already. I know not to do nuts b/c of the choking hazard (my DH is an Anesthesiologist and is BIG on keeping a clear airway!!! he freaked out b/c I started them on whole blueberries the other day!) I just wonder if we are past the allergy fear by now or if waiting until they are 2 has to do with allergies, too. She (my SIL) wasn't very clear about her reasons for waiting until 2.

Anyway, I forgot to ask my Ped when I was there last about her thoughts on this. Just wondering what the general consensus is. TIA!

 

We introduced it at 18 months. DH and I have no allergies to foods and the girls were showing no signs of it either. The pedi gave us the go ahead at that point.

 

My 4 yo never had peanut butter. She's not allergic but for some reason she has been fine without it. It's not that I don't want her to have it, it just never happened. When she was younger I stayed away because of the large % of fat and she's always been on top of the curve and just wanted to keep an eye on her height / weight proportions.

 

With our oldest DD we got the go ahead from the ped at 15 months. However, now they have changed their standards with all the nut allergies and now tell their patients to wait until 2 years old to introduce peanut butter. So we started at 2 with the twins. We have no food allergies in our family.

 

My girls ped says no peanut butter (or nut products) till age 3.
I would call your ped's office and talk to them.

 

15-18 months. Start by putting a tiny bit on their cheek and then check for hives. If that's okay, the next day put a bit on their lips. If that's okay, the next day you can give them some on toast or something.

My boys have been eating whole blueberries for a long time.

 

Around 16 months.

 

at our 20 month dr visit, the pedi said we can go ahead, we have no more food restrictions. DH and I have no food alergies..

 

We were told it's best to wait as long as possible, but they also said if we really wanted them to have it, we could start at 2...We haven't done it yet, we have no food allergies. The twins had a mild sensitivity to milk and they were preemies so we've decided to hold off as long as we can. It's such an awful allergy to have- we don't want to do anything to increase their chances of having one. It's killing us b/c we love PB here!!

 

It's all changed even from when mine were 12 mos. (we got the go ahead at 12 mos. way back then :unsure: ) but now I understand they are changing their stance on it. You and your pedi know the babies the best, so I would really feel more comfortable if you had this conversation with them in addition to all of us here! :hug99:

 

My ped originally had said 2 yo, but at their 18 month appointment he said that the Ped Association had changed the standard and it was ok to give to them at 18 months. I have food allergies that are associated with my seasonal allergies so there were no worries there. The girls did fine and don't really like it that much.

 

I asked my pedi at 18 months, and he okay'd it then. But we have absolutely no food allergies anywhere in our families. They actually did not like it at that point, but nowadays they'd eat PB&J every single day if I let them.

 

Mine had pb around 15 months...no problems but we also have no history of food allergies. They've had it maybe twice and didn't seem to care for it either time.

ETA: baby yogurt is full fat so it's a good source of fat (good for making smoothies), so are cheese, full fat cream cheese, and avocados. I also put butter or olive oil on most of their foods (as appropriate...you know on toast, mashed potatoes, veggies, etc) to up their calorie/fat content.

 

we started at 12 months. My ped said it was fine as long as there were no allegries in the family (which there aren't!)

 

We started right around 12 months. My girls decided they would no longer eat anything from a jar and would only self feed. We needed a nutritious finger food. No one in the family has nut allergies (or really another food allergies for that matter) so we went ahead. I didn't even ask my pediatrician.

 

QUOTE(snoopytwins @ Aug 26 2008, 09:52 AM) [snapback]947927[/snapback]
Mine had pb around 15 months...no problems but we also have no history of food allergies. They've had it maybe twice and didn't seem to care for it either time.

ETA: baby yogurt is full fat so it's a good source of fat (good for making smoothies), so are cheese, full fat cream cheese, and avocados. I also put butter or olive oil on most of their foods (as appropriate...you know on toast, mashed potatoes, veggies, etc) to up their calorie/fat content.



Oh, if only! They won't accept anything from a spoon unless you trick them into thinking it is your food! Which we do all the time to get dairy into them! They will eat cheese & drink smoothies so I do a lot of that! ... they balk at avocado, black bean burgers, won't eat muffins, toast, waffles ... I can't even tell you how many things I have tried and tried over and over (and therefore picked up off of the floor, over and over ...) and they won't eat them. My bigger girl (16 1/2 pounds at 13 months) is less picky ... my smaller girl (16 pounds at 13 months) will eat cheese and blueberries and cookies and that is about it! She drinks MAYBE 8 ounces of whole milk a day and they nurse once a day ... my Ped isn't really worried about their weights but wants to see an increase next visit. So, I am trying! They are SO active! They walk laps around our house! They won't eat off a spoon but have no patience for finger foods! They want out, out, OUT of the highchair! AHHHHH! I have gotten into the very bad habit of letting them graze all day because when I don't, they really don't eat much at all! Anyway, thanks, all ... for the tips! I would't dream of giving them PB w/o checking with my Ped but just asked the question more for curiosity than anything ...

 

I know you said they won't eat from a spoon...is that you feeding them or them self-feeding with a spoon? Maybe that's something to try if you haven't yet. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time.

 

We started it (apparently too) early at 9-10 months with all the other table foods. No issues though. And they love some PB&J sandwiches.

 

Just a warning.. we have no food allergies in my family either, but discovered my son was allergic to peanuts at 15 months. So please, just be aware that that CAN happen, and proceed with caution.
Allergic reactions generally appear in the first four hours after ingestion.

 

No food allergies in my family, and my pedi said to wait until 24 mo.

 

There are other 'peanut butter' alternatives out there. There's a product called Sunbutter which I believe is blended sunflower seeds. There is also almond butter that you could try if they can have tree nuts.

I have heard that the reason why you can't do peanuts is because it is such a huge risk allergin and by 2 years old they are better able to communicate that they are 'feeling funny' so that they don't have to have a strong reaction to notice a problem.

 

We started at 12 months, but because the boys "stole" leftover sandwiches from other kids. Fortunately, they don't have a problem.

I would probably try to get them out of the habit of grazing. With grazing, they are never really hungry, so have no reason to eat. I found that at that age, the best way to get mine to eat was to limit or even eliminate snacks altogether. Once I did that, mine started eating much better at meal times.

 

QUOTE
I would probably try to get them out of the habit of grazing. With grazing, they are never really hungry, so have no reason to eat. I found that at that age, the best way to get mine to eat was to limit or even eliminate snacks altogether. Once I did that, mine started eating much better at meal times.


I've actually heard just the opposite, that grazing is a very good thing for toddlers. Their stomachs are pretty small, they use up energy fast, and we know how tiny their attention spans are! So at least for some kids I think it makes a lot of sense to have them nibble all day, instead of expecting them to refuel only at 3 big meals. (On a side note, many nutritionists say that grazing is healthier for adults too.)

 

I know four kids with severe peanut allergies -- it's a really stressful and horrible thing. I don't quite understand why waiting until after 2 is better (some conservative docs even say 3 or 4) -- does avoiding exposure early prevent the allergy somehow? Or, is it just that any reaction will be less severe in an older child?

Not really sure, but we're playing it safe and waiting until after 2. Did the same with Nadia, and she's fine.

Our ped did say that we could try almond butter -- my babes actually love almond butter and Simply Fruit sandwiches! Maybe ask about that? Almonds are incredibly nutritious....

 

QUOTE(Becca34 @ Aug 27 2008, 01:25 PM) [snapback]949548[/snapback]
I know four kids with severe peanut allergies -- it's a really stressful and horrible thing. I don't quite understand why waiting until after 2 is better (some conservative docs even say 3 or 4) -- does avoiding exposure early prevent the allergy somehow? Or, is it just that any reaction will be less severe in an older child?


From what I've read, some studies have shown that waiting to expose children when they're older can reduce the likelihood that they will develop the allergy at all (there are also studies that indicate this may not be the case, but I think it's a sort of "better-safer-than-sorrier" sort of reasoning for doctors to encourage waiting a bit before the first exposure). Also, as another poster said, they are better able to tell you if something feels "wrong" when they are a bit older.
There really is a LOT they don't know about the how's and why's of peanut allergies.
Just please be cautious.. anaphylaxis is a very real, very life-threatening indicator of a peanut allergy.

 

QUOTE
From what I've read, some studies have shown that waiting to expose children when they're older can reduce the likelihood that they will develop the allergy at all


This is what I've heard too. I think they say that as babies'/kids' systems get more mature, they are less likely to have an inappropriate (=allergic) reaction to something. Also, some babies/kids can outgrow allergies. If they have an initial allergic reaction, then aren't exposed to the allergen for a long time, they may get over it on their own. Repeated exposure increases sensitivity.

 

We gave the girls pb at 18 months. It sounded like that was when most people introtuced pb to their kids. I regret it now! We have NO food allergies anywhere in our family. About the 3rd time we gave the girls pb, one DD broke out in hives around her mouth. I freaked out! Anyway, after allergy testing it ends up that she has a pb allergy. It may not have made any difference if she had pb at 18 months or 2 years...she could have still been allergic regardless..no way to know. I was so surprised about the allergy given our "clean" history!

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Aug 27 2008, 07:21 AM) [snapback]949385[/snapback]
I've actually heard just the opposite, that grazing is a very good thing for toddlers. Their stomachs are pretty small, they use up energy fast, and we know how tiny their attention spans are! So at least for some kids I think it makes a lot of sense to have them nibble all day, instead of expecting them to refuel only at 3 big meals. (On a side note, many nutritionists say that grazing is healthier for adults too.)



Thanks, Holly! I have tried the "eating only in the highchair" rule and stressing the meals and limiting snacks ... but THEY STILL DON'T EAT! And unless you have a 13 1/2 month old twins who still wear 6 month clothes like I do, then you can't understand the stress of trying to get them to eat, ya know?! I wasn't really stressed about it until their last appointment and Hannah had only gained 3 ounces in almost 3 months! I am just worried that it will be the same story at their 15 month ... anyway, thanks, all! I think I will ask at their 15 month about trying almond butter. I didn't know if the nut thing was ALL nuts or just peanuts ... I haven't given them anything nut-related at all yet.

 

QUOTE(TraciF @ Aug 27 2008, 06:47 PM) [snapback]950783[/snapback]
Thanks, Holly! I have tried the "eating only in the highchair" rule and stressing the meals and limiting snacks ... but THEY STILL DON'T EAT! And unless you have a 13 1/2 month old twins who still wear 6 month clothes like I do, then you can't understand the stress of trying to get them to eat, ya know?! I wasn't really stressed about it until their last appointment and Hannah had only gained 3 ounces in almost 3 months! I am just worried that it will be the same story at their 15 month ... anyway, thanks, all! I think I will ask at their 15 month about trying almond butter. I didn't know if the nut thing was ALL nuts or just peanuts ... I haven't given them anything nut-related at all yet.


I know this is kind of off-topic. I hope it is helpful! My boys have lots of allergies but haven't had any issues with weight gain thus far. I am lucky to have good eaters. I am just chiming in because I wanted to share a few ideas of foods that might help to replace the calories in milk (since they aren't drinking much of it). Some ideas to add calories healthily would be to cook things in olive oil, feed them avocado, almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter (yummy!). Cheese is good and lots of kids like that, too. We use only rice & almond products in place of dairy, wheat, & soy. Maybe you could try rice or almond milk... my boys LOVE almond milk. It has been challenging to feed my sons, but we have had a lot of success. I wish you the same!! :hug99:

 

QUOTE(mandyfish3 @ Aug 26 2008, 10:32 AM) [snapback]947988[/snapback]
we started at 12 months. My ped said it was fine as long as there were no allegries in the family (which there aren't!)


ditto