How interested are you in knowing how to change your baby’s life forever?

The smallest decisions can change lives forever. Moms make a life-changing decision around their baby’s 6-month birthday. That decision could allow babies to avoid a life-long peanut allergy.

What simple, quick and inexpensive food can moms offer to protect their babies from peanut allergies? Peanut butter. Babies who start eating small amounts of peanut butter, along with other foods, at 6 months of age are much less likely to have peanut allergies later in life.

Adult peanut allergies have tripled in the past 15 years. Adults with peanut allergies take great care to avoid products that contain peanuts so they do not trigger common peanut allergy symptoms, like shortness of breath, throat tightness, digestive problems and skin reactions.

Protective moms who expose their babies to peanut butter at 6 months of age are helping their children avoid future peanut allergies.

Consider these tips as you prepare to introduce peanut products to babies:

• Talk to your doctor before introducing peanut products if your baby has severe eczema or an egg allergy.
• Babies are ready to taste peanut products like peanut butter at 6 months of age, along with other foods.
• Offer peanut butter that is smooth and thin. Start by thinning and mixing a small amount of peanut butter in cereal, yogurt, breastmilk or formula.
• Thick or chunky peanut butter can be challenging for babies to eat and may cause choking. Whole peanuts are choking hazards and should never be given to babies.
• Offer peanut butter when your baby is healthy. That will help you notice changes that could be a peanut reaction.
• Give babies their first taste of peanut butter at home, not at day care or a restaurant, so you can watch for signs of allergy. Wait 10 minutes before offering a different food. Seek medical attention if your baby develops face swelling or puffy eyes or difficulty breathing.
• Once peanut butter is introduced to babies, continue offering a small amount about three times a week. This allows babies to maintain a tolerance to it.
• Never force babies to eat more than they want.

Which of these tips will help you introduce peanut products to your 6-month-old baby?

• Small servings yield big results. Two teaspoons of peanut butter fed three times a week is all that is needed to meet the recommended amount of peanut protein.
• Powdered peanut butter for on-the-go families. Powdered peanut butter is made from roasted peanuts that are ground to a fine pack-and-go powder. It is easy to mix with your baby’s favorite foods, like applesauce, yogurt and oatmeal.
• It is never too late to start peanut butter. It is best to start peanut products when babies are 6 months old, but if that did not happen for your baby, no worries. Start now and follow the above guidelines.
• Need more information before launching your Operation Peanut Products? This link will guide you:

https://preventpeanutallergies.org/