Question about peanut butter and babies?

Question

I love peanut butter... l have peanut butter toast everyday... sometimes more than once a day!

I know that babies shouldn't have peanut butter obviously and I am meticulous about washing my hands and keeping the toast away from my daughter as she is 6 months and grabs EVERYTHING.

What I am wondering is how much peanut butter would be needed to set off an allergic reaction if she was allergic. Like if I didn't wash my hands but there wasn't actually any left on them (just the greasy sort of stuff) would that hurt?

I am not stressing about it or anything I am just curious and I know it's a pretty random and silly question but what do you guys think?

Answer 1

only very SEVERE peanut allergies are brought on through indirect contact.and the reactions comes on fast. Do you or the babys daddy have peanut allergies in the family? A lot of allergies are hereditary. I think we all have the same fear with peanuts. Both my girls were fine. I would not stress about it too much. Just keep doing what you are doing.

Answer 2

Some people are so allergic that just the grease from peanut butter would be enough to send them into shock.  Some are only by ingesting larger amounts like what you have on your toast.  It depends on the sensitivity of the individual.  I new someone that was so allergic they banned peanut butter sandwiches in the classroom, she couldn't eat anything that was made in a place where nuts were handled and if someone were to touch a peanut and then touch her, she would be in shock.

Answer 3

Yeah, babies her age should stay away from things people are commonly allergic to. Most of the time if there's no history of allergies in the family baby will be most likely not have allergies either. I think just the oil on your fingers should be fine. I wouldn't believe that to cause an allergic reaction.

Answer 4

Allergies don't happen with the first contact.  They happen after the first contact when the body decides to consider peanuts an allergen.  If a person were allergic to peanuts, a little peanut butter on the tongue could be enough to send them into anaphylactic shock (and quickly die without an Epi-pen).  People have varying degrees of allergy, but nut llergies tend to be severe.

Answer 5

It really depends on how severe the allergy would be. My husbands aunt is extremely allergic...she can't even be somewhere where peanuts are shelled b/c there is enough in the air to give her an extremely bad reaction. Most people however have to consume some to show any signs. Some people don't have a reaction until after they consume a good amount others one little taste will cause the problem. If you are concerned about a reaction my husbands aunt took peanut butter to the pediatricians appointment with her kids. They gave them a small amount and watched them for a few minutes and then gave them a little more. This is how they determined her son is allergic and her daughter is not. This way if they had a reaction the doc was right there in case of an emergency.  

Answer 6

If your daughter was seriously allergic you would know. There are a couple kids in my daughters previous day care that couldn't even be around someone who ate peanut butter before going to day care. Sometimes just the smell can set off an anaphylactic shock.

But that is worse case scenario. My son is 6 months and whenever I make a peanut butter sandwich for my daughter I don't wash my hands afterwards and he's perfectly healthy.

Thank you darlin, I think so too but I may be a little biased!

Answer 7

In most cases a reaction isn't seen unless she was to actually eat some and then it might only take a small amount or for some more.  My son is 3 1/2 now but he had a reaction because he got a buckeye when he was 9 months old (it was a party) anyways he showed a reaction with a rash the next day but he also had a lot of peanutbutter in the buckeye.  Now he is more sensitive and if it touches his skin he will get a rash where it touches but thats it but before he actually ate some he had gotten it on his skin before with no problem (brothers messy hands).