The long standing warning from pediatricians and other health care professionals to avoid introducing nuts into your child’s diet until they are 3 years old has recently been changed.  Studies have found that it could be that waiting to introduce nuts into your child’s diet may actually increase their chances of developing a nut allergy.  Only about 1-2 percent of children are predisposed to nut allergies because of a family history.  By introducing nuts earlier children without a predisposition may be much less likely to develop the an allergy.

Recently the AAP (Amercian Academy of Pediatrics) changed it’s long standing policy regarding nuts and is now recommending introducing nuts into a child’s diet as early as 6 months of age if the child has shown no signs of other food allergies and there is no family history of nut allergies.  For many parents, especially those with older children who had to avoid nuts for so long it may be hard to accept the new recommendations.  Nut allergies are scary to many parents and taking that first step and giving your child something that contains nuts for the first time is very nerve-wracking.

When introducing nuts parents should be sure to give their child a very small amount the first time and be careful to watch for signs of an allergic reaction.  Common symptoms of an allergic reaction include: wheezing, stomachache, vomiting, diarrhea, hives and swelling.  If you suspect an allergic reaction contact your child’s doctor and if the symptoms are severe seek medical treatment immediately.

Be sure to talk to your child’s pediatrician about these new recommendations and make sure you have all the facts and information before beginning to introduce nuts into your child’s diet.

Remember it is not safe for children until the age of 5 to have whole nuts.  Any nuts your child consumes before the age of 5 should be in spread form, or ground into other foods.

Having a child with a nut allergy (or any food allergy for that matter) poses particular challenges when they start choosing foods for themselves.   When Maya was diagnosed with a peanut and tree nut allergy last year that was one of the first things I worried about.  I knew that for the time being I would be able to protect her, for the most part, by choosing her foods for her, being diligent about reading labels and directing others about what she could and could not eat.  But, what was I going to do when she started being places on her own, choosing her own foods, being exposed to foods that I didn’t pick out or read the labels of before hand?

For children with life threaten nut allergies the consequences can be devastating if they inadvertently eat something that contains nuts.  My daughter has an epi-pen that we can use if she happens to have an anaphylactic reaction, but still.  The best approach to helping avoid potentially dangerous exposure to nuts is to teach your child from a very young age what to ask and what foods to avoid so they can be their own advocate.

We’ve already started teaching Maya that she can’t eat nuts.  She is still to young to really get it, but slowly I see it sinking in.  Sometimes I say she can’t have something at the store and she’ll respond by saying “ya, nuts, no nuts.”  I guess after hearing it so many times she’s starting to get it.

A few of the things I’ve started doing already to help Maya learn about her nut allergy and what she needs to do are:

• Telling her whenever I can why she can’t eat something.  If she can’t have a piece of chocolate or a cookie because it may contain nuts I tell her that.
• Telling her that she can’t eat nuts and why.  I try to explain that nuts are dangerous for her and her body will have a bad reaction if she eats them.
• Showing her what nuts look like and telling her she can’t eat them so that she will recognize them if someone offers one to her.

A few things we plan on doing as Maya gets a little older to help her learn what to ask and what to avoid:

• Teach her to ask if something has nuts.
• Continuing to teach her about the foods she must avoid and those she needs to be careful about.
• Teach her to use her epi-pen when she is old enough.
• Teach her to tell people who are offering her food that she is allergic to nuts so hopefully they will help her avoid dangerous foods.

I think that teaching your child to be their own advocate is very important.   You tell those caring for your children about the nut allergy, how to use the epi-pen, etc, but teaching your child about their allergy and making them an advocate for themselves creates another line of defense.

Do you have a child with a food allergy?  What things have you done with your child to help teach them about their food allergies?  Have you found some things work better than others?

Before Maya was diagnosed with a peanut and tree-nut allergy I didn’t give any thought to what kids with nut allergies did on Halloween.  Trick-or-treating is a big part of Halloween and probably the part kids most look forward too.  Going around the neighborhood in their costume collecting candy from all the neighbors is what people most associate with Halloween.  However, if you have a child with a nut allergy the candy part of Halloween can become a bit scary.  A lot of what ends up in your child’s trick-or-treat bag will either contain nuts or present a cross contamination risk.  You don’t want to have to take that joy of trick-or-treating away from your child.  They go through enough in life because of their nut allergy that makes them feel different, this doesn’t need to be one of them.

Making Halloween safe for your nut allergy child doesn’t have to be difficult, it just requires a little forethought on your part and a little imagination to make your child feel special and not left out.

If you are comfortable it is perfectly safe to continue to let your child trick-or-treating with his or her brothers and sisters and friends.  Set specific ground rules and make them apply to all your children.  Such as, no one is to eat, unwrap, play with anything they get in their trick-or-treat bag until they get home and you have a chance to examine it all (this rule should apply regardless of whether your child has a nut allergy or not).  Once your child gets home take their trick-or-treat bag and go through it.  Remove all candy that contains or may contain nuts.  Many parents with nut allergy kids do an exchange, for everything they take away they replace it with something that is safe.  You could also just have a trick-or-treat bag pre-made for them them and when they come home exchange they bag they have for the new safe bag.

There is plenty of Halloween candy that is safe for nut allergy kids.  Here is a list of a few I could think of (be sure to always read the label as some manufacturers may change their processes at any time):

• Skittles (all varieties)
• Most jelly beans
• Anything made by Haribo
• Hershey Kisses (except the peanut butter and almond varieties)
• Full size Hershey Milk Chocolate and Krackle bars
• Milk Duds
• Hershey Kissables (great M&M alternative)
• Rolos
• Many Wonka products including; nerds, bottle caps, runts, gob stoppers, pixy stix and tart n tiny.
• Smarties (rockets for my Canadian readers )
• Laffy Taffy
• Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops
• Lifesaver Gummies
• Whoopers (except the peanut butter variety)
• Sweet Tarts
• Sunmaid chocolate-covered raisins
• Twizzlers
• York Peppermint Patties
• Red Vines
• Jolly Ranchers
• Starburst
• Candy Corn

To name just a few

You will likely have to spend a bit more time in the candy aisle than most people because you’ll have to read labels carefully.  Luckily there are lots of options so you will be able to find several things to hand out for Halloween and to give to your child as an alternative.

Our plan this year, since Maya is still so young, is just to let her to a little trick-or-treating on our street and just keep what is safe.  She doesn’t need a lot of candy, so I figure what she is left with should work out just fine.  Once she is older I plan on doing the exchange with her by taking what isn’t safe and replacing it with something that is.

What tricks do you use to keep your nut allergy child safe on Halloween?

SunButter is a peanut butter alternative made from sunflower seeds.  I picked up a jar of SunButter to give it a try since my daughter is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.  Both my husband and I love peanut butter so my goal was to find a product that would be a good substitute.  One that would mimic peanut butter well both in everyday use like on toast or on a peanut butter sandwich as well as in recipes like cookies or monkey munch.

Admittedly, I was a little skeptical.  I just couldn’t see how a product made without peanuts could really taste like peanut butter.  My first try of SunButter was on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  SunButter tasted almost exactly like peanut butter.  The consistency was pretty similar to natural peanut butter and spread really well on the bread.  Now, I will admit that Maya wasn’t a huge fan but she can sometimes not be a fan of something the first time she tries it.  I’ll let her try a few more times before I say for sure if she likes it or not.

I think SunButter will be very useable as a peanut butter substitute in recipes.  Based on the taste and consistency I would imagine that SunButter can easily be substituted into baking recipes in the same quantities as the recipe calls for.  As with any substitutions it may take a little trial and error before you get the perfect amount.  I’m going to give it a try in monkey munch later this week so I’ll let you know how that goes.

My one big disappointment was the price.  I had to pay over $6 for a 1lb jar.  Now, I bet the pricing was high because the store I purchased it from saw an opportunity to gauge the consumer a little given that people looking for peanut alternative “peanut butter” don’t have a whole lot of options.  You can find it cheaper (about half the price) online at places like, Peanut Free Planet.

So, the bottom line is that price aside I am very impressed.  SunButter is definitely a peanut butter alternative that this admitted peanut lover could get used to.  If you have children with peanut allergies it is definitely worth giving this product a try.  I would recommend purchasing it online though as you will be able to get a much better deal!

I’ve learned that having a child with a nut allergy means you have to read the labels of everything you buy a little more carefully. As you load your grocery cart you are looking for actual nuts in the ingredients list of everything you pick up as well as special label warnings such as “may contain nuts”, “produced on shared equipment with nuts”, or “produced in a facility that also processes nuts”. Since even the smallest amount of nut protein can result in an allergic reaction it is always best to steer clear of any product you either suspect may contain nuts, or you suspect may have come into contact with nuts.

Remember, there is a lot of stuff out there that is perfectly safe for your child to eat and the more you learn about nuts and nut allergies the better you will get at identifying safe and unsafe foods.

There are a few foods that are considered “high risk” for those with nut allergies. They include;

• Baked goods: Unless you make it yourself or it has a clear label that it is safe it is probably a good idea to avoid it. Cross-contamination is very common with baked goods as there is a lot of sharing of prep surfaces, cooking surfaces and cooking utensils.
• Candy (especially chocolate): There are a few candy manufacturers that make some of their chocolate and candies in nut free facilities, however, most are prepared on shared surfaces with nut products. Read the labels carefully. If it isn’t labeled as safe, skip it.
• Ice Cream: Cross-contamination is very common in ice cream parlors. The same scoop is used over and over again. Even soft serve can become cross-contaminated if the same machine dispenses multiple kinds of ice cream. Do your research before allowing your child to eat ice cream while you’re out. The safest thing to do is to buy a carton of ice cream from the store so you know what the ingredients are and you know the product is safe.
• Ethnic Foods: African and Asian cuisine often contain peanuts and tree nuts. With Mexican and Mediterranean cuisine cross-contamination is possible as some of their dishes may contain nuts. It is best to avoid these foods unless you absolutely know it is safe (ie you made it yourself or have talked to the restaurant owner and chef).
• Sauces: Many chefs use peanuts, peanut butter, or other nuts to thicken their sauces. Read labels, talk to the restaurant manager, and know it is safe before you allow your child to consume it.

To name a few. It really comes down to doing your homework. Thankfully food labels are a lot easier to read now adays and often contain special warnings that make it so much easier to identify safe and unsafe foods. Nuts can be easy to avoid if you know what to look for.

Here are a few helpful websites:

• AllergicChild.com
• PeanutAllergy.com
• KidsHealth
• FoodAllergies.org

As I mentioned last week Maya was referred to an allergist for some testing due to a possible peanut allergy. Well, we had that appointment today. I had done a little research about what to expect at the appointment on a few forums and through talking with her pediatrician (whose own daughter has a nut allergy). I was a little worried about the appointment since Maya HATES all doctors and nurses (anyone in scrubs!) and I had heard that the tests can be particularly difficult for little ones because they don’t understand what is going on and have to sit still for an extended period of time. Luckily, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Maya started getting tense as soon as we entered the building and started crying as soon as she saw the receptionist behind the desk. Our appointment was one of the first of the day so we didn’t have to wait at all, we were taken right back into an exam room. Maya cried the whole time Dr. Allergy was in the room with us. It made it a bit difficult to talk about her medical history, family history, etc . Every time Dr. Allergy or his nurse entered the room she would start crying and saying “all done” and “bye-bye”. Thankful she would stop crying as soon as Dr. Allergy or his nurse left the room so that made it a little easier on her and me.

The test itself wasn’t too bad, really. They used a small plastic disc with tiny pins on it. The allergens were put on the ends of the pins and then the pins were pressed into her back. It leaves behind an oil droplet so I had to be careful that neither Maya or myself touched her back. This was the part I thought would be particularly difficult since not many 18 month olds are game for sitting still. To my amazement she gladly sat still. I sat in a chair and just had Maya laying on my chest. She was happy to lay there contently and actually fell asleep for a few minutes while we were waiting to see what would happen. The nurse came in part way through the test to check on us and Maya cried but was fine again as soon as she left the room.

After just a couple of minutes I could see red marks forming on her back and figured that probably meant she was allergic. Sure enough, the nurse came back in after 15 minutes to wipe it all off her back and apply some cream to alleviate the itching and swelling, she said she tested positive for peanuts, cashews and pistachios. Poor Maya is allergic to both peanuts and tree nuts. I’m so bummed for her.

The doctor gave us a prescription for a Twinject, which is a type of epipen along with a list of instructions on when to use it. Pretty much if she ingests nuts and has any sort of reaction, be it a rash, swelling, or shortness of breath we have to administer the epipen and then call 911. Needless to say I was a little freaked out listening to the doctor explain it all.

One of my biggest questions for the doctor was how she ended up with a food allergy since there is no family history of food allergies on either my side or Daddy’s side and she has no other allergies. Well, it turns out that children with a family history of asthma or eczema do have a higher risk of having nut allergies (thanks Daddy’s side of the family )

There is a small chance, about 20%, that she will out grow this allergy so we will take her back in a few years for additional testing. Keeping my fingers crossed that she is one of the few who out grow it.

I’m off to do a ton of research on nut allergies, safe foods, etc. I’ll share what I find.