Introducing Peanut

First serve

One teaspoon of smooth, salt-free peanut butter thinned with 2–3 teaspoons of warm water, breast milk, or formula to a drizzly consistency and stirred into a puree the baby already knows (peanut powder in oatmeal works just as well).

Build up like this:

Day 1: a small taste (about ¼ teaspoon of the thinned mixture) stirred into a familiar food, early in the day; watch for 2 hours.
If no reaction, repeat over the next several days, working up to the full thinned teaspoon.
Build to a regular serving of about 2 teaspoons of peanut butter (thinned or spread paper-thin) per sitting.

Then keep it going: Once tolerated, keep peanut in the diet about twice a week (roughly 2 teaspoons of peanut butter per serving) — steady ongoing exposure is what maintains tolerance.

What a reaction can look like

• Hives or raised welts, often starting around the mouth or face
• Redness or a blotchy rash where peanut touched the skin
• Vomiting within about 2 hours of eating
• Swelling of the lips, face, or around the eyes
• Coughing, wheezing, or labored breathing — treat as an emergency

Trouble breathing, tongue or lip swelling, widespread hives with vomiting, or a pale, floppy baby means call 911 now. See the emergency guide.

Good to know

• NIAID risk tiers: a baby with severe eczema or an existing egg allergy should see the pediatrician or an allergist BEFORE peanut is introduced — supervised introduction, possibly around 4–6 months, may be recommended. Babies with mild-to-moderate eczema can usually start at home around 6 months; babies with neither risk factor need no special precautions.
• Serve every new allergen early in the day so you can observe for the next 2 hours, and introduce one new allergen at a time with about 3 days before the next one.

Foods that deliver it

Peanut butter →