Baby Care Knowledgebase Guide for First-Time Parents Dear parents, in this article, we will talk about what the symptoms of peanut allergy in babies and how to deal with it.
Peanut allergy is the most common type of food allergy in both adults and children. Unfortunately, peanut allergy is not an allergy that goes away, like egg allergy and cow’s milk allergy. If your child has a peanut allergy, they will probably live with this allergy for the rest of their life.
Children with severe egg allergy and eczema are at high risk for peanut allergy. Even small amounts of peanuts can cause severe anaphylaxis in children with severe peanut allergy, and are therefore considered the most deadly allergy of all foods.
Even being kissed by someone who has just eaten peanuts can cause a rash on the cheek and anaphylaxis. That’s why you have to be very careful. In such a case, even if the kisser brushes his teeth and cleans his mouth, your child may be affected by a simple kiss. Especially if your child has a peanut allergy, you can warn your child not to consume any food offered by other friends at school.
As a result of a study conducted in Singapore in 2009, it was stated that very few of the deaths due to anaphylaxis were caused by peanuts. However, another 2013 study found that peanuts were the most common cause of death from anaphylaxis among Singaporean children.
Peanut allergy usually occurs in infancy and early childhood. There is no strong evidence regarding whether the mother’s consumption of peanuts during pregnancy or not, will reduce the risk on children. However, if your baby has a peanut allergy, we do not recommend that breastfeeding mothers consume peanuts.
When Do the First Symptoms of Peanut Allergy Occur?
Peanut allergy usually occurs in infancy and early childhood. There is no strong evidence regarding whether the mother’s consumption of peanuts during pregnancy or not, will reduce the risk on children. However, if your baby has a peanut allergy, we do not recommend that breastfeeding mothers consume peanuts.
What Are the Symptoms of a Peanut Allergy?
- The symptoms of a peanut allergy are also similar to the symptoms of a cow’s milk allergy or other typical food allergies. (We explained cow’s milk allergy in our previous article, click to read.) In general, the symptoms of egg allergy are as follows.
- Wheezing, coughing or runny nose may be observed in the lungs.
- Inflammation of the skin, swelling of the face, around the eyes and lips may be observed.
- Intestinal regurgitation, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain may be observed.
- Difficulty in breathing may be observed.
- An acceleration in the heart rate may be observed.
- Stomach cramps may be observed.
- Itching can be observed in various parts of the body.
- Itching may occur in the mouth or throat.
- And different symptoms that we have not mentioned above can be observed.
What Should You Do About Peanut Allergy? Is There a Known Cure?
In our previous article (What Are the Symptoms of Egg Allergy in Babies? How Can You Treat?), it was stated that egg allergy disappears by 80% over time. However, this rate can be as low as 20% in peanut allergy. In peanut allergy, just like in other allergies, the safest method of prevention will be to completely remove peanuts from your life.
Parents should definitely read the ingredients of the products they buy from the markets. Do not buy products containing peanuts.
Children can touch slides, swings and other toys with a slice of peanuts in their hands. If your child goes to kindergarten, you should definitely warn the teachers working in the kindergartens about the situation. As we mentioned above, you should warn your child not to accept food treats from other children. Because sometimes, children may feed peanuts to children with peanut allergies without noticing, just for fun, without even having the slightest idea about the consequences of their actions.
We said that the content labels of packaged products should be read. However, you should definitely ask the waiter whether there are peanuts in the ingredients of the foods consumed in places such as restaurants and patisseries, and you can even ask the kitchen chef to confirm.
In the study of LEAP (LEAP is being conducted by the Immune Tolerance Network and is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.), it was revealed that no anaphylaxis resulting in death was observed in infants in the first 12 months. This means that the first 12 months are the best time to introduce peanuts to your baby. As a result of the researches, giving peanuts to your baby in a controlled manner in the first 12 months can allow you to continue your life without reacting to the hernia in the following years.
Finally, in this article, we would like to state that we have benefited greatly from Doctor Vincent HO’s book “The Healty Baby Gut Guide”.
Get well soon!
