For Providers

Parents and caregivers are eager to understand and embrace early introduction. But they still have questions and need reassurance. It’s easy to understand why. The guidelines for feeding peanut and other potential allergens have changed completely from a generation ago, thanks to breakthroughs in science. Social media can also layer in confusion and uncertainty.

At the end of the day, when they are looking for guidance and confirmation, parents turn to you. By championing early introduction, you make sure they are doing everything they can to stop a preventable peanut allergy before it starts. You’re fueling a child’s interest in a variety of nutritious foods and encouraging adventurous eating. Most importantly, you are giving every child you help care for the best start to a long and healthy life.

Parents and kids love me. But healthcare providers and influencers find tons of useful resources here.

Say Hello To The Newest Member Of The Team: Little Peanut

Little Peanut is here to help make early peanut introduction a standard practice. This lovable plushie serves as a reminder and conversation starter, connecting parents and caregivers with essential resources and tips.

Little Peanut for Providers

Background And Providers Resources

The research and guidelines, plus videos, recipes, handouts, and other resources you can download and use in your practice.

The Building Blocks Of Messaging That Supports Early Peanut Introduction

Feeding infants peanut-containing foods, beginning as early as 4-6 months, reduces the risk of peanut allergy by up to 86 percent ― making it one of few conditions with a clear dietary intervention that prevents the disease.Food allergies affect approximately 5% of all children today, just a fraction of the total population. But living with a true food allergy means dealing with economic, social, physical, and emotional burdens that can last a lifetime. Babies at high risk for developing a peanut allergy – those with severe eczema, egg allergy, or both – should be introduced to peanut foods at four to six months of age.Most babies are not at risk for a peanut allergy. But all babies can benefit from being exposed to peanuts and a variety of other foods early in life, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage all children to get peanut foods by one year. Always introduce potential allergens to a healthy baby early in the day, and when a caregiver can keep an eye on them for at least two hours. Start with just a small amount of infant-safe food – such as peanut butter thinned with a little warm water, breastmilk, or formula – and wait 10 minutes. If there’s no reaction, continue to feed until the baby has eaten the full portion or is no longer interested in eating.Most concerns around early introduction relate to potential reactions. Studies consistently show infants are at low risk for severe reactions when peanut foods are introduced in infancy.Live by the mantra “eat early, eat often.” Once peanut has been safely introduced, it should be kept in the diet regularly.When you consider the number of babies born each year, early introduction has the potential to prevent a lifetime of anxiety, increased healthcare burdens, and all the other issues that go along with managing a food allergy. The power of prevention is in our hands – get comfortable with the new recommendations, encourage parents to act on them, and help reduce food allergies in future generations.

The time you spend familiarizing yourself more with what the science says here will pay off in helping parents feel more comfortable.