Peanut Butter and Honey

Peanut butter was one of the things I lived on when I was pregnant. I couldn’t stand the smell of ham, let alone eat it; tuna was too much work. Aside from the occasional turkey sandwich (with spinach leaves instead of lettuce, for extra folic acid and iron), I had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch almost every day.

Considering how much peanut butter went into the making of my children, it was difficult for me not to give them peanut butter for the first year of their lives, but that is what most doctors recommend. Peanuts are actually a legume, not a nut, and they are a common allergen. Peanut allergies can be severe because peanuts and peanut oils are used in many commercial and homemade products and it is not always obvious that they are included. Experts believe that if exposure to peanuts and peanut butter is delayed until after the first birthday, the chance of a peanut allergy developing is reduced.

Once babies are old enough to have peanut butter, it still should be served with caution. Peanut butter is a choking hazard if eaten straight from the jar by itself. Even the Heimlich maneuver won’t work if someone is choking on a glob of peanut butter.

Never allow your children (or yourself) to eat peanut butter off a knife or spoon — always spread it on bread, crackers, celery, apples, rice cakes or some other food first. For young children, you should use creamy peanut butter, not chunky, and spread it thinly. You can even mix a little milk in as you are spreading so it spreads thinner.

Honey is another natural, healthy food that can be very dangerous to a young baby. Honey can contain botulism spores that could be deadly to an infant. For this reason, doctors recommend that you not give any honey to babies under the age of one year. Some studies suggest the same danger exists for corn syrup — check with your doctor before giving corn syrup to a baby.