Baby Peanut Safe-Form Introduction
Whole peanuts, nut pieces, and thick spoonfuls of nut butter are choking hazards. Use only a smooth peanut-containing food thinned into a runny puree or another guideline-approved infant product, with the baby awake, seated upright, and directly supervised.
Summary
Begin with a small taste when the baby is well and you have time to observe. Offer one new allergen rather than a mixed meal of several unknown foods. Stop and contact a clinician for hives, repeated vomiting, swelling, cough, wheeze, or unusual behavior. If tolerated, keep offering peanut in the safe form and frequency advised rather than treating the first taste as a one-time test.
Use one food in a safe texture
Introduce one new allergenic food at a time in a texture matched to current feeding skills. Whole peanuts, tree nuts, nut pieces, and thick sticky spoonfuls of nut butter are choking hazards. Smooth nut food can be thinned into a runny puree according to guidance. Egg should be thoroughly cooked and mashed or softened. Seat the baby upright and supervise every bite.
Review allergy risk before peanut
Severe persistent eczema, diagnosed egg allergy, or an immediate reaction to another food can place a baby at higher peanut-allergy risk. Ask the pediatrician or allergist how and where peanut should be introduced and whether evaluation, testing, or supervised feeding is appropriate. A family history alone does not diagnose the baby, and a test result alone does not prove clinical allergy. Follow the clinician's full plan and do not attempt a home challenge after a previous immediate reaction.
Choose a calm daytime first offer
Begin when the baby is well, early enough in the day to observe, and when help is accessible. Use a small taste first and increase only if no symptom appears and the clinical plan allows. Do not introduce several unknown allergens in one mixed meal, because that makes the history difficult to interpret. Keep the package or ingredient details, write the preparation, amount, and exact time, and avoid smearing food on skin as a test. Skin contact cannot establish safe oral tolerance.
Keep tolerated foods in the routine
Once an allergenic food is eaten without reaction, keep offering it in a developmentally safe form and age-appropriate portion as advised. Keep variety in the diet and continue usual milk feeds. If a reaction later occurs, stop that food and contact a clinician before offering it again.
Recognize possible allergic reactions
Watch for hives, widespread redness, facial or eyelid swelling, repeated vomiting, diarrhea, persistent cough, wheeze, voice or cry change, sudden sleepiness, pallor, or unusual behavior after eating. Stop the food and contact a clinician promptly. A little redness only where acidic food touched the skin can be irritation, but do not diagnose from appearance alone. Record exact onset, food, amount, preparation, all body systems affected, duration, and treatment. Photographs can support a history but must not delay care.
Act on anaphylaxis immediately
Severe breathing or swallowing difficulty, sudden swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, blue or gray color, collapse, difficulty waking, or symptoms involving more than one body system can signal anaphylaxis. Use prescribed epinephrine immediately according to the baby's written action plan and call emergency services. Do not wait for a rash, give food or drink, or delay for antihistamine, photographs, a second opinion online, or transport by yourself when emergency services are indicated.