Peanuts are one of the most common causes of serious food allergy in children. While parents were once instructed to avoid exposing infants and young children to peanuts and peanut products, the most recent guidelines recommend the introduction of peanut, egg, and other major food allergens at age four to six months. This major shift in thinking followed a landmark study which showed that infants aged four to 11 months with severe atopic dermatitis (eczema) and/or egg allergy who regularly ingested peanuts experienced an 81 percent reduction in peanut allergy risk by age five years and continued to be allergy-free into adolescence.
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