Allergy Breakthrough: New Peanut Introduction Guidelines Prevented 60,000 Childhood Allergies

New medical advice on when to feed peanuts to babies has been a huge success, helping 60,000 children avoid a peanut allergy.

For years, parents were told to delay giving their children peanuts, but experts now know this was wrong. New guidance, based on major research, flipped that advice: introduce peanuts early.

What the Guidance Says:

• Introduce peanuts around 4 to 6 months of age. This is often soon after a baby starts eating solid foods.
• Do it safely: Do not give whole peanuts. Use peanut butter mixed with warm water, or a powder mixed into a baby-friendly food like yogurt.

The idea is that exposing a baby’s immune system to the peanut protein early helps the body recognize it as a normal food, not a threat. This simple, life-changing switch has dramatically reduced the number of children developing one of the most common and dangerous food allergies. Health experts are now promoting this early introduction method widely to continue fighting the peanut allergy epidemic.