If your infant has a reaction to peanut or other foods, doctors will probably tell you to avoid that food completely and wait until they are older to see if the

If your infant has a reaction to peanut or other foods, doctors will probably tell you to avoid that food completely and wait until they are older to see if the allergy goes away. This is exactly wrong, just like the old advice to avoid early introduction. It is actually quite likely that you can help your infant outgrow their allergy with oral immunotherapy (simply eating the food, but in strictly controlled amounts). Recent research is showing that oral immunotherapy is dramatically more effective and safer for infants than older kids or adults. Every month that goes by reduces the chance of success, so start immediately (with the help of an allergist, not on your own) as soon as you discover a food allergy. Also, treating allergies promptly (as well as eczema) may reduce your child's chance of progressing to hay fever and asthma later, as well.