SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Parents are being told by the federal government that much of what we know about peanut allergies is wrong.
New government research shows the best way to prevent a peanut allergy is to feed your baby peanut foods early and often. The more allergy prone the child, the earlier they should b exposed to train their immune systems.
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Babies with severe eczema or egg allergies should start on peanut-based foods at 4-6 months right when they start solid foods. Those with mild allergies should start at six months.
For anyone else, it's whenever the parents and doctors see fit.
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The new recommendations come after a large trial found regular peanut consumption before age five cuts a child's allergy risk by 80 percent.
Currently, two percent of children in the United States have a peanut allergy. That number has quadrupled in the last 13 years. Hopefully, the new guidelines will make a dent. Peanuts can be a choking hazard so it's best to ask your doctor what the best way to prepare peanuts is.