Feeding babies foods containing peanut as early as possible can help prevent peanut allergy.

But many parents remain confused about this tactic and require more support to get it right, according to results published Dec. 18 in JAMA Network Open.

Mistaken beliefs lead some parents to refuse or delay steps that could prevent peanut allergy, researchers said.

“While some parents we talked to understood correctly that starting their baby on peanut foods trains the immune system in order to prevent the development of peanut allergy, other parents mistakenly believed that the purpose is to test if their baby is allergic – a misconception that fueled fears of severe allergic reaction, leading to hesitation and delays in peanut introduction,” lead researcher Dr. Waheeda Samady said in a news release. She’s a pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Guidelines recommending early peanut introduction came out in 2017, following groundbreaking research showing it could reduce peanut allergies by more than 80%, researchers said in background notes.

About 2% of U.S. children have peanut allergy, which is the least likely food allergy to be outgrown, researchers said.

“For prevention of peanut allergy, timing and consistency are of the essence,” Samady said. “We encourage peanut introduction as soon as the baby starts eating solids, before or around 6 months of age. It’s also important to continue peanut exposure twice a week through the first year and into toddler years. Feeding babies peanut foods just once or twice is not enough.”

For the new study, researchers conducted 49 interviews with Chicago parents of infants aged 8 months to 13 months.

Results also showed that most parents didn’t understand that eczema places their baby at higher risk for food allergies, making early peanut introduction even more important.

“If a baby has eczema, peanut introduction should start early, around 4 months of age, if possible, to maximize peanut allergy prevention coupled with good skincare,” Samady said. “Pediatricians need to reinforce this message, given that most parents we interviewed were not aware that eczema increases the baby’s chances of developing food allergies.”

In fact, pediatricians can be key to parents better understanding early peanut introduction, results showed. Parents in the study said pediatricians are their primary source of information on the topic.

“Pediatricians are key to successful guideline implementation, but they need better resources for families to provide comprehensive information during busy well-child visits," Samady noted. "Overall, we found that parents are accepting of early peanut introduction, but they need clearer guidance and more support.”

In particular, parents need to be reassured about the low risk of severe allergic reactions in infants, Samady said.

“Parents need to be reassured that if their baby is allergic to peanut, they may see hives, some swelling, or vomiting, but allergic reactions in infancy are usually mild,” Samady said. “We should empower parents with information and action plans so this does not stop them from participating in early peanut introduction.”