Pecans

You can offer pecan once your baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months, but only finely ground or as pecan butter. Whole or chopped pecans and thick butter are choking risks, so learn how to prepare them safely.

Pecan comes from North America. It grows on tall, long-lived trees.

Pecan is very good in zinc and thiamin. It carries protein, healthy fat and plenty of fiber. It also holds iron, which helps in plant-based diets. It is one of the nuts richest in flavonoids.

First try

For the first time, a small pinch of finely ground pecan is enough, or about 1/8 teaspoon of the nut butter, thinned out with breast milk, formula, or water. If there is no reaction, increase the portion over the next meals. It is fine if your baby does not finish it, since the goal is steady allergen exposure, not filling the belly. Once tolerated, offer it about twice a week if you can.

If your baby has severe eczema, has had an allergic reaction before, or you suspect nut allergy, talk to your pediatrician or a pediatric allergist before offering it at home.

Whole pecans

After 24 months, a child who eats like a pro (bites off small pieces, chews well, keeps the mouth from getting too full, and spits out anything not chewed) may be ready to practice with whole pecans. Still, medical bodies count nuts as a choking risk until age 4 and beyond. In this app whole pecans are not given before age 4.

Serve nuts only when your child is seated upright and focused on eating. Do not serve them in a stroller, a car seat or while walking around. Never give them to a child who is chatting, shouting, or singing.

Storage and milk

Pecans can go rancid. They keep fresh for up to 9 months in the fridge and up to 2 years in the freezer.

No pecan milk as a drink before 12 months, but it can go into a cooked dish such as oatmeal. After 12 months, unsweetened milk can be an occasional drink, but it falls short in calories, fat and protein.

All whole nuts, nut pieces and lumps of nut butter are choking risks for babies and young children. Pecan is one of them.

To lower the risk, grind pecans to a powder. Thin the butter with water, breast milk, formula, applesauce or yogurt and spread it very thinly. Water in an open cup helps wash sticky bites down. Stay close while your baby eats and keep them upright.

Pecan is a common allergen. The World Health Organization counts it as a Global Priority Allergen. Pecan is treated as a tree nut (even though botanically it is a seed). More than 95 percent of people allergic to pecan are also allergic to walnut, because the two nuts have similar proteins. Tree nut allergy affects 0.5 to 1.2 percent of people, and it usually lasts for life. Around 9 percent of children allergic to tree nuts grow out of it.

Allergy to one nut raises the chance of allergy to another, but it does not mean every nut must be dropped. If pecan allergy is present, work with an allergist to decide whether other nuts can be eaten safely.

Most babies need no allergy test before trying nuts, including those with relatives who have food allergies. Evidence for the protective effect of early allergen introduction is growing, so do not delay more than needed.