Pea-nuuuuut, Peanut Butter...AND JELLY!

Hungry Baby just weighed in at her nine-month check up in the 95% for weight, and I think I know why. Not only do I put cream and butter in her foods, Hungry Baby loves peanut butter. Creamy, delicious, and fattening.

It used to be taboo to even show a baby a peanut before one year of age. Some literature even recommended waiting until age 2- or even 3-years-old to introduce the tasty legume. But the mindset on peanuts seems to be changing. If your family has no history of food allergies, you may want to consider trying peanut butter. I am a daring, throw caution to the wind, fly by the seat of my pants kind of mom when it comes to food, so when Hungry Baby was 8-month-old, I tried her on peanut butter in a small dose. After a week and no reaction, I gradually increased the amount of peanut butter, and now, at 9-months and few weeks old, she can eat between a quarter and a half of an adult-sized peanut butter sandwich.

If you're going to try your baby on peanut butter, make sure he / she can sit unsupported, is able to feed him or herself using a well-developed pincher grasp, and gums food.

If your infant has other food allergies, you may want to wait to introduce peanuts because of the severity of the reaction that may be caused by peanuts. Also, if your infant has other food allergies, you should talk to your doctor (and likely get the recommendation to wait on peanuts). A strong association between and allergy to eggs and an allergy to peanuts has been demonstrated, as well; in other words, if your baby is allergic to eggs, he / she has a much higher likelihood of being allergic to peanuts. Another good reason to wait on trying peanut butter.

When buying peanut butter, look for a brand that doesn't contain sugar. They're easy to find these days and your grocery should stock them either next to the regular peanut butters or over in the Organic, natural, whole foods section, which is where my grocer likes to hide them. Trader Joe's also makes a great Organic Creamy Peanut Butter. Valencia peanuts and salt are the only ingredients, and it's actually really good - I don't miss the sugar typically found in peanut butter.

Good Old Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

1 teaspoon natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon no-sugar-added jelly, such as Pollaner All Fruit
1 thin slice traditional bread, such as Pepperidge Farm Thin White Sandwich bread, or 1 thin slice of rice bread

When hungry baby first started eating these sandwiches, I would puree the Pollaner Al Fruit if there were large pieces of fruit in the jelly.

Slice the bread in half and assemble that peanut butter sandwich. The ingredients above should make half a sandwich (I'm not sure I know a baby who could eat a whole peanut butter sandwich). Cut the sandwich into very small bite-sized pieces. Remove all clothes from the baby, remove the cloth cover from the highchair (if it has one), and put down the splat mat under the highchair, as peanut butter and jelly will likely end up all over the baby, the chair, and the floor.

If your baby is an energetic eater, you may have to give them the pieces one at a time so they don't put too much in their mouth at once.

This is my favorite quick, no cooking, rainy day lunch. I usually serve with applesauce or another fruit to keep Hungry Baby's mouth from getting too gobbed up with peanut butter.