# Shellfish and Toddlers??



## EAGA (Feb 16, 2006)

Do you give your toddlers shellfish? If so, when did you first introduce it to them? DD is 23 months and we have not given her shellfish yet....she has had fish though (salmon, cod, haddock). Is it safe to give to toddlers???


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## MamaB2C (Nov 20, 2007)

As long as there is no history of shellfish allergies in your family, you should be able to try a small amount now. Keep an eye out for an allergic reaction, as it is one of the more common food allergies

We live in a shrimping village, and so introduced fresh shrimp just after DS's first birthday. He loves it!


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## JustVanessa (Sep 7, 2005)

I introduced ds to seafood around 18months. No history of allergies with him or our families.


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## Flower of Bliss (Jun 13, 2006)

I introduced shell fish (shrimp and crab) pretty early... maybe 13 months? Around when she first started really eating food. She loves shrimp. We eat shell fish about once a week. I grew up in Louisiana and we still live in the Gulf area. It's wild caught Gulf shrimp and crab meat. I haven't given her any meats besides wild caught fish.

I never thought twice about giving it to her. However, one of my friends said that our ped (same one) gave her a really hard time about giving her 15 month old DD shellfish and nuts. He told her he guessed the nuts were ok, but that she absolutely shouldn't be getting shellfish







. I've given DD some nuts too (cooked into breads). She's never reacted to a food. Maybe I'm careless and lucky.


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## MamaB2C (Nov 20, 2007)

Hi Flower of Bliss, whereabouts on the Gulf are you now? Maybe we're neighbors? I am near Gulf Shores, AL

I also gave DS nuts and peanut butter early. I was prepared to call 911 if he showed any sign of allergy. Some people say wait until age three, but it seems to me, through my research, that early exposure to possible allergens might help prevent them...the research isn't wrt to food allergies, but don't the same principles apply?


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## EAGA (Feb 16, 2006)

Thanks for the replies ladies. My ped has made me somewhat nervous about shellfish and nut allergies (even though there is NO family history of allergies to either of those sources)?


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

We introduced shellfish somewhere between 12 and 18 months.

Like others have mentioned- they're staples around here.

-Angela


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## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

We never worried about shellfish.

Specific allergies are not genetic; the tendency towards having any allergy is what gets passed down from an allergic family member (i.e. mom could be allergic to nuts, and baby is allergic to dairy). Families with histories of allergies of any kind should be more cautious about the highly allergenic foods.

Nuts can be a huge choking hazard. I wouldn't worry about them in nut butters or cooked into bread, but I wouldn't let a child less than 3 eat whole nuts (learned this the hard way after my 24-month-old aspirated one).

HTH!

Lex


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## katheek77 (Mar 13, 2007)

DD is 17.5 mos, and had shellfish probably around 14-15 mos...we don't eat a lot of shellfish here, but DH likes an occassional shrimp cocktail, so, that's when she had it. She had fish waaaaay before then.

DD had peanut butter starting at 9.5 mos, when she grabbed it from me. She LOVES to snack on halved peanuts.

I honestly don't buy a lot of the allergy warnings UNLESS there is a history in the family, or other indicators (eczema, other food reactions, etc.), and there are indications that DELAYING (beyond the normal introduction of solids) may be the cause of some otherwise unattributable allergies. I was actually nervous about the shrimp b/c I'd realized she HADN'T had any shellfish before then, so I made DH give her a very tiny piece.


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## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *katheek77* 
She LOVES to snack on halved peanuts.

Ack! Please consider waiting on the peanuts (whole or halved, doesn't really make a difference). It is very easy for toddlers to inhale them. Read this: The scary story of Lukas (my son) and the peanut.

Lex


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## Eben'sMama (Jun 29, 2006)

We have given DS a bit of shrimp and lobster a few times, starting at about 18 mos. He liked it and had no reaction to it







.


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## Kessed (Nov 28, 2007)

I"ve never heard of not giving shellfish at 12 months.

I think these things change based on where you live. Around here the only think you are supposed to wait with are nuts - and that's until 2. Although - we recently saw a ped specialist (DD isn't gaining weight) and he said that new research says not to worry about nuts after 1 unless there's a history of allergies.

DD LOVES shrimp. We had some friends over last weekend and had a shrimp right - DD ate around 10 shrimp.


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