Flashback to 2017: the powers that be (the American Academy of Pediatrics) had completely flipped the allergen guidelines on their head. For those of you not in the world of tiny people or nutrition at the time, you may not have realized. Essentially (and I am heavily paraphrasing here) the guidelines went from waiting until 3 years old to give your child peanuts to giving them peanuts as soon as possible. You can read more about the guidelines here. (I am not a medical professional, and advise you to speak with your pediatrician if you have any questions on this topic.)

This is how I learned about peanut butter powder. This guide was what our allergist gave me when my daughter was starting solids, and it was incredibly helpful. We have so many allergies in our family, I was terrified we would add peanuts to the list. If you have met my husband, you know why. I’m pretty sure 70% of his diet in college was peanut butter.

We started giving my daughter peanut butter powder mixed into apple sauce at 4 months old and haven’t looked back. Peanut butter powder is one of my favorite things to mix in a wide variety of foods. We add it to smoothies most often, but we also add it to yogurt, oatmeal, muffins, banana bread, protein balls, and almost any baked good. If you aren’t a fan of the flavor of peanuts, try almond butter powder. It has a lighter flavor profile and may be more subtle to a toddler.

If you are still skeptical, let me introduce you to chocolate almond butter powder. When I got tired of the same old smoothie every day, this was one way I got excited about them again. Blended in with a frozen banana, spinach, and almond milk, it tastes exactly* like a Wendy’s frosty. It does have a small amount of added sugar (my brand has 1g per 2 Tbsp).

I don’t think every food needs protein, but if you want to round out a snack or meal, this is a great option.

Bonus: powders are a great, toddler friendly way to introduce “cooking”. Have them choose what kind of powder to add to their smoothie, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. You can give them a little serving and allow them control in putting how much they want in. 9 times out of 10, my 3-year-old dumps in any ingredients I give her and declares the dish “so yummy!”

 

 

Notes:

*My smoothie obviously didn’t taste exactly like a Wendy’s frosty, but it was pretty darn close.