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Peanut allergies are on the increase worldwide, but a new study says that keeping children away from peanuts could actually eventually make the problem worse.

They suggest feeding small amounts of peanut-containing products to children between the ages of 4 and 11 months, particularly those with severe eczema or egg allergies.

Because peanuts can be a choking hazard, give infants creamy peanut butter and carefully graduate to peanuts in their whole form around age 4.

The study noted that the introduction of peanut products in high-risk infants was safe and that doing so led to a remarkable 81% decreased risk in developing a peanut allergy later in life.

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