Having a child with peanut allergy can be very scary. I have personal experience with this. Both of my sisters' oldest children are allergic to peanuts. It changes the experience of taking my niece or nephew to Dairy Queen for ice cream when I know that an accidental peanut might be fatal. Going to the park is hazardous – what if they go down the slide after the toddler with sticky fingers from her lunchtime peanut butter and jam sandwich?

Now that I'm pregnant with my first child, I wanted know if there was anything I could do to reduce the risk of my baby having peanut allergy. I discovered that while the scientists and doctors are waiting for harder evidence, many moms are in the dark about this very deadly allergy and what they can do about it.

Peanut allergy is not as rare as you might think. Dr. Scott Sicherer, pediatric food allergy specialist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, says that about one in 150 children are affected by peanut allergy, and that number is rising.

Peanut allergy is more common in families with a history of peanut allergy or allergies in general. Unlike many other food allergies, children don't usually outgrow their reaction to peanuts. It is a particularly scary allergy, because reactions are often severe, and accidental ingestion of peanuts is fairly common – traces of peanuts can be found in ice cream, cereal, baby formula, candy, donuts and many other foods. Just check for labels that say "may contain traces of peanuts."

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