Kourtney Kardashian's Baby Has Allergic Reaction to Peanut Butter
Kourtney and son "Skippied" their way to the emergency room.
The Kardashian clan had quite a scare last Friday. And no, it didn’t have anything to do with a video-taped, romantic encounter. But it did have to do with the byproduct of what sometimes results from such escapades — a baby. Kourtney Kardashian’s baby, Mason.
He was rushed to the rushed to the hospital with a severe allergic reaction after eating peanut butter.
People Magazine reported the story on Monday. But anyone who follows Kourtney’s blog (which, um, I don’t) could have read the news directly from the glamourous star, herself. She told her readers all about the scare:
“He threw up within minutes of tasting it and got hives on his face. I called 911 and the fire department came immediately. They suggested that we take him to the hospital… He was in good spirits the whole time and didn’t even know anything was wrong. He even enjoyed riding in the ambulance. He’s such a good boy… I learned such a lesson with this … to always follow my instincts and call 911.”
“W” stands for wow. Now folks, by no means do I consider myself an expert in all things baby. In fact, on the day my kids were born, I knew more about Dr. Dre than I did Dr. Spock. But even I knew that peanut butter was a no-no. The Stir, who also posted this story, points out that “while the American Academy of Pediatrics has changed its stance on when you can introduce peanut butter due to allergies, it’s still considered a choking hazard well into toddler-hood.” And that’s where I am with it. Now, maybe I’m being too hard on Kourtney, but if it’s difficult for an adult to swallow, wouldn’t it stand to reason that it’d be pretty tough for an infant to swallow?
But my problem with the episode isn’t that Kourtney gave her baby some peanut butter. It’s that Kourtney was allowed to have a baby in the first place. (Sorry. Kidding.) No, my problem is actually the way the second-fiddle Kardashian made light of such a serious situation. Personally? I wouldn’t have blogged about the mishap to begin with, but if I had, I would have gone about it much differently than Kourtney did.
She tried to downplay the blunder by telling her readers that her hive-covered boy was in “good spirits” and “didn’t even know anything was wrong.” She even positioned the ordeal as a fun and educational experience for Mason who “enjoyed riding the ambulance.”
That’s awesome! Did he get to press the siren button? Did you get any pics?
Sorry, Kourtney, but his ignorance doesn’t belittle yours. That said, Kourtney saved her best for last because the most astonishing display of ignorance comes in the very last line quoted. “I learned such a lesson with this … to always follow my instincts and call 911.”
Gee, Kourtney. I’m glad you trusted your hunch that a child breaking out in hives and hurling on the hardwood did, indeed, warrant you rocking a 911 on the cellie and all, but if your biggest takeaway was that your instincts are bang-on? I don’t know. Color me conservative, but my biggest takeaway probably would have been to never again give my infant son peanut butter followed up by a “thank God he’s okay.”
I’m not saying I’ve never made a parenting mistake. But I am saying the blunders I’ve made are ones I take very seriously. If anything, I’m probably too hard on myself for such situations. Kourtney? Not so much.
She seems more concerned about telling her readers that Mason was such a good boy in the face of mothering that was anything but. What do you think?
Photo: MorgueFile
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It’s funny how we’re not supposed to be all judgy with each other in comments, but we can judge this chick. Why, because she puts herself out there and is a celebrity? Others do that, too, but we’re not supposed the judge them. I think this post is a little judgy, for realz.She said “I learned such a lesson with this” that speaks volumes to me about her humility that I don’t always see…
@Gretchen — That, my friend, is a good point! One that was not lost on me when I was writing, but I decided to keep going with it because it is my opinion that she tried to downplay the situation. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
I’m sorry, but I think you’re just making too much of this. He’s 11 months, not 2 months old. Yes, by our US stds that is early; however he’s apparently closer to a year. In some countries, such as Israel, peanut products are introduced as a first food. Actually, it’s used as a weaning food there.
I guess things are a little slow after Turkey day.
@lisa — I hear you. And, you may have a point about Turkey day. I looked forever for something to write about last night and couldn’t find a thing. I got this via an email from a friend. It was fun to write, but only b/c I’m not the biggest fan of the Kardashians.
Thanks, you too…the biggest issue here would be what KIND of peanut butter the child had, of course, and I certainly hope it was not that sugar-laden, hydrogenated-oil laced Skippy pictured! (ha ha ha)
Seeing as we don’t know much about the details – it could very well have been a peanut butter cracker or something like that – i don’t know that you can even judge based on it being a choking risk. Even the joke about someone who is 31 years old being “allowed” to have a baby – this is funny because we don’t approve of her career?
I’m not a fan of the kardashians, but unless you can find a parent who has never had an accident or made a mistake, lets pass on the holier-than-thou “I’m a better parent because I can point out something that someone else did wrong”.
@sarah — As I point out, I’ve made tons of mistakes. I just think she’s downplaying the severity of it. And it was snarky. Because I don’t like the Kardashians. I think they’re superficial. And her takeaway from something this major “OMG! He had so much fun in the ambulance” reinforces my belief.
I feel like this post was really snarky and judgemental. I know nothing of the Kardashians other than they are rich girls with a TV show, but this gal is also a mom whose child could have died. There are TONS of parents who give their older babies peanut butter (or products containing peanuts). Could have happened to anyone.
@the original Sarah — I agree that this could happen to anyone else. My problem was w/ her reaction more than anything else.
The AAPs says if there isn’t a first-degree relative with a peanut allergy, you can introduce peanut-containing products as early as six months. Whole peanuts are a no-no until age 3 and it’s only a choking hazard if it is a big gob, like on a spoonful. There was nothing ignorant about what she did. And the mom-judging tone of this article is almost as annoying as the misrepresentation of facts.
When I make a mistake or the kids have an accident, of course I take it seriously, but I’m not going to beat myself up over it on a blog. I wouldn’t expect her to either. I don’t really know who she is, but it sounds like she did a fine job, and tried to make the best of it afterward. I would hope you’ve reconsidered judging her so harshly, because if your kid had to go to the hospital because you just discovered she’s allergic to, oh idk, mango (yes it happened) it wouldn’t be all over the evening news.
@Lucky — my goodness! I am, indeed, reconsidering based on the overwhelming support for Kourtney. I need to go re-read! A lot of it was tongue and cheek in that I think the Kardashians are kinda shallow, and when I read the story, I felt her response was a vapid one. But, I’m a big boy. I can take the lumps, and I appreciate y’all calling me out.
That said, I look fwd to re-reading and seeing what I think. Maybe I was all grumpy when I wrote it!
Saying he enjoyed riding in the ambulance isn’t a reaction to the event, it’s a description of it. Her reaction to the event was to get emergency help immediately and to be glad that she did. Sounds like she did the right thing. And she did NOT make a mistake feeding her kid peanut butter. Like I said, unless she had a first-degree relative, it’s perfectly within the infant feeding guidelines. It just so happened her son is allergic. Again, not her fault. For a blogger to get upset with another blogger for describing an eventful day in their family’s life…odd.
@Laura — I hear you! Thanks for the comment. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!
Yep, I’m with the rest of the commenters that there was no parenting mistake to be embarrased of. Lots of experts (including, you know, hacks like the physicians at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) say that if your kid is exclusively breastfed until 6 months and you don’t have food allergies in your family, it’s actually *beneficial* to introduce allergens early – the earlier, the better. And who knows how the kid got the peanut butter: maybe as part of a dessert, or in a sauce, or by any of a million ways in which choking wouldn’t be an issue.
@Sarah — Thanks for chiming in, Sarah. This made me laugh out loud: (including, you know, hacks like the physicians at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
Happy Holidays!
John, you know I love ya, but two things:
1) The expression is “tongue IN cheek,” not “tongue AND cheek.”
2) If superficiality were a disqualifier for parenthood, much of the US population would have to be sterilized immediately.
michelle — I’m truly embarrassed that I wrote tongue AND cheek. That kind of stuff drives me nuts. (One time I wrote METAL when I meant MEDAL…and, again, I’m a stickler for those things and appreciate you pointing it out!) Your #2 is AWESOME. And so are you! Thanks for the comment. You can beat me up anytime, my friend. I appreciate you reading.
I personally think that this whole article sucks. In this day and time, people are to worried about what the celebs are doing instead of their own lives. If this would have happened to you, would someone be on the internet the next day ready to shoot you down as a parent? I think not. I hate it that celebs are so singled out and get a rashen of crap for everything they do wrong. Guess what? THEY ARE HUMAN. Everyone makes mistakes. But I will say that I am a mother of 4 and by the time my children were 6 months old, they were eating all kinds of stuff. Who knew that one of mine could have been allergic to a dairy product or potatoes, or fruits or whatever. As a parent, you want your children to enjoy the good foods, I mean come on, formula is expensive. If any of your children were like mine who wasn’t getting filled on milk and the doctor said introduce them to other foods. Well how would you know if they were allergic, unless you tried. A to take a touch of peanut butter and put it in your childs mouth for them to try, not a crime, but something every parent has done with all kinds of foods. I say if we are that into other peoples business, put it to good use. Join a cause and help out America. Stop bashing your fellow brothers and sisters.
I think her reaction to the situation was perfect. Her blog entry sounds like a breath of relief after a scary situation – NOT making light of the situation.
For someone who has a blog of his own and posts frequently on Babble, you sure are quick to judge “celebrities”. Seems to me like you are trying pretty damn hard to get limelight for yourself.
@MnMama — That’s an interesting angle — the “you are trying pretty damn hard to get limelight for yourself” angle, that is. When Babble was nice enough to ask me to blog for Strollerderby, part of the deal was to post twice a day. So to keep up my end of the bargain, that’s exactly what I have to do. As far as my personal blog? Initially, I started it to help promote a book. But when my readership grew beyond the point I ever expected it to, my reasons for writing my blog changed.
It quickly became less of a marketing tool, and more of a place for me to flex my writing muscle, you know, to keep it in good shape. And, of course, to document some wonderful memories for my family. And I’m so glad that I did decide to keep it up. Because in addition to a digital scrapbook, the exposure it’s given me has also allowed me to write regularly for a few different sites. And it’s always neat when you can make a little money doing something you love. I hope you get to make money doing something you love. Anyway, if furthering a passion means I’m trying “pretty damn hard to get limelight for myself?” Guilty as charged, your Honor.
Looking back, I regret the post we’re currently discussing. It’s now clear to me that my distaste for Kourtney colored my opinion of the entire episode. It didn’t help that the article I read about Kourtney was extremely critical, itself. Cafe Mom/The Stir started off with this sentence: “Her choice in baby-daddy aside, Kourtney Kardashian just made one of the biggest parenting mistakes one can make with 11-month-old Mason.”
To write 10 posts a week, time is of the essence. If I had spent 3 hours on the Kourtney Kardashian post, as opposed to 30 minutes, I might well have thought better of it. But I didn’t spend that kind of time on it. And I’m able to live with the consequences, as evidenced by my interaction with most of the commenters who have read me the riot act.
You know what I’m also able to do? Admit when I think I’m wrong. As I have in this case. I still maintain that Kourtney downplayed a serious situation. But other than that, there’s not much that she did wrong.
Thanks for reading.
What could she have said that would have been more preferable, John?
@Lauren — Hi, Lauren. I just thought she downplayed it. You know, the bit about her son having a blast on the ambulance ride, and that he never even knew anything was wrong, and that throughout he was such a good boy. If my kid was rushed to the hospital and I blogged about it, I think I’d be focusing more on how thankful I was that he didn’t die. But, again, (and I don’t know if you’ve read the whole thread or not), I’m very willing to admit that my dislike for Kourtney may well have colored this. I re-read it yesterday, and it was awfully harsh. As I mentioned before, I think one thing that took me down that path (in addition to my aversion for all things Kardashian) was the fact that the initial post I read about it over at Cafe Mom/The Stir was pretty harsh as well.
Still, now that I’ve read everyone’s thoughts on the matter, I’m sorry I was so harsh. I now agree that she really didn’t do anything wrong, per se, regardless of whether or not I feel she downplayed the situation. I appreciate you reading, not to mention your comment!