Many parents find the chance of baby food allergies among the most worrying aspects of introducing new foods for their baby. But there are simple measures you can take to minimise possible problems and make your child’s introduction to solid food a safe and happy one. Allergic reactions take place once your infant’s immune system mistakenly treats a harmless substance as a damaging one.
Did you know?
Baby food allergy symptoms include eczema, diarrhea, nausea, constipation and red or watery eyes. Very rarely, a critical reaction called allergic shock can occur. This may lead to the tongue and throat to swell dangerously, which could cause choking. In this circumstance, professional medical help must be sought immediately. Baby food allergies shouldn’t be confused with food poisoning. A baby with food intolerance could have difficulty in digesting a special sort of food, which may be brought on by a number of different things besides an allergen.
Take note
Either way, diagnosis should be made by a health professional.
- Try to delay feeding your baby solid food until he’s at least 6 months old. His immune system is going to be more developed by this stage.
- Only introduce one new food at a time and watch for a couple days to see if a reaction occurs. It will then be easy to identify the “problem” food and remove it from your child’s diet.
- Avoid foods which are known to be more likely to cause allergic reactions. Examples of these foods include eggs (especially the whites), shellfish, gluten free and citrus fruits.
- Decide whether your baby is in a particularly high risk of developing allergies — for instance, do you suffer from an allergies? This may often result in an increased risk of allergies to your baby, but not necessarily to the same allergen (i.e. the substance responsible for the response ).
- Discuss any concerns with a health professional. Whilst it’s sensible to be careful, it’s still important to bear in mind that infant food allergies just affect around 8 percent of kids. So try to keep things in perspective, introduce new foods separately and keep alert for potential reactions — these steps will provide you the confidence to safely introduce the joys of solid food to your child.