Babies Can Have Food Allergies

One major step in your baby’s development is the transition from nursing or bottle feeding to solid foods. It is during this time that food allergies can really change your baby’s world. It is possible for children to have food allergy symptoms but not really a food allergy, but keep in mind six percent of young children and up to four percent of adults in the USA have at least one food allergy.

If you understand how allergies work, you may be able to recognize the early signs of allergy. It is important to know how to spot these symptoms, and also what to do about the symptoms should they arise. A food allergy is basically a case of the human body treating food as if it were an invader or threatening parasite. It launches an all out attack by the immune system. Sometimes the body will manufacture an antibody that can detect the food. If the baby eats the food again, his or her immune system will release substances, like histamine, to fight the “invader.” These substances are the cause of allergy symptoms. Allergy symptoms can be mild, or they can be severe.

Allergy symptoms can manifest in several different ways. Examples of allergy symptoms are hives, swelling and trouble breathing. Usually these symptoms show up within two hours of eating a specific food. If your baby has a severe allergic reaction, it may even be life threatening. In many cases, however, the symptoms, such as eczema, gastrointestinal problems, or diarrhea are ongoing or even chronic.

Bear in mind that your baby can develop a food allergy even if he or she has eaten the food before and not had any problem. Your baby may not have any reaction to say fish the first few times he or she eats it, but still may have inherited the tendency to be sensitive to such foods. Eventually though, your baby will show symptoms. Early exposures to the ingredient may have come when the ingredient was combined with something else. For example, nuts can be barely detectable in a cookie.

Although it is possible to be allergic to just about anything, there are eight food groups that are responsible for ninety percent of food allergies. These are eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat, soy, tree nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, brazil nuts and cashews) fish, and shellfish.

You should call 911 or your local emergency number immediately if your baby seems to be having breathing trouble or experiencing swollen face or lips. Severe allergic reactions must be dealt with right away, as your baby’s airways may close if you don’t do something immediately.

If your baby consistently shows symptoms after consuming a certain food, usually within the first two hours, talk to his or her doctor. You are the best and final authority on your child and his or her behaviour.

Babies and Food Allergies

Though it is possible for your baby to be allergic to a certain food, the supposed food allergy is many times something else. About six percent of younger children in the United States have a food allergy. When your baby is allergic to a food his immune system goes to work. It attacks the food like it was an enemy. If your baby eats this food again his immune system will cause histamine to be released. The histamine and other substances his body releases make allergic symptoms happen. These symptoms could be difficulty breathing, hives, fast pulse, heart beat irregular, very pale skin, vomiting, diarrhea, and swelling. He could lose consciousness. These are serious reactions. But baby less than six months old don’t normally have allergies. They haven’t had enough exposure to allergic substances. But sometimes that have allergic reactions when less than six months old. A severe allergic reaction is called anaphylactic shock.

There are many things which can cause allergic reactions. Here is just a small list of some of the things that can cause allergic reactions: latex, preservatives and food color, insect stings and bites, amoxicillin and other penicillin type drugs, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, fish, eggs, and milk.

If you think your baby is having a severe allergic reaction, call for emergency help. You need the paramedics. There isn’t time to go to the hospital or talk to your doctor. A severe reaction includes problems breathing, his face or lips swelling, or he develops severe vomiting or diarrhea after a meal. If you notice your baby repeatedly developing symptoms around two hours after eating discuss this with your doctor. Your doctor may send your baby to a pediatric allergist to be tested for allergies. Once you know which food or other substances cause the allergic reaction you can help your baby avoid them. He can tell you if the problem is an allergy or food intolerance.

The pediatric allergist may prescribe epinephrine auto-injector if the problem is an allergy. It injects the correct amount of medicine automatically. Normally these injectors are recommended for small children, but sometimes doctors prescribe them for babies that have food allergies.

It is important to let grandmothers, babysitters, and childcare workers know that your baby has an allergy and to what. Make sure they double check and foods before they feed your baby as the substance could be hidden in a food; they should read the label. Teach them what they should do in case of an allergic reaction. If you have any kind of allergy you baby is fifty percent more likely to have an allergy, but not necessarily the same allergy you have. If your spouse has an allergy also, your baby has a seventy-five percent chance of developing an allergy.Your baby may outgrow her allergy. When children reach school age many of them have outgrown their allergies to wheat or soy. Twenty percent of them outgrow their allergies to peanuts. But allergies to fish, shellfish, peanuts, cashews and Brazil nuts have a higher probability of being with them for life.

Weaning Breastfed Babies – Foods to Avoid on the 6th Month of Life

Whether you like it or not, your baby is eventually meant to wean. Breastfeeding may have given him the time of his life – literally, since breast milk has given him life for the past 6 months. It has given him the ability to ward off sickness and infections almost easily. But the time comes when weaning is not an option anymore but a necessity, especially if he reaches his half year without any hitches.

Most babies can eat anything. But there are some foods which should definitely be avoided, especially if you or your partner (or the baby’s dad) has a “rich” family history of allergies and respiratory problems. Unfortunately for baby, allergies can be inherited and may be attributed to a lineage of itches and sniffles.

Here then, is a compiled list of foods that your baby should definitely avoid in his first 12 months of life:

-          Honey, corn and maple syrup. These may contain bacterial spores which may lead to infant botulism – a very rare but extremely debilitating disease that attacks the body’s defenses, leaving a baby paralyzed from the neck down, sometimes even leading to infant death. The disease is so serious that it is highly recommended not to give your baby these products until he reaches 1 year of age.

-          Nuts. Whole nuts should always be avoided for two specific reasons: one, babies may develop allergies to it (especially peanuts), and two, it may become a choking hazard, especially since babies are just starting to develop teeth and can’t really chew too hard substances yet.

-          Cow’s milk. At about 9 months, babies can be given small amounts of dairy products, but never cow’s milk, especially skimmed and low-fat milk products. Your baby needs fat to grow some muscle and helps stimulate brain development, and skimmed milk loses most of baby’s needed nutrients in the processing stage, especially calories which babies need for him to grow better. Also, these supply too much potassium, milk protein (which most babies find difficult to digest and absorb), and sodium – something your baby needs for proper nutrition. Cow’s milk lacks the necessary vitamin E, iron and essential fatty acids. It can even give your baby a tummy ache or too much gas.

The list ends here but there are a lot of foods that should be avoided before he reaches the first year. It will be up to you and (sometimes) your doctor to have a keen eye in observing and preparing what you think may be right for your child.

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