Baby Food Allergies

There are common baby food allergies that should be avoided if possible. Introducing your baby to new foods can be a fun experience, but it can also be a scary experience since you don't know how your baby will react to those foods. While there's nothing you can do to guarantee that your baby won't have food allergies, there is a lot that you can do to help prevent them. Read on to learn more:

Common food allergies
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat and soy account for 90% of all allergies in babies, but there are also other foods that can be problematic. These include tree nuts (walnuts, cashews, pecans, etc.), strawberries (and other berries), citrus fruits, fish and shellfish.

When to introduce foods
Fortunately, a simple way to avoid allergic reactions in babies is to introduce foods at the right time. With this in mind, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued these guidelines:

• Milk (and other dairy products): Do not introduce until one year of age.
• Peanuts: Do not introduce until age three.
• Tree nuts: Do not introduce until age three.
• Fish: Do not introduce until age three.
• Egg: No egg whites or whole eggs until age two.
• Strawberries: Do not introduce until age two.
• Citrus: Do not introduce until six months of age.

More ways to prevent allergies
Aside from introducing foods at the right time, there are several other things that you can do to prevent allergies in your baby. These include:

• Waiting until six months of age to start solids.
• Introducing one food at a time, and waiting 3-5 days before introducing another.
• Breastfeeding.
• Reading product labels to spot and avoid hidden allergens in foods.

If your baby is at high risk for developing allergies (usually because you or your husband have allergies), there are additional measures that you can take to decrease your baby's likelihood of developing a problem. These include:

• Eliminating allergy-causing foods from your diet while you breastfeed.
• Using hypoallergenic formula.

Symptoms of allergic reaction
No amount of prevention can completely rule out the possibility of allergies, so it's important that you be able to identify the symptoms of an allergic reaction, should one occur. Mild symptoms include skin irritation (rash, itchiness, dryness) runny nose, itchy eyes or an upset stomach (cramps, diarrhea and vomiting). Severe symptoms include hives; tingling in the hands, feet, lips or scalp; swelling and difficulty breathing. If your baby exhibits any of the severe symptoms, you need to call a doctor immediately.

Honey, while not an allergen, should be avoided until age one due to concerns about botulism.