Baby first food reaction
Baby Food Allergies: Identifying and Preventing Them
Written by Gina Shaw
In this Article
- Start Gradually to Identify Any Food Allergies
- Babies and Allergies: The Top 8 Allergenic Foods
- Food Allergy Symptoms to Watch for in Your Baby
- Severe Food Allergy Symptoms: When to Call 911
- Dealing With Mild Food Allergies in Baby
- The Family Food-Allergy Connection
- Protecting Baby Against Food Allergies: Easy Does It
Starting to feed a baby solid foods is an exciting milestone for parents. However, it comes with a lot of questions and concerns, especially about food allergies. What foods are most likely to cause allergies in babies? How do you avoid them?
Emerging research has shown that introducing multiple foods together is safe, and may help the immune system have a lower risk of developing food allergies, but more studies are needed. Check with your doctor for what’s best for your baby.
Start Gradually to Identify Any Food Allergies
It’s most important to introduce a baby to new foods gradually, one at a time, in case of food allergies. If not, a parent may have trouble tying an allergy to a specific new food. For example, if you give your baby three new foods over the course of a day and they develop an allergic reaction, you won’t know which of the foods provoked it.
The type of food or the order in which food is introduced is not much of a concern, as long as the foods you are offering are healthy and well-balanced for the baby. Each time you offer a new food, you should wait three to five days before adding another new item to the menu. Don’t eliminate the other foods your baby is eating during that time; you already know these are safe because the child has not had any food reactions up until now. Just don’t add anything else new.
Babies and Allergies: The Top 8 Allergenic Foods
With any new food, you’ll want to be on the lookout for any allergic reactions.
There are more than 160 allergenic foods; certain foods may be more allergenic than others. The following eight foods and food groups are known to possibly cause problems with allergic reactions possibly up to 90% of the time.
- Cow's milk
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts (such as walnuts or almonds)
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Wheat
New nutrition guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics say it's okay to introduce these allergy-causing foods when your baby is ready to eat solids. There is no evidence that waiting until the baby is older prevents food allergy. If you believe your baby has an allergic reaction to a food, such as diarrhea, rash, or vomiting, talk with your child's doctor about the best choices for the diet.
Within a few months of starting solid foods, your baby's daily diet should include a variety of foods, such as breast milk, formula, or both; meats; cereal; vegetables; fruits; eggs; and fish.
Food Allergy Symptoms to Watch for in Your Baby
Food allergy symptoms usually appear very soon after the food is eaten -- within a few minutes to a couple of hours.
If you’re introducing a new food to your baby, keep an eye out for these symptoms:
- Hives or welts
- Flushed skin or rash
- Face, tongue, or lip swelling
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Coughing or wheezing
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of consciousness
Severe Food Allergy Symptoms: When to Call 911
Severe allergic reactions can be fatal very quickly. If your baby is having trouble breathing/wheezing, has swelling on their face/lips, or develops severe vomiting or diarrhea after eating, immediately call 911. You can inform your pediatrician at a later time.
Dealing With Mild Food Allergies in Baby
If you see mild symptoms, such as hives or a rash, contact your pediatrician for further evaluation. The doctor might refer you to an allergist (allergy specialist doctor), who will ask more questions and do a physical exam. The allergies may order diagnostic tests such as:
- A skin test. This test involves placing liquid extracts of food allergens on your child's forearm or back, pricking the skin, and waiting to see if reddish raised spots form within 15 minutes.
A positive test to a food only shows that your child might be sensitive to that food. - Blood tests to check the blood for IgE antibodies to specific foods
Remember, just because a baby’s initial allergic reaction to a new food may be mild, it may get worse upon following exposures. Talk to your pediatrician about any food allergy symptoms in your baby.
Some allergies go away with time. Egg and milk allergies often go away as children get older, but peanut, tree nut, and shellfish allergies tend to persist. That said, research shows that in the case of peanut allergies, peanut immunotherapy drops administered under the tongue are safe and effective as treatment for peanut allergy, even in children as young as 1. They were also found to help significantly desensitize the patients to peanuts.
The Family Food-Allergy Connection
If there is a family food allergies, your baby has an increased risk of also developing allergies, although it is not a certainty.
If you have the allergies, the odds are 50-50 for them to have them as well.
It’s best to introduce the 8 allergens gradually, at one-to-two week intervals over time so that you can recognize if an allergy develops.
Protecting Baby Against Food Allergies: Easy Does It
In a reversal of earlier policy, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending that potential allergens be introduced to your infant earlier rather than later. In doing so, the move may actually help prevent them from developing allergies to those foods.
Breastfeeding you baby for 4-6 months is the best way to prevent a milk allergy. Remember that breast milk or formula is higher in nutrition. When you begin to introduce whole milk, you should do so under a doctor’s supervision. Yogurt and soft cheeses are fine, because the proteins in these dairy products are broken down and less likely to cause tummy trouble.
The AAP now advises that, in the case of infants who are at high risk of allergies, peanuts should be introduced between 4-6 months.
Infants at highest risk of developing peanut allergies are those with eczema or egg allergies or both. It was originally believed that introducing your baby to the foods when they are older might make any reactions more manageable.
Other potential allergens such as tree nuts and fish should be introduced over a period of time as you introduce your baby to solid foods, between 6 and 9 months
You should wait until at least age 1 (some experts say age 2) to introduce honey, which can cause a potentially serious disease called infant botulism. Ask your pediatrician for guidance.
Baby Food Allergies: Identifying and Preventing Them
Written by Gina Shaw
In this Article
- Start Gradually to Identify Any Food Allergies
- Babies and Allergies: The Top 8 Allergenic Foods
- Food Allergy Symptoms to Watch for in Your Baby
- Severe Food Allergy Symptoms: When to Call 911
- Dealing With Mild Food Allergies in Baby
- The Family Food-Allergy Connection
- Protecting Baby Against Food Allergies: Easy Does It
Starting to feed a baby solid foods is an exciting milestone for parents.
However, it comes with a lot of questions and concerns, especially about food allergies. What foods are most likely to cause allergies in babies? How do you avoid them?
Emerging research has shown that introducing multiple foods together is safe, and may help the immune system have a lower risk of developing food allergies, but more studies are needed. Check with your doctor for what’s best for your baby.
Start Gradually to Identify Any Food Allergies
It’s most important to introduce a baby to new foods gradually, one at a time, in case of food allergies. If not, a parent may have trouble tying an allergy to a specific new food. For example, if you give your baby three new foods over the course of a day and they develop an allergic reaction, you won’t know which of the foods provoked it.
The type of food or the order in which food is introduced is not much of a concern, as long as the foods you are offering are healthy and well-balanced for the baby. Each time you offer a new food, you should wait three to five days before adding another new item to the menu.
Don’t eliminate the other foods your baby is eating during that time; you already know these are safe because the child has not had any food reactions up until now. Just don’t add anything else new.
Babies and Allergies: The Top 8 Allergenic Foods
With any new food, you’ll want to be on the lookout for any allergic reactions. There are more than 160 allergenic foods; certain foods may be more allergenic than others. The following eight foods and food groups are known to possibly cause problems with allergic reactions possibly up to 90% of the time.
- Cow's milk
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts (such as walnuts or almonds)
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Wheat
New nutrition guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics say it's okay to introduce these allergy-causing foods when your baby is ready to eat solids. There is no evidence that waiting until the baby is older prevents food allergy. If you believe your baby has an allergic reaction to a food, such as diarrhea, rash, or vomiting, talk with your child's doctor about the best choices for the diet.
Within a few months of starting solid foods, your baby's daily diet should include a variety of foods, such as breast milk, formula, or both; meats; cereal; vegetables; fruits; eggs; and fish.
Food Allergy Symptoms to Watch for in Your Baby
Food allergy symptoms usually appear very soon after the food is eaten -- within a few minutes to a couple of hours. If you’re introducing a new food to your baby, keep an eye out for these symptoms:
- Hives or welts
- Flushed skin or rash
- Face, tongue, or lip swelling
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Coughing or wheezing
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of consciousness
Severe Food Allergy Symptoms: When to Call 911
Severe allergic reactions can be fatal very quickly. If your baby is having trouble breathing/wheezing, has swelling on their face/lips, or develops severe vomiting or diarrhea after eating, immediately call 911. You can inform your pediatrician at a later time.
Dealing With Mild Food Allergies in Baby
If you see mild symptoms, such as hives or a rash, contact your pediatrician for further evaluation. The doctor might refer you to an allergist (allergy specialist doctor), who will ask more questions and do a physical exam. The allergies may order diagnostic tests such as:
- A skin test. This test involves placing liquid extracts of food allergens on your child's forearm or back, pricking the skin, and waiting to see if reddish raised spots form within 15 minutes. A positive test to a food only shows that your child might be sensitive to that food.
- Blood tests to check the blood for IgE antibodies to specific foods
Remember, just because a baby’s initial allergic reaction to a new food may be mild, it may get worse upon following exposures. Talk to your pediatrician about any food allergy symptoms in your baby.
Some allergies go away with time. Egg and milk allergies often go away as children get older, but peanut, tree nut, and shellfish allergies tend to persist.
That said, research shows that in the case of peanut allergies, peanut immunotherapy drops administered under the tongue are safe and effective as treatment for peanut allergy, even in children as young as 1. They were also found to help significantly desensitize the patients to peanuts.
The Family Food-Allergy Connection
If there is a family food allergies, your baby has an increased risk of also developing allergies, although it is not a certainty. If you have the allergies, the odds are 50-50 for them to have them as well.
It’s best to introduce the 8 allergens gradually, at one-to-two week intervals over time so that you can recognize if an allergy develops.
Protecting Baby Against Food Allergies: Easy Does It
In a reversal of earlier policy, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending that potential allergens be introduced to your infant earlier rather than later. In doing so, the move may actually help prevent them from developing allergies to those foods.
Breastfeeding you baby for 4-6 months is the best way to prevent a milk allergy. Remember that breast milk or formula is higher in nutrition. When you begin to introduce whole milk, you should do so under a doctor’s supervision. Yogurt and soft cheeses are fine, because the proteins in these dairy products are broken down and less likely to cause tummy trouble.
The AAP now advises that, in the case of infants who are at high risk of allergies, peanuts should be introduced between 4-6 months. Infants at highest risk of developing peanut allergies are those with eczema or egg allergies or both. It was originally believed that introducing your baby to the foods when they are older might make any reactions more manageable.
Other potential allergens such as tree nuts and fish should be introduced over a period of time as you introduce your baby to solid foods, between 6 and 9 months
You should wait until at least age 1 (some experts say age 2) to introduce honey, which can cause a potentially serious disease called infant botulism.
Ask your pediatrician for guidance.
Allergy in an infant: who is to blame and what to do?
Allergic diseases in children are among the top problems of modern pediatrics. Allergic reactions, in addition to unpleasant external manifestations, disrupt the physical and psycho-emotional development of the child. In addition, starting in early childhood, allergies can accompany a person all his life, developing into more serious forms (the so-called "allergic march"). All these facts oblige to treat allergies as a serious problem, not to self-medicate, and if a child has alarming symptoms, immediately contact a pediatrician or an allergist.
What could be the reason?
The direct cause of allergy is the contact of the child's body with the allergen. Among the most common allergens are the following:
Food
Allergies are more common in formula-fed children. Usually this is a reaction to cow's milk, which is part of an unadapted mixture.
As complementary foods are introduced, a reaction to vegetable or animal protein may occur. That is why it is so important to introduce complementary foods gradually, in small portions, starting with the most “non-allergenic” foods.
Household
These are dust, animal dander, cleaning products, washing powders and other allergens found in the home.
Contact
These are various cosmetics and dyes that get on the baby's skin or come into contact with it, causing irritation (soap, cream, clothing dyes, diaper impregnations).
Medications
Taking medicines, which inexperienced parents like to practice, can cause an allergy in a child. Thus, a negative reaction of the immune system to a foreign agent is manifested. Therefore, any medicine should be given to the child strictly according to the prescription of the attending physician.
In addition, there are a number of factors that increase the risk of developing allergies in babies.
First of all, it is heredity - parents suffering from certain forms of allergies can "give" this predisposition to their child. Moreover, the probability of inheriting the pathology increases if both parents have allergies.
Intrauterine hypoxia, premature birth, mother's smoking at any stage of pregnancy, and even insufficiently varied diet of a pregnant woman, which does not allow the baby to get acquainted with certain foods in the womb, can become provoking factors.
Unfavorable environmental conditions can also play a negative role in the appearance of allergic reactions in a child.
Oddly enough, an excessive desire of parents to ensure sterile cleanliness in the house can provoke an allergy. It is not necessary to do this - it is important for the child to train his immune system by contacting with various microorganisms.
How does an allergy manifest itself?
Most often, allergies in very young children manifest themselves in the form of a skin rash, itching, redness, dry skin, peeling, crusts on the head.
Possible reactions from the gastrointestinal tract - bloating, diarrhea, severe colic, frequent regurgitation, discoloration of the stool. At the same time, the child behaves restlessly, sleeps poorly, refuses to feed, often cries.
Respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, clear nasal discharge, watery eyes and red eyes are also typical of allergies.
Fortunately, severe manifestations such as edema in the face, neck and chest, anaphylactic shock, generalized urticaria in infants are extremely rare.
How to diagnose allergies?
It is worth noting that allergies can have similar manifestations to prickly heat, parasitic or infectious diseases. Therefore, one should not hurry with self-diagnosis, and even more so with treatment.
The first thing to do if you suspect an allergy is to contact a specialist. The doctor will perform an examination, prescribe a blood test for the presence of specific antibodies (skin tests are not taken from infants), and only after that will determine the treatment.
An allergen can also be identified by simple observation - to monitor how the child reacts to potential allergy triggers: dyes, powder, diapers, pets, etc. It is very effective for parents to keep a food diary, which indicates all new foods introduced as complementary foods, and the baby's reaction to them.
What to do if the diagnosis is established
The most important thing in the treatment of allergies is to eliminate provoking factors. It is important to switch to hypoallergenic cosmetics, perhaps change the manufacturer of diapers, limit contact with pets, use only baby powders for washing things.
If an infant has a food allergy and is formula-fed, hypoallergenic formula milk is recommended. Complementary foods should be introduced according to the scheme approved by WHO, not earlier than the child reaches six months. And such obviously "allergic" products as citrus fruits, eggs, fish, nuts, should be introduced after two years of life.
As far as medication is concerned, it can only be prescribed by a doctor after the diagnosis has been made.
Infants are prescribed antihistamines, topical anti-allergy agents with an anti-inflammatory component, as well as enzymes that help break down food, probiotics, and sorbents that bind excess allergens in the intestines.
Let's summarize. An allergy in a child is a serious pathology in which the immune system actively reacts to quite familiar substances. Only a doctor can diagnose it, and subsequently allergic children should be under special medical supervision. The main responsibility for effective treatment falls on the shoulders of parents, who need to provide full-fledged care for an allergic child, if possible, eliminating the "provocateur" of allergies from his life.
Three day rule to prevent food allergies in children
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The three-day rule to prevent food allergies in children
The introduction of complementary foods in infants starting at six months of age raises some parental concern about possible adverse reactions to certain fruits, vegetables, or dairy products.
Do you know about the existence of the "Three Day Rule" - how to detect food allergies in time and prevent them?
When it comes to introducing supplementary food to a child, the main rule comes into play - be patient! Not all kids will enjoy trying new foods, and not all foods will have the same reaction. Therefore, patiently and slowly, you must give the child to try all the foods that he needs at this age.
In essence, the three-day rule is to wait three days after introducing a new food into a child's diet before introducing another new food. This will allow you to associate the possible appearance of some symptoms with a new food.
Tips for Parents
- When a new food is introduced into a child's diet, allergic reactions usually appear within the first 24 hours. Food intolerance comes later. Therefore, before adding another new product to the diet, it is better to wait at least 3 days (ideally 5). These days it is better to offer the child only familiar foods, either in combination with new foods, or those that have already passed the 3-day test, and we are sure that they do not cause an allergic reaction.
Thus, in case of symptoms, we can isolate the food antigen without problems, and continue to introduce new foods. If a new food passes the test, it goes on the list of safe foods on our baby's menu.
- Choose the first half of the day when you introduce new foods into your diet. If symptoms appear, it is better that they occur during the day and not at night.
- If there are cases of food allergies in the family, be especially careful not only with these foods, but also with others with a high allergenic potential.
According to pediatricians, although cow's milk and egg are the most common allergens during childhood, most children usually overcome these allergies on their own by age 5. Other common allergens are fish and seafood, legumes (including soy), certain fruits (strawberries, kiwis and peach/apricots), and nuts.
Unfortunately, the only way to keep allergies under control is to completely avoid contact with the food antigen, so, except on the recommendation of a pediatrician in cases where intake is controlled, it is best not to include these foods in a child's diet.
Recall the mechanisms of allergies that you need to know about.
An allergy consists of an immune system reaction in which the body reacts to a substance that does not pose any danger, but which the body considers dangerous - this is the so-called food antigen. The body's defenses are activated by producing antibodies, and it is their reaction with the food antigen that stimulates the production of histamine, which causes symptoms.
Types of allergies in children
Food usually causes two types of allergies - to consumption and to contact.
Food allergies usually first cause inflammation and redness (urticaria) of the area of the skin and mucous membranes that have been in direct contact with the food antigen, usually the lips and tongue. Itching and redness in the nose, eyes and ears are also typical, and pimples, spots and itching on the hands may appear when touched. Respiratory symptoms may worsen, sore throat and airway obstruction require immediate treatment.
