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We all seem to worry about food allergies in our babies especially when we see another article written about another food allergy. Try not to worry to much true food allergies are rare such as wheat, dairy, eggs and peanuts (which should be avoided up until your child is 5)
are usually the most common food allergies.
Symptoms
The symptoms of food allergies normally occur in the first our of eating and will include rash, swelling of the lips and tongue and maybe some wheezing.
What to do?
If you notice that your child has these symptoms or is having a reaction to a food call your GP, Health Direct, Health nurse or even a ambulance depending on where you are and how bad you think the food reaction is. In some really extreme cases your baby may stop breathing if the reaction is severe, if this is the case please call an ambulance.
With food intolerances they seem to be more common and much less severe, which can case digestive symptoms such as colic, diarrhea and vomiting. If this happens consult your GP or Health Nurse as they will be able to advice you on how to handle this situation and avoid the intolerance.
To avoid food allergies and intolerances, try to breast or bottle feed your baby for the first six months and stick to baby rice cereals, fruits and veggies for the first couple of weeks. Then you can start introducing foods one by one so that you can monitor your baby’s reaction to each food.
Some of the foods should be introduced later on with things like peanuts they should be introduced after your child is 5 years old. Honey may cause botulism a rare food poisoning and shouldn’t be introduced until baby is 12 months. Eggs whether they are raw or undercooked can case salmonella food poisoning. A cooked egg yolk is safe when your baby is 10 months and egg whites when baby is 12 months. Salt can cause kidney damage and shouldn’t be introduced until child is 12 months old. Coes milk should be avoided until baby is 12 months of age as it can cause allergies although it is ok to use it in cooking.
I hope this helps out anyone with worries about your baby and having food allergies. There maybe other food allergies that are not included in here but these are the most common ones. Your baby or child may also have allergies to some fruits or veggies. So please introduce one food at a time to watch and monitor your child.
(November 2007) (
